In this episode, Stacy explores the deal-breakers that shape how people approach buying an old house and how those decisions shift depending on life stage. She also chats with Michelle Bowers of Old House Life, who has watched that play out in real time.

In preparation for this episode, Stacy asked her Instagram and Facebook audience to share their own deal-breakers. The responses covered everything from structural concerns and layout challenges to location, cost, and long-term livability. She shares their responses and explores what stops people in their tracks.

Then, Stacy welcomes Michelle Bowers of Old House Life, who has a front row seat to old house listings across the country. What began as a hobby has grown into a massive Facebook following and something more personal. Michelle found herself unable to pass on certain properties, sometimes at remarkably low prices, gradually building a collection of historic homes of her own.

Her perspective offers a unique look at how deal-breakers play out in real time, both for the people browsing listings and as someone who has stepped in and said yes more than once.

Mentioned in this Episode

• Sign up for the Wood Window Workshop at Blake Hill House
• Join Stacy on Substack
• Follow Old House life on Facebook
• Follow Ramsey Restoration, Inc on Facebook
• Old House Life website
• Alfred Altman Cottage - Video Tour

WE LOVE OUR SPONSORS

Many thanks to the sponsors who help make this show possible. When you shop at the websites and use the codes below (where available), you're directly supporting their small businesses and the podcast, too!

Sutherland Welles - Maker of exceptional polymerized tung oil finishes since 1965. To save 10% on your first order, use the coupon code TRUETALES26.

Brouns & Co. Linseed Oil Paint - Flax plant-derived linseed oil paint and stain. Anti-mold with only trace elements of VOCs. Wicks moisture from wood. Prevents metal from rusting. (Featured on ep. 164) Brouns & Co. is trusted by preservation professionals and homeowners who value authenticity.

Heritage Supply Co. - Heritage Supply Co. (formerly The Craftsman Store) is the same trusted company you know for window restoration supplies and more. Use code TRUETALES10 for 10% off your entire order. Spend $250 or more, and shipping is free.

Repaint Studios - The Repaint Tray from Repaint Studios is the first reusable silicone paint tray liner and lid. The Repaint Tray's airtight lid keeps your paint fresh for weeks. Use the coupon code TRUETALES10 to save 10% off your order.

Intro and Outro music by AudionautiX

In this minisode, Stacy and guest co-host Steve Jordan follow a road-trip-inspired rabbit hole that starts with the Grange and leads to dancing—and the ingenious floors, dating back to the 18th century, that made it possible.

They talk about how rural communities actually spent time together, Grange halls, gatherings, and yes, dancing, which leads straight into Steve's niche obsession: sprung dance floors.

Steve literally wrote the book on them, and they were once fairly commonplace in grand ballrooms, taverns, dance halls, and other community spaces. Long before modern metalworking and the kind of springs we think of today, builders came up with surprisingly clever ways to give a floor enough flex to carry a full night of dancing.

Then, Stacy and Steve spend a few minutes chatting about the State of Restoration project. Steve has more than 30 years in historic preservation, and he shares what he's seeing, especially in Rochester, New York. The interest in saving old buildings is strong, but the number of skilled tradespeople who can actually do the work is another story.

Steve is one of those people who has a deep well of knowledge and isn't afraid to use it.

• Sign up for the Wood Window Workshop at Blake Hill House
• Join Stacy on Substack

Many thanks to the sponsors who help make this show possible. When you shop at the websites and use the codes below (where available), you're directly supporting their small businesses and the podcast, too!

Sutherland Welles - Maker of exceptional polymerized tung oil finishes since 1965. To save 10% on your first order, use the coupon code TRUETALES26.

Brouns & Co. Linseed Oil Paint - Flax plant-derived linseed oil paint and stain. Anti-mold with only trace elements of VOCs. Wicks moisture from wood. Prevents metal from rusting. Brouns & Co. is trusted by preservation professionals and homeowners who value authenticity.

Heritage Supply Co. - Heritage Supply Co. (formerly The Craftsman Store) is the same trusted company you know for window restoration supplies and more. Use code TRUETALES10 for 10% off your entire order. Spend $250 or more, and shipping is free.

The Old House Shop – The store for people who accidentally turn every conversation into a discussion about windows, plaster, or old-growth lumber. Find preservation-minded t-shirts, cozy sweatshirts, mugs, and gifts that celebrate process over perfection. Use code OLDHOUSELIFE for 10% off your order (excluding books).

In this episode, Stacy looks at why some of the most iconic Gilded Age mansions in Newport were nearly lost, and how that story connects to what's happening right now with lead safety laws and historic windows in Rhode Island. If you think that is just a local issue, think again.

Stacy takes listeners to Newport, Rhode Island, where some of the most over-the-top Gilded Age mansions in the country were almost lost when the world around them changed. For a time, there was no clear path forward, and the way people responded made a different outcome possible.

That story sets the stage for what's happening today.

Stacy welcomes Rob Cagnetta of Heritage Restoration and Sutherland Welles. They dig into what's happening right now with lead safety laws in Rhode Island, including what's changed, why there was so much confusion, and what it actually means for anyone who owns or manages a building with historic windows.

From there, they get into the real challenges these regulations created and what it took to move forward. Rob shares how he got involved with the City of Newport and the Newport Restoration Foundation to solve the problem of getting historic windows to pass lead-safety inspections, despite little to no support from state inspectors or the health department.

In the process, what started as a window issue revealed lesser-known sources of lead contamination throughout the home and challenged the assumption that the problem starts and ends inside the house.

If this sounds like a Rhode Island issue, it's not. What's happening there could become a model for how other states create and enforce lead safety laws.

• Lead-safe Historic Window Resources (download)
• Sign up for the Wood Window Workshop at Blake Hill House
• Join Stacy on Substack

WE LOVE OUR SPONSORS

Many thanks to the sponsors who help make this show possible. When you shop at the websites and use the codes below (where available), you're directly supporting their small businesses and the podcast, too!

Sutherland Welles - Maker of exceptional polymerized tung oil finishes since 1965. To save 10% on your first order, use the coupon code TRUETALES26.

Brouns & Co. Linseed Oil Paint - Flax plant-derived linseed oil paint and stain. Anti-mold with only trace elements of VOCs. Wicks moisture from wood. Prevents metal from rusting. (Featured on ep. 164) Brouns & Co. is trusted by preservation professionals and homeowners who value authenticity.

Heritage Supply Co. - Heritage Supply Co. (formerly The Craftsman Store) is the same trusted company you know for window restoration supplies and more. Use code TRUETALES10 for 10% off your entire order. Spend $250 or more, and shipping is free.

Repaint Studios - The Repaint Tray from Repaint Studios is the first reusable silicone paint tray liner and lid. The Repaint Tray's airtight lid keeps your paint fresh for weeks. Use the coupon code TRUETALES10 to save 10% off your order.

Intro and Outro music by AudionautiX