Avoiding an Appliance Repair Nightmare

New Orleans is full of post-Katrina home renovation horror stories. Families, who spent every penny of their insurance claim and every minute of their free time, discover all their new drywall is toxic and needs to be ripped out and reinstalled. The examples go on and on. Unfortunately, the same holds true for appliance repair. … Continue reading →

Stripping Paint? Leave it to the Pros

There’s no doubt refinished salvage doors can add quality and old-world charm to any home. Walk into The Bank salvage yard on Felicity street in New Orleans and you’ll find rows upon rows of doors made with mortise and tenon construction.  Owner Shawn Wilkerson says those antique doors just can’t be beat.  “It has to do with the materials … Continue reading →

In-laws are great. At least mine are.

  Busy doesn’t begin to describe the past few weeks.  Wedged between back-to-back bachelorette parties in Austin, TX and Las Vegas, NV, my in-laws came to NOLA for a week to help out with our new home.  As excited as I was about their visit, I was also a little apprehensive for two reasons.  First, I … Continue reading →

New Life for Outdated Fireplace Mantels

Who knew an old fireplace could be the shining star of your kitchen? At The Bank salvage yard on Felicity Street, Kelly and Sean Wilkerson turn old mantels into kitchen islands.  Their father came up with the idea when the mantels became obsolete.  According to Sean, “The cypress coal burning mantels are unusable these days … Continue reading →