Brown & Hidden Gem

31/10/2024

Happy Halloween! Stay safe out there!

05/10/2024

02/10/2024

Fresh picked strawberries in October.

02/10/2024

OK. I’ve spent even more hours on this door picking at stubborn little paint divots. I think we’ll keep it w/its character & flaws. I need to find hinges & clean the handles but it’s otherwise close to hang-able.

I spent nearly a week working on this one door. I’m supposed to be prepping the front stairwell for paint. So back to that project next! I’ve got the front door progress reveal to share too.

29/09/2024

Important comprehensive plan meeting Wednesday! In the 1950s, my house block was slated for “urban renewal.” While the “blighted” properties of Benefit St were to be restored, city plans earmarked my block for demolition. They were going to put in a school and park instead. I don’t know why exactly these 1953 plans didn’t come to pass, but I’m glad this house was spared.

These plans matter. They help shape the city. 100% of what’s in them won’t come to pass, but lots of it might. It’s important to point out flaws & encourage positive points. Providence residents can email feedback or attend in person. The plan’s zoning changes are binding.

29/09/2024

When I’m not restoring a 120+ year old house or advocating for bike lanes in Providence, I’m hosting events at Brown Street Park. The beloved Halloween Party & Parade will be back again this year!

The fun begins at 3:30 w/games & crafts for costumed kiddos in the park. The neighborhood oarade starts at 5:30pm, led by a marching band.

29/09/2024

My desire to fully restore this door is meeting the harsh reality of time constraints. After devoting more hours today to prying bits of paint in the grooves, I’ve got to call it quits. It’ll get a clean up but it’s going to be slapped w/a coat of paint again as I’m still not done w/the stairs & other projects.

27/09/2024

A modern paint job over dirty old shellac comes up pretty easy with a razor blade between the dirty finish & layers of latex.

Going to try & restore this door to its unpainted 1900 original beauty.

It didn’t take long to get the bulk of the paint up. Prying up all the nooks & dings is a lot slower going.

Quite a few of my doors were paint 1 side, shellac other side. This basement door was originally just shellac on both sides!

It’s ornate brass Eastlake handle matches those on all the doors on the 1st & 2nd fl.

25/09/2024

3rd fl we swapped out the dreaded ni**le light for a fixture. I love it!

24/09/2024

Today we drove 1.5 miles across the East Side w/bikes attached just so kiddo could have a post school ride. We went from school to grab cupcakes & biked back, then drove home.

Blackstone Blvd bike lane is basically the only bike lane in Ward 2 on the East Side. The rest that would connect our house to our kid’s school & to eateries remain unfunded dreams. We’d love to zip all the way from our house to Blackstone via Olney or Lloyd via bike, but there’s no safe path for our 10 year old. We’d love to zip by bike up to shops on Hope St, but again - no bike lane.

This trip was a little dicey. We rode sidewalks for a block on Butler Ave by Lincoln School before the bike lane started as I don’t need to be run over by agressive drivers zooming thru Providence. Likewise, we rode the sidewalk to manage the nightmare that is the Hope St/East Ave intersection area in order to get our cupcakes.

Missing connections & missing parts of bike lanes if too big end up being unpassible barriers. The missing links by our house mean w/kiddo we can’t bike anywhere safely w/out driving part of the way there 1st. Wish would prioritize bike lanes like every sensible peer city is doing.

24/09/2024

This wood is going to get covered w/paint again, but this old growth lumber is so pretty I had to share.

Underneath layers & layers of paint sits two gorgeous specimens. A single wedge shaped stair tread, easily more than 2’ has done its job for 120+ years. I love all the tiny dents from high heels going up and down.

The other board, sat functional but under appreciated while the handrail got all the love.

Sadly, I don’t have time to fully strip & let the wood have a moment. The best I can do is remove some of the paint burden its carried over the years. I will try to get the full handrail back to its simple shellac statement.

18/09/2024

A 120+ year old house is a never ending source of projects & work. Here’s an interesting remnant from its past I’m finally tackling. For 6+ years there’s been silver spray paint overspray on the original front stair railing. It likely dates from a past RISD student tenant being a bit over zealous in painting a project.

The house, originally built in 1900, passed from its original owner family to a landlord in the late 1970s. It passed to a different landlord in the 1990s. The maintenance ethos from the 1970s until we bought it in 2018 was “do as little maintenance / repair / upkeep as possible so long as its still rentable.” So, who knows for just how many years the stairwell donned silver paint.

We left it these past 6 years as we focused on other projects: window restoration, exterior painting, lots & lots of interior unit painting, bathroom & kitchen refreshes, HVAC upgrades, landscaping. Even the rear stairwell got some love. It’s now finally the front stairs time for a glow up.

The original stair handrail finish removes with some denatured alcohol & lots of hours of manual labor. I’ll try to post the final glow up when its done in a few weeks.

07/09/2024

Since the 3rd fl is still vacant, I’m taking advantage of the time. Stripping & ficing the front door. Exterior had metal grate obstructing window which we removed to showcase the thick beveled glass. Exterior was several layers of paint over original finish. Interior was shellac that’s melting away w/copious amounts of denatured alcohol.

Still need to remove more finish, then patch & sand wood blemishes. We’re going to paint the door to match its neighbor. I’d love to get it pretty enough to stain, but I’m already multiple days & 15+ hrs into the project. I can’t take the time to get the door gorgeous in its natural state.

06/09/2024

Our 3rd fl apartment is still available! New dishwasher is in! Curtains added. Just waiting for someone to call it home!

06/08/2024

Stickers arrived!

23/07/2024

I was one of the million plus donors. I was one of those donating to the 2024 election for the first time. Donald Trump & those around him who craft his policies & look to use him as a puppet are dangerous. Project 2025 is horrifying. I’m excited to see Kamala win in November!

18/12/2023

We had a last minute cancellation so Christmas is now availableto book! It’s a great place to stay while visiting fams.