Simple Things

Just a little bit of a brain dump...

Replace your washer hoses! Those old rubber hoses are a ticking time bomb and a leading cause of flooding homes. A stainless braided "burst proof" set is only $20.

Old homes have such neat features like the wood weatherstripping on the front door. An elegant solution to the problem of drafts.

I also received a box from Smith Restoration Sash today.  Inside was a hank (100ft) of sash cord and some stop bead adjusters. If you're looking for some sash cord I suggest Samson brand red spot as it is the gold standard for sash cords due to its synthetic woven core (cotton over nylon) which is stronger than just a plain cotton cord and resists stretching for a longer lifespan.

Also in the box were some stop bead adjusters. These solve the problem of sticking sashes in double hung windows. The require the screw holes for the stop beads to be drilled out to a larger diameter and the brass cups pressed into place. They have elongated holes which allow you to adjust the stop beads to compensate for an overzealous painter who slopped too much paint onto the sash or a swelled sash due to temp changes. Two cheap and effective fixes for those wonderful wood windows you should be keeping and NOT REPLACING with junky vinyl windows.