Historical Preservation, Your Property and Your Community Part 2: Repair, Restore, or Replace

House in Disrepair. CC-A-ND, sollyth, Flickr.

If you have identified the architectural style of your home in part I, then you may feel ready to undertake projects to help restore your house to its original splendor. However, one of the most difficult decisions you will have to make when restoring any building is the one that has to be asked before any restoration is even started. Should the portion or component of the building be repaired, restored, or replaced. This question is commonly associated with old windows because of their frequent need for repair, but in recent years has been applied to any part of an old building.

For many people replacing a part seems like the easiest method, in many cases it requires the least effort and often will make a building more efficient, secure, and safe by modern standards. A new component in a house will promise less maintenance than restored parts. From a brief glance replacement seems like the best method for someone who doesn't have a personal interest in the historical value of their home and who could use some more money.

Why You Should Make Detergent at Home

A few months ago my family decided to try making detergent at home. Not only is homemade detergent inexpensive,  it is also extremely easy to make and contains less chemicals that can irritate skin. If there is one supply you make at home it should definitely be laundry detergent.

Ingredients:

1 cup Borax
1 cup Washing Soda
1 bar soap (We use Fels-Naptha, but other soaps work just as well, you can even use homemade soap!)

4 Easy and Inexpensive Ways to Light Up Your Patio or Deck

Outdoor barbeques and parties are a staple of the summer. However, they can often be cut short by the setting of the sun. Many people think they have to purchase special porch lighting for these instances, but there are many ways you make temporary porch or patio lights just with unused Christmas lights and a few other around the house items. Each of these projects will take no more than a couple of hours and can be torn down easily after a party or barbeque

3 Goals of Indigo Creek

Remembering the Past, Moving to the Future

 Some things are best if made the old-fashioned way, like canned jams or home-baked french bread. Other things, such as energy generators and transportation are best left moving forward. There are many blogs out there that seek to teach people the old-fashioned way to do just about everything, and there are many blogs that show how new technologies make everything easier. However, this one is different.