hA remodeling project inspired porch chronicle

hA remodeling projectinspired porch chronicle
Michael Dolan's idea for a book on porches started close to home.
In the mid-1990s, Dolan and his wife had the porch rebuilt on their 1920s bungalow in Washington, D.C. He was sitting on that new veranda when he made a spur-of-the-moment commitment to write an article on porches, a commitment that led him to discover there were no good books on porches. So he decided to write one.
The result is "The American Porch: An Informal History of an Informal Place." It's a study of the porch's architectural evolution, starting in ancient Greece, as well as a look at the porch's place in our cultural history.
The book contains more than 100 photos of porches, as well as stills from classic movies, Currier & amp; Ives lithographs and historical prints.
"The American Porch" is published by The Lyons Press and is priced at $24.95.
Sunlight chases awaythe blues in this paint
Repainting a white ceiling can be tricky. The lack of contrast makes it easy to miss spots.
Ace Hardware Corp. has a solution: paint that goes on blue and dries white. The new paint, called Simply Magic, is sold with a packet of blue dye to be stirred in just before painting. The paint goes on blue, then changes to a white matte finish within 24 hours.
An ingredient in the paint reacts with sunlight to cause the blue to fade away, the company said.
Simply Magic ceiling paint is available at Ace Hardware stores. The suggested retail price is $17.99 a gallon.