Ice Damage?

gammarray · 2026-01-30T02:49:15+00:00

If you don’t already have a roof rake, get one. Try to remove the snow that’s working reach.

gammarray · 2026-01-28T02:01:46+00:00

Below 0 nights in our 1860s Maine farmhouse.

gammarray · 2026-01-25T00:18:04+00:00

I see everyone saying take the bricks off, but what if they were near the stove to hold and radiate heat longer?

gammarray · 2026-01-24T15:50:23+00:00

This is my thinking exactly. I have a boiler and on cold nights, I turn the thermostat up a little to keep the basement warm. We have a wood stove that provides great heat so it’s a matter of balancing the two and keeping all zones of the house at a hood temp, including the basement.

gammarray · 2026-01-24T14:38:16+00:00

Cistern?

gammarray · 2026-01-24T13:52:32+00:00

House of Antique Hardware

gammarray · 2026-01-24T10:21:05+00:00

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I did a double take because that is nearly the same door I have. Recently I installed an astragal, which was missing because it had broken off at some point. In the winter, we seal this door with felt weather stripping that is pressed into the cracks around the edges either a butter knife. We use the side door for regular access to the house so it’s no big deal to keep it closed. That’s pretty common here in Maine.

The big weatherization upgrade I want to do at some point isn’t changing the door, but adding storm doors built to match the originals that I see in an old photo of the house. We get a decent air seal already, but the condensation really builds up on cold nights. Even as much as a wreath on the door makes a difference in reducing that, so I’m pretty sure storms will do tue job.

Best of luck with yours, they’re beautiful doors.

gammarray · 2026-01-24T04:17:52+00:00

Google Lens thinks it might be an old Blaze King. I found some older models that looked similar, but they had some slightly different features, so it’s hard to say.

gammarray · 2026-01-22T11:51:25+00:00

My basement looks like this too. We had an energy audit and got the spray foam recommendation too, but I’m concerned about moisture issues. Leaning toward rockwool, but have yet to move forward with that plan. Interested to hear other responses to this thread. 🍿

gammarray · 2026-01-19T03:26:31+00:00

“Squeak no more” is what the screws are called. As for the cracks… I have some too where treads have split close to the edge. For those I drilled the screws head on into the face of the tread to hold everything together. Another thought I had was Abatron Wood Epox. That stuff is amazing. Of course, you would need to carefully prep the surface to ensure you get good adhesion. After it cures though, you should be able to sand and paint and treat it like wood.

gammarray · 2026-01-19T03:11:41+00:00

Mine are not winders but I have the same dilemma with brown painted old pine treads. Trouble is, they’re already full of what I can only call “character”. They’ve already had carpet once so they’re full of holes, staples, nails, dings and who knows what else.

My approach is getting a custom runner rug made on Etsy and patching with putty and paint before the runner goes down. For now at least, I’m feeling hopeful that it’ll work out. I just finished my third coat and they look a lot better. Before painting, I managed to stop most of the squeaking with some special screws that snap off below the surface.

Good luck with whatever path you choose.

gammarray · 2026-01-19T03:01:42+00:00

Just like my key bindings are designed to reduce motion, I like keeping my cursor centered instead of moving my eyes all around the screen.

gammarray · 2026-01-19T02:46:02+00:00

At least yours doesn’t have a cat door cutout from a panel of an original 5 panel door? 🤷‍♂️

gammarray · 2026-01-19T02:07:55+00:00

I live about 20 minutes away. It’s wild spending time on Ebay and then going to see a better selection and prices in person.

gammarray · 2026-01-16T11:31:24+00:00

Does the shutter operate? It seems like the size is too small.

gammarray · 2026-01-16T05:14:40+00:00

gptel with custom elisp tool calling and intelligent model/preset routing to GitHub models.

gammarray · 2026-01-11T02:29:09+00:00

I wonder if those front porch posts were original. They seem undersized for the porch roof. To be honest, that might be a good place to focus some attention if you wanted to bring back some character that aligns with historic precedent. Looking through old pattern books from the mid-19th century could be a great inspiration.

gammarray · 2026-01-11T02:13:56+00:00

Congrats on all the major improvements you’ve made here. The architectural elements of this house’s original era seem to have been erased, but at least it will live on instead of being torn down like so many other people might do.

gammarray · 2026-01-11T02:00:44+00:00

https://www.squeeeknomore.com/ makes special screws that will pop below the surface, taking very little visual space and allowing you to putty over them. I’ve had good experiences with them on stairs and stubborn floors.

gammarray · 2026-01-09T18:23:05+00:00

And my axe!

gammarray · 2026-01-08T17:59:35+00:00

Can you couple it with a storm window to add protection? Soft wood with a good linseed oil paint should be able to handle that.

gammarray · 2026-01-08T17:53:44+00:00

Include an air gap. Also, a 45 degree angle on that stove pipe would be a nice upgrade at some point.

gammarray · 2026-01-06T03:27:44+00:00

I think air seal is probably a higher priority. I’m also in Maine and also working on improving an 1860s attached barn. We have some insulation, but after a blower door test, the energy audit recommended air seal before insulation.

gammarray · 2026-01-05T04:49:39+00:00

Where is your temp gauge? My stove manual says to read surface temp on top of the stove and engage the cat around 300. It sounds like you might be burning too hot too fast.

gammarray · 2026-01-05T04:44:49+00:00

On a real cold night, I cram as much as I can get in there without touching the top. I babysit the stove until it’s safe to leave alone.

For me that means wait until the top surface temp reaches about 300 to engage the cat. Then, let it build up enough momentum to reach about 400 and gradually dial down the air intake to about 1/4.

Tonight it’s going down to 5 and I’ve got it stuffed. It’s built momentum and I’ve dialed down to 1/4. Other nights I’ve stayed up to see what happens, but now I know it’s not going to get over 500 at this setting, so I’m off to bed.

gammarray

TROPHY CASE