“Housing and real estate account for almost 1/5th of Maryland’s gross state product,” said Mary C. Antoun, Chief Executive Officer of the Maryland Association of Realtors. “Traditionally, the housing sector leads the economy out of recession and into more robust growth, but that can’t happen if we keep putting hurdles in its way.” Recently, a huge hurdle was proposed in the state of Maryland. Governor Martin O’Malley announced a … READ MORE
Seeing the opportunity to get in on the “ground floor” of a burgeoning service industry, Berlin native Lee Kendall decided last year to create his own roof cleaning business last year, a move he said has seen marked success. “I finally found my niche,” said Kendall, owner of Kendall Scapes. While researching possible business opportunities, Kendall explained that he stumbled upon a specific kind of roof treatment service meant … READ MORE
The evolution of the Humphreys House mudroom and breezeway continued this past weekend. We have taken baby steps getting this room together because it has been on the lower-end of the priority list, but we have been steadily chipping away as there was much we could do for no cost. A fresh coat of primer paint gave the walls some life. Removing the old vent pipe from the broiler made … READ MORE
It’s much like stumbling upon a secret world. How else could one explain pines that seem to whisper bits of history, huge plantings that have weathered their fare share of storms, and architectural gems that sit amidst their own private park-like settings? Yet it's all within a simple jaunt from the quaintly cosmopolitan, busting, mini metropolis that is the main thoroughfare of Rehoboth Beach. Henlopen Acres is a sanctuary … READ MORE
When we first started the Humphreys House a little less than a year ago now, we said to ourselves that we would take care of the most important things first. Initially that was to redo the now finished the kitchen and both bathrooms. Note bathrooms, plural, as in more than one. After all, we were going from having 5 bathroom sinks and 3 toilets down to , well ……. … READ MORE
It’s the little things that are important when it is the busy time of year. We have been on vacation the last week and although most would say that we are crazy for taking time off at a critical time of year for this resort hometown of ours, it happens to work well for us. This is how we stay balanced; nothing like recharging the batteries. … READ MORE
One of the first things that we did when we moved into the Humphrey House was to install some new door knobs and deadbolts. We live in a safe town. I feel comfortable letting my children walk to the corner store and talk to the shop owner that they know. Neighbors that keep an eye your house, not to be nosy, because it is the neighborly thing to do. … READ MORE
Front porch living is easy. It's funny because our previous house, that we had built new, had a huge front porch that wrapped around. I remember in the planning stages being adamant about wanting a big and deep front porch and it had to wrap around. Well, when you build a house that is bigger than it needs to be and you want a wrap around porch, you end … READ MORE
One of the things that struck us about this home at first were the beautiful stained glass windows original to the home. We have said all along that we will do whatever we can to keep them; they are a key part to the look and feel of this home. Some of the windows are in terrible shape: weather-beaten from the outside, a lot of peeling paint, and some … READ MORE
Around the time that the original wood burning stove was moved to the back stable at the Humphreys House, there was a breezeway that was built and covered to separate what would be the summer kitchen. During the warm months they would cook out next to the stable so as keep the heat of the stove out of the house that they were trying to keep cool. A breezeway … READ MORE
We are often asked if we have to adhere to any historical guidelines, a review commission for the Humphreys House. Fortunately we do not, even though the house is over a 100 years old and so close to historic downtown Berlin, we fall outside of any governing committee or regulations. We do however take reverence and consideration of the wishes of the former owner as we fix things … READ MORE
We have been in the house and have had a project budget set aside for all the projects - with me doing all, or at least most of the work. Most of the funds set aside were for materials only. Obviously the lions share of the materials were to the major pieces prior to moving into the house. We had stocked up on some materials that have helped feed … READ MORE
A rainy weekend is a good time to turn back to the inside of the house to finish up some trim. The old kitchen had a small window above the sink. We decided that replacing the window with double casement windows would help bring in as much light as possible. Switching out a window or installing replacement windows is one thing. Replacement windows are custom fit to the existing … READ MORE