by Architectural Observer | Oct 31, 2020 | Blog, Observations
Happy Halloween, everyone! Today, in observation of just about everyone’s favorite holiday, we’ll take a look at a very special architectural form. People have long interred the dead above ground, and for a variety of reasons. Some locations with high...
by Architectural Observer | Oct 22, 2020 | Blog, Observations
There has not been much downtime recently, and today I found myself with a whole two hours to kill! Jim had his second cataract surgery earlier today (and, yes, it went well… just like the first one). He was a little woozy coming out of it, but is fine and...
by Architectural Observer | Aug 20, 2020 | Blog, Projects
You just never know what horrors are lurking beneath seemingly innocuous surfaces in a house (old or new) until you begin to investigate. The last few weeks have revealed numerous issues which will need to be resolved, but have also revealed many happy discoveries!...
by Architectural Observer | Jul 26, 2020 | Blog, Projects
This weekend was one of discovery. A peek beneath the vinyl siding — and some selective sanding — brought to light the various layers of exterior siding paint choices… including the heretofore elusive original color. The most dramatic finds were made...
by Architectural Observer | Jul 19, 2020 | Blog, Projects
Little has happened at the Keys house in recent months, but that is beginning to change. We’re finally able to devote some more time to the project and will continue pecking away it it in small increments. We’ve also found some things for the house which...
by Architectural Observer | May 16, 2020 | Blog, Observations
In an effort to popularize and promote the use of concrete in residential construction, a now-obscure booklet was published by the Portland Cement Association’s Des Moines, Iowa, chapter sometime around 1940. Simply titled Iowa Concrete Houses, this little gem...
