Blog Posts by This Old House Magazine

Many of North America's best old-house neighborhoods are in long- or formerly forgotten cities, towns, and 'burbs that are worth a fresh look. They're also places where you'll discover some of the best, most architecturally eye-popping older houses on the continent. With help from our friends at Portland, Oregon-based PreservationDirectory.com-who distributed our nomination forms to more than 14,000 historical societies, neighborhood groups, and preservation nonprofits-we've tracked down off-the-beaten-path places that are home to block after block of stately brownstones, Cape Cods, Colonial Revivals, Victorian-era cottages, and more. Check out the following gallery to see six of the old-house neighborhoods that won over the editors of This Old House this year. For all 64 Best Old House neighborhoods, visit thisoldhouse.com

The West and Northwest: Astoria, Oregon

If Astoria's old-house-lined streets look familiar, do not adjust your screen. This town of 10,000,

Read More »from Best Old-House Neighborhoods of 2011

Forget about salad dressing. This inexpensive kitchen staple-the distilled white kind, that is-can multitask in any room of the house. SEE ALL 10 USES FOR VINEGAR




Keep Paint from Peeling

Before painting galvanized metal or concrete, wipe down the object or surface with vinegar, using a sponge or lint-free cloth. This little trick will help your paint job last longer.

Test Your Soil's pH

Place a handful of dirt into a small container and sprinkle vinegar on it. If it fizzes, the soil is alkaline; adjust the pH with an acid amendment.

MORE: HOW TO TEST SOIL (VIDEO)

Whiten Grout

For stubborn stains on ceramic-tile surfaces, scrub grout with a stiff-bristled toothbrush dipped in vinegar and watch it whiten before your eyes.

CAUTION: Vinegar can harm marble and other natural stone surfaces, so avoid using on these materials. Test a small, unobtrusive area first if you want to be extra careful.

Remove Mineral Deposits from Showerheads

Pour ½ cup of warm

Read More »from 5 Clever Uses for Vinegar

In honor of National Organize Your Home Office Day today, here are 5 hall-of-famers from the This Old House archives.

MORE: An Attic Becomes a Suit Retreat Upstairs

MORE: Editors' Picks - Best Home Offices Ever

Read More »from Editors' Picks: Our 5 Favorite Home Offices

Today is National Organize Your Home Office Day, and chances are, whether you've got an entire room of your house set aside as a workspace or just a laptop tucked away in a corner, you could probably benefit from a bit of organization. Take some time today to recycle old papers, or take it one step further and revamp your entire space for a more functional place to get things done. No space to devote an entire room to paperwork? Here are 3 amazing and inspiration kitchen-office spaces you can copy.

Bonus Built-in
Chicago designer Mick DeGiulio shoehorned this message center into a "blind corner" of a breakfast bar by rotating a cabinet so that the door opens onto the bar instead of into the kitchen prep zone. A false door panel on the side helps the unit blend seamlessly with the other cabinets.















The Catch-All
When kids are in the picture, the kitchen office can be part writing desk, part high-tech hub, part first-aid center. That's the case with this multitasker designed by

Read More »from Happy National Organize Your Home Office Day!

Going Postal
When family doctor and design junkie Sarah Belhasen decided to move back to the town she grew up in, she wanted a house with character. For the history buff, Americana collector, and Paintsville, Kentucky, native, the town's former post office was a perfect-if out-of-the-ordinary-fit. Take a tour of her post-office-turned-home here.

Kitchen
The Post Office's old mail-sorting area now serves as a kitchen. The massive 20-foot by 20-foot kitchen sports a large island in its center, as well as a pricey Wolf range. A state-of-the-art Sub-Zero refrigerator is hidden behind the wooden cabinets, modeled on a vintage Oak icebox. See how the money-order office turned into a dining room.














Great Room

A limestone fireplace now burns in the building's old stamp window, and the iron grille once used to separate the lobby from the office section now allows light to stream in from the entrance way to the house's "Great Room." See the home's beautiful gardening and potting room.














Bathroom

The

Read More »from Post Office Becomes Luxury Home

Take notes, gentlemen!

Whether you're gutting a fixer-upper, adding on a master suite, or updating a blast-from-the-past kitchen, your contractor is the go-to guy. He's in charge. He's attentive. He works with his hands. He's eager to please. Is it any wonder that the lady of the house often develops a little crush? Here, 9 reasons a Tool Belt Tony can make any woman weak in the knees.



1. He's A Good Listener

A couple may hire a contractor together, but most of the time, it's the woman of the house who gets into the details with him as the weeks roll by. He's constantly asking her opinion about stuff large and small-where to put the outlets, say, or whether she really wants a wood floor in the bath. And he listens to her answers. He consults with her; he's interested in what she thinks. And, you know ladies, he actually makes eye contact when he talks, and works hard to communicate, instead of grunting and shrugging while punching buttons on the TV remote. Having a man around the house

Read More »from Why a Woman Fantasizes About Her Contractor

Steal ideas from these makeovers to get the kitchen or bath you've always dreamed of, at a price you can afford.


1. Budget Bath Revamp

Sometimes staying flexible is the secret to renovation success. It's how Winnetka, Illinois, homeowner Catherine Karabas was able to afford her bath's overhaul on $4,000. The upstairs bath in her 1921 Tudor Revival is small, but what bugged her was its look, complete with a rust-stained tub and cracked tile floor. "It was like a gas station bathroom," she says.

Catherine was already redoing the kitchen and downstairs baths when she asked contractor Charlie Schumacher to squeeze in tweaks to the one upstairs. When he offered her a stash of marble tile-left over from another job-at half price, she said yes, even though yellow wasn't her first choice. Schumacher's other money-saving idea, of keeping the 18-inch-deep tub and having it professionally cleaned, was a winner too.

See more ideas from Catherine's Budget Bath Revamp





2. The $967 Kitchen Revamp

With

Read More »from Get Inspired: Budget Kitchen and Bath Remodels

Forget New Agey romance rehab (we saw how well that went for Vince Vaughn in Couples Retreat). If you really want to rev up your sex life, think remodel. Tackling even a minor domicile makeover can spark erotic notions, amp libidos, and bring you closer. Here, in honor of Valentine's Day, learn ways to his/her heart (among other organs) that are built into most any remodel. --J.S. Ramos


MORE Honey-Do List Valentine's Day Coupons: A Great Last-Minute Gift









Share Your Dreams in the Bedroom
The local news is over, and you and your mate are relaxed and reclined-the perfect time and place to broach the subject of a project. Sharing fantasies about your ideal abode is sure to deepen your bond-and who knows where that kind of closeness will lead on a typical Tuesday night? Even the language you use will be rife with double entendres: Master suite! Play area! Bonus room!

MORE Outfit Your Bedroom for a Better Night's Sleep



Indulge in Some Bath Action
If the bedroom is the act, the bath is both

Read More »from How Home Remodels Can Lead to Romance This Valentine's Day