Owning an old house is a labor of love. You either have a ton of cash to pay someone to do the work or you do the repairs yourself. Over the 20 years I have been working on my 1908 Colonial Revival Bungalow, all of the major subsystem have been repaired, replaced, or upgraded. I’m now in the mode of maintenance, painting, and taking care of the small details. Before the industrial look became popular, I began replacing the cheap outdoor light fixtures with commercial hazardous vapor lights. The Red Dog Garage received the latest upgrade.

Today I completed the wood patch and caulked around the conduit. As with most old house projects, one repair leads to the next. A new weather strip was added to the bottom of the garage door (it has been sitting around for about a year) that required using a tool that is indispensable when it comes to pulling nails.

The Extractor will pull any nail even if the head has broken off. The cam and jaws work together to grab the nail as you pull. A very ingenious design. Then I noticed that the garage door opener needed a couple of adjustments and on it went. The biggest challenge any old house owner experiences is the 98% conundrum. About the time you are almost done with a project, another problem comes along and it remains almost complete but just shy of 100%. This dilemma is compounded if you happen to be a perfectionist.

Then a rose that I thought may die, surprised me today. Life is good.