All articles – First House Fixes

January Gas Bills Before and After the Insulation

Posted on February 3, 2026In Energy & Utilities

January 2025: 178 therms and $214. January 2026: 139 therms and $171. What changed, what didn't, and why comparing two winters is tricky.

Posted on January 28, 2026In Weekend Projects

A 6-by-8 room with a sloped ceiling had become our junk room. A closet rod, shelves and LED pucks gave us the closet a Cape never has.

Posted on January 22, 2026In Repairs & Fixes

Last winter our eaves grew thick ridges of ice. After October's insulation they're much smaller, but the dormer valley still builds ice.

Posted on January 15, 2026In Repairs & Fixes

On the coldest night of the month the kitchen tap slowed to a trickle. How we warmed it up, what was wrong with that wall and what changed after.

Posted on January 10, 2026In Yard & Exterior

Lake-effect bands, a 70-foot driveway and a city plow that refills the end every time. Our routine with the snowblower, shovels and ice melt.

Posted on January 4, 2026In Homeowner Money

Mortgage, escrow, utilities, repairs and projects: our full 2025 house spending from the spreadsheet, and the three numbers that surprised us.

Posted on December 21, 2025In Tools & Workshop

Batteries hate a 15-degree garage. Where I keep them now, what stays out there all winter and why glue-ups moved into the basement.

Posted on December 14, 2025In Repairs & Fixes

A bang from the garage on a 12-degree morning. Why I didn't touch the torsion spring myself, what the pro charged and what else he checked.

Posted on December 7, 2025In Weekend Projects

Steep roof, low eaves and my healthy fear of ladders. Clips, a telescoping pole and C9 LEDs got our lights up this year for about $79.

Posted on December 3, 2025In Energy & Utilities

An ecobee on a 1998 furnace, a C-wire hiding in the basement and a $50 rebate. What six weeks of runtime data showed us about our heating.