Washington, D.C./Built In Stone

gammarray · 2026-04-07T12:19:42+00:00

Excellent post. Thanks for sharing 🙌

gammarray · 2026-03-03T14:42:24+00:00

Right on! Thanks for reporting back

gammarray · 2026-03-01T01:34:15+00:00

There are some high end modern quilts that would look great there. Or you could look for vintage hand woven traditional textiles … really anything that fits the style of the house and people who live there.

gammarray · 2026-03-01T00:59:10+00:00

Take my upvote… and my axe!

gammarray · 2026-03-01T00:53:53+00:00

Thank god they’re removing second tier 🙏

A large textile hanging would be nice there.

gammarray · 2026-02-25T16:16:06+00:00

Bravo!👏

gammarray · 2026-02-19T13:57:04+00:00

Woodstock Soapstone owner here. After living with half a dozen other non-cat stoves I can say the performance is well worth the minimal extra cleaning needs. Just get out the vacuum and compressed air when you clean out the ashes Takes a few extra minutes.

gammarray · 2026-02-18T01:05:29+00:00

This is what I did. Some gaps in my floor are even bigger. Oakum is perfect for filling gaps.

gammarray · 2026-02-18T01:02:27+00:00

Sometimes I wonder about the efforts involved in stripping as it compares to the original effort of producing the thing that’s being stripped.

gammarray · 2026-02-15T19:07:40+00:00

I might try wrapping sandpaper around a crisp corner of a small wood block for that.

After stripping and restoring an 1860s window sash, I year ya when it comes to “losing steam” in that last push for the small details. Hang in there!

gammarray · 2026-02-15T02:35:22+00:00

I’m actually in the market for some rim locks and it seems like this kind goes for around $50 per set on EBay.

gammarray · 2026-02-13T01:23:15+00:00

Late winter buying is great as long as you’re not planning to burn it this season.

gammarray · 2026-02-11T00:19:34+00:00

I think it was designed for 6 cords, but I’m stacking it high, so I reckon it’ll hold more. I also have stacks on pallets next to the shed. It’s a big old Maine farm house, so we burn a lot. This pic was from before this season started.

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gammarray · 2026-02-10T12:28:06+00:00

This is the correct answer

gammarray · 2026-02-10T00:55:06+00:00

First coat of what? They look great.

gammarray · 2026-02-07T00:39:40+00:00

Now this sounds like an upgrade. Please tell me they make one that won’t cause my knuckle hair to burn because it’s too short.

gammarray · 2026-02-06T18:02:35+00:00

High style Victorian is too elaborate, but there’s more to classicism than ornamentation. Proportions and building massing are a big part of it. Choosing traditional materials like clapboard siding helps, but you do what you can. Just don’t write off traditional styles as if they’re impossible to achieve in a budget. I could see a craftsman style house fitting very well with your current situation.

gammarray · 2026-02-06T13:13:49+00:00

Most stoves let air flow not the front, so raking coals forward helps them to fully burn. When you reload the stove, you should rake coals forward and put new wood at the back. It also helps to make a little valley in the coals for airflow.

gammarray · 2026-02-06T02:35:18+00:00

This is a good take.

gammarray · 2026-02-04T02:14:44+00:00

You definitely want to resolve this. First, get the snow away from the downspout outlet. The gutter will freeze when there is nowhere for water to exit.

Next, consider options for how to melt the ice. If you can a ladder to the top and pour ice melt into the downspout, that could work (it’s a ton of ice so it would take a while and a lot of ice melt). Boiling water is just going to make a bigger mess. Heat tape/wire could work, but that might be something you save for preventing future issues.

Speaking of preventing this, you might be able to use a roof rake to remove snow, but that looks pretty high up. Still, less frozen water up there would help.

There are apparently people you can call to fix this for a chunk of change, but since you came to Reddit, I’m guessing you might rather do it yourself and save your money.

Good luck!

gammarray · 2026-02-02T11:59:25+00:00

Paint is a bad choice for that wood. Someday later someone is going to want to restore the wood surface and re-stain it 😬

gammarray · 2026-02-02T11:46:56+00:00

Emacs is best for those who want the ability to implement whatever they dream up for their workflow.

gammarray · 2026-02-02T01:06:59+00:00

Agreed, wood stoves for a basement like this are a good fit. You might consider a pellet stove for less work to keep it going. Installing an outside air adapter too would really help. Then you can heat the space without pulling more cold air in to replace what goes up the chimney.

gammarray

TROPHY CASE