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I took on a pretty big project last week.  We have a general problem with drainage in the back yard when there is a big storm.  It usually results in ponding at the patio and in front of it.  I thought that it might help if I put in a drain tile that led from this area, sloped back to the alley.  I started digging and was immediately confronted with my old nemesis.  I totally forgot that the PO completely covered the back yard in layers of landscape fabric.    After a lot of pulling, I was able to dig.  After about an hour, I found another "obstacle".  I am not positive but I am pretty sure there are about 50 bags of dog feces buried in the back.  I have found some weird shit at this place (no pun intended) but this takes the cake.  Was the PO afraid to throw it away?  I am not sure I get ...
 read more at Tiny Oak Park Bungalow

Posted 3 hours 9 min ago on Tiny Oak Park Bungalow

Fun times with bikes and the mayor! We’re lucky to live in a progressive city with a mayor who fully supports bikers and bike lanes! We bike to work most days, year round, but Friday our route was a little different. Here’s a few shots from the ride. Mayor Nutter led the way from Boat House Row, past the Art Museum: The ride took us down the parkway towards Love Park and City Hall: This sheepdog totally wants a bike now: Listening to the Mayor and Bicycle Coalition in Love Park after the ride: Close up of Mayor Nutter: All in all, fun ride and I’m sure we’ll probably do it again! ...
 read more at Madison Square

Posted 7 hours 11 min ago on Madison Square

In Birmingham, AL, yesterday I ate two pit-cooked pork barbecue sandwiches from Carlilse’s and nearly passed out from the goodness. If you’ve never had Southern BBQ, you are missing something special. Right now, I’m curbside at a city park in Tuscaloosa. Cleo is sprawled in the grass and I’m trying to keep up with the logistics of booking this 66-city book tour, which means I am on the phone every day and emailing every day in an attempt to fill in the gaps, tie up loose ends, etc. All of this complicates life on the road. I haven’t had time even to send out an email blast to let people know I’m out here. That’s not the way to work a tour. To do it right, you need a staff of three....
 read more at Houselove

Posted 1 day 2 hours ago on Houselove

Last weekend Wendy and I stumbled on a real treat. While walking with Lulu on Saturday morning, hitting up our usual stops (the pier and farmer's market), we saw a sign stuck into the ground on a corner. Could it be? Yes! An estate sale! I'm sure you can probably guess (or have previously read) about how we feel about estate sales, and this one was a little better than most others. This estate sale was being held in a house on the corner of Prince and Pitt streets and is a home that Wendy and I have both admired from the outside for many, many years. The home was built around 1820, and though the front of the house is somewhat grand and impressive, the real allure for us is the view from the sidewalk next to the home....
 read more at Old Town Home

Posted 1 day 8 hours ago on Old Town Home

Riiiiiiiiiight nah-aa-oww…. ovah me. Well, over us. Shall I explain why these Beatles lyrics are so apropos? I think I shall. But first I shall stop saying shall. Do you remember these puppies that we picked up at a yard sale last year for $10 a pop? They’re old professionally framed prints of the berries and wildflowers of Alaska, which we thought were sweet since we honeymooned there. So we spray-painted the frames (and mats!) and hung them on either side of our bed. If that doesn’t jog your memory, perhaps this old pic from that post shall will. Well, recently they’ve – say it with me now – come together. Here’s how it all went down....
 read more at This Young House

Posted 1 day 9 hours ago on This Young House

I’m excited to let you know that today’s Pro-Follow is the work of a new contractor named Chuck Thompson. Chuck is the owner of County Comfort LLC and an experienced HVAC specialist. Look for his information to appear on our Meet the Pros page soon and more Pro-Follows to come. Chuck received a service call that a homeowner’s air conditioning wasn’t working, and he let me shadow him on the job. The Symptoms A homeowner’s A/C can quit for several different reasons. In this case, the homeowners realized that there wasn’t any cold air circulating, and on further inspection, they found the indoor air coil wasn’t even cold. This is the information Chuck had when he arrived. Diagnosing the Problem Chuck performed a few diagnostics to determine what the problem was....
 read more at One Project Closer

Posted 1 day 10 hours ago on One Project Closer

2012 Hurricane Forecast: Homeowners Should Prepare for Eight Named Tropical Storms According to the Weather Research Center, Tropical Storm Helene should be the eighth and final named storm of the... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]] ...
 read more at A Concord Carpenter Comments

Posted 1 day 11 hours ago on A Concord Carpenter Comments

When it comes to interiors, I am most inspired by Ralph Lauren.  His style is timeless.  I love his mix of traditional vintage mixed with modern lines.   His use of textures with velvets, linen, and natural woven grasses.  Years ago, I saved an article from House Beautiful from November 2004, "How to Get the New Ralph Lauren Look".  I saved the article for six years before I finally used the pictures to design our final renovation project.  It probably wasn't a "new" look by then, but RL never goes out of style.  It's classic.  Unfortunately, I gave my pictures from the article to our contractor to use for our project and they were never returned.  I searched the Internet trying to find it with no luck.  Finally, I went through all my house files yesterday while cleaning out my office and ...
 read more at Lucky Lakehouse

Posted 1 day 11 hours ago on Lucky Lakehouse

Its Friday (yippee!) - time for another Steal this Idea* feature - a tiny show of appreciation for a well executed tutorial.As someone with limited outdoor space, I'm a sucker for vertical gardens. (see my vertical herb garden for proof!) . So when I saw this project over at Inspired by Charm, I fell head over heels.He made the the whole thing from scratch and its just about as perfect as it gets if you ask me.Isn't it fabulous?Run over to Inspired by Charm, for all the details on this and other lovely projects.Looking for more space saving inspiration? Here are a few more great vertical gardens via sunset / luna-seepostscript: *When I say steal, I really mean borrow nicely and give proper credit!...
 read more at Brooklyn Limestone

Posted 1 day 13 hours ago on Brooklyn Limestone

Our house may be far from done- but, despite missing flooring, walls, a bathroom, kitchen, stucco,...
 read more at Hammering Our Way Home

Posted 4 days 2 min ago on Hammering Our Way Home