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Where History Meets Sustainability

Replumb!

4/17/2026

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It's official: our house has been replumbed. With the exception of the copper lines to the kitchen sink and the tub, our house has been completely replumbed while we've lived here.  We're really lucky! Working with the local plumbing company has been a great experience, and we worked with the same person who plumbed our bathroom (rough in, progress, and finish!)... and fixed our toilet.

The trickiest part, for us, was the amount of access required to replace all the PVC supplies (PVC is great for drains, not great for potable water). The DIY plumbing from previous generations has had a few issues that will now all be in the past! But first, we had to open up most of the basement to fix it.
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Cowboy Pools Hard Cover

4/15/2026

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Our stock tank pool has been a fixture for our back yard for five years now!  And in that time, we’ve made a lot of changes and adjustments to the pool, from changing our filtration system to trying now three different types of covers… While my rolling cover was a great DIY hardcover option, it struggled to keep up in winter, and it was cumbersome to remove solo.

So, we opted for a fairly expensive option, and we purchased the Cowboy Pools hard cover.  After reading reviews from areas with real winter (lake effect snow!) seeing pictures with dogs on top (a German shepherd!), and their updated design to shed rain water... I figured this might be the answer we were looking for.  
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A Quick Backslide...

4/3/2026

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When we bought our house, we had an inspection.  I vetted the inspector, and while MN doesn’t require a license, he was licensed in WI right next door.  Well, he missed some things.  From the knob and tube wiring (that was visible right at the top of the stairs) to the PVC water supply to our house.  In his defense, it’s been 10 whole years since we first saw this house and had it inspected!  I’ve known enough to question his analysis for a long time, and I should’ve considered fixing it before failure occurred.

He listed it as CPVC: a similar type of plastic that is perfectly safe for potable water.  Schedule 40 PVC however… not so much.  So, we had a failure of the incorrectly installed exterior spigot and yet another drip in the basement.  Upon talking with the plumber (if you know me and need a plumber, I have the right folks for you!), it confirmed my long-held suspicion that this wasn’t CPVC and we should replumb half the house.  Too bad that I just finished -two weeks prior- the basement ceilings.
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    Katie Swanson

    I am a parent, creative spirit, and old house lover.  My big passions are sustainable design and preservation.  Bringing these together is key to moving existing homes into the future.

    There is definitely a mix of seasonal craftiness and old house projects with some major technology changes that help make preservation possible.  Along the way, I'm not afraid to share the ups, downs, and budgets.

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