Things Coming Back to Haunt Us

We had a problem a few months back with our baseboard heating. The mudroom is isolated from the rest of the house and gets really cold, even if it's toasty everywhere else. When we had the sub-zero temps, the pipes in the baseboard heating froze, and then they burst. Water was everywhere, and we resolved the situation by shutting down that zone completely since we don't use the boiler for heating, just hot water.

It was a fine and simple solution until we decided to go away for the weekend and realized we couldn't because we can't leave the heat on. In fact, we can't use the heat at all because the pipe is cracked, so we canceled our plans and realized we had to fix this problem.

Enter Boland Custom Home Improvement. KB came over and checked it out. I asked him if we could just bypass the room entirely, via the basement, and he said of course we could. KB can do anything, he's that kind of guy. He said he'd shoot for Thu or Fri, bring new pipes, reroute the heating system, and voila: we're back in business.

On another home improvement front, I finally started staining the bookshelf I made about five months ago. The problem is that it's pretty big, about eight feet tall, and looking at it makes my stomach hurt. It's also tough doing indoors, with the fumes and all, but I'm using this soy-based stain and finish that I got from the Ace Hardware store in Provincetown. They were the only place in New England that carried this stuff, and I personally like it. It's called Ecoprocote, and it's non-toxic, low in the toxic fumes department, and meets the Green Building requirements.

It's bio-based and sustainable, though I think when you're an experienced professional, you don't go in for new and gimicky things, you want the tried and proven materials. A lot of seasoned professionals will only work with oil based stains, but I'm neither seasoned or professional, and in the interest of keeping our home a reasonably safe place, chose this product.

I've done a few shelves, and they came out nicely, so I have no complaints, other than perhaps the cost, which is a little higher, but everything eco-friendly is.

Until the next time, thanks for reading.