Welcome to House Love!

ron and jill at house love In 2000, we bought "as is" a 4500 square-foot, Baltimore Victorian brownstone that had been wrecked by a fraternity. Jill and I had been dating for only six months. We knew nothing about fixing old houses. It was a recipe for disaster. This website tells the story of our efforts to make our love work as we made our old house whole again.

In 2003, we got married in the house. In 2008, THIS OLD HOUSE magazine did a feature about us. Our old house adventure continues. We update our site weekly, with major additions quarterly. So sign up for our email notifications, drop us a line, and keep in touch!

Yours warmly, Ron & Jill

What's New in Spring 2013!

Jill: Ron is on the road again with Cleo in our custom camper van.

You can find >>>> blog posts here <<<

Ron will be traveling this year to promote the paperback edition of From Animal House to Our House.

Complete tour itinerary is here: Ron's Animal House National Tour If you want him to visit your town, just ask!
Ron: I have filmed more than 100 interviews of people involved with preservation -- everybody from DIY homeowners to directors of national organizations. I will continue gathering interviews this year as I travel the nation. If you know of someone with an interesting project, let me know.

Here's a featured video of a rescued and restored Modern house masterpiece: Saved: The Rauh House.
Jill: We're participating in the Charles Village Garden Walk this year. Our historic neighborhood has great city gardens. The tour takes place on Sunday, June 2, from 11-4:00.

You can >>>> buy tickets here <<<

our lovely back yard!

Ron: Check out Jill's notebook for our latest featured project: privacy windows that will class up your house.
Jill: Ron is now in business as a licensed house inspector. He also does consultations, like visiting your house to give you advice about what is and isn't do-able and cost-effective. Here's his business site.
Ron: We've got many new how-to questions answered here: Questions & Answers

For older posts, click here.

Quick Thumbnail Navigation

What Was New in Winter 2013!

Jill: We've been having a lot of fun with our custom camper van. Here's a blog post about the trip we made to Florida.
Ron: I have started posting video interviews of old-house owners and preservationists on the Preservation America website, a doscumentary project I began during my cross-country travels last year. This is an ongoing project aimed at capturing the big picture of preservation in America. The first featured video is about the restoration of the Modernist Rauh house in Cincinnati. It's cool stuff. Check it out.
Jill: Ron has published an article -- "Preserving America" -- in the latest issure of the Alliance Review, for the National Alliance of Preservation Commissions (NAPC). He offers an overview of the things he saw on his big road trip last year. I saw some of these things too!

From Animal House to Our House

Ron: Check out Jill's notebook for our latest featured project: restoration of the servants' hallway. It was something of an ordeal but came out great.
Jill: Our camper van page is expanding with videos and photos. And here's the latest addition, an interview conducted by the Greg Keith of Sprinter RV.
Ron: I'm giving away the original THIS OLD HOUSE magazine that featured our house (in 2008) with every purchase of From Animal House to Our House - - while supplies last!

You can buy Ron's book -- signed just for you -- right here:
the Houselove Shop.

Priced lower than Amazon!

What was new at holiday time 2012

Jill: Recently, at Baltimore's "Stoop Stories," Ron performed a comic monologue about our first Christmas. It's really funny.

You can listen to it here: Our First Christmas in the Frat House

Or watch the Youtube version:

click here if you can't see the video in the box above.
Ron: I'm giving away the original THIS OLD HOUSE magazine that featured our house (in 2008) with every purchase of From Animal House to Our House - - while supplies last!

You can buy Ron's book -- signed just for you -- right here:
the Houselove Shop.

Priced lower than Amazon!

What Was New in Fall 2012?

Jill: Ron finished his huge road trip book tour in September and is now back with us. Here's a slide show video of highlights from his adventures (I'm in there too!).
Ron: It's been a hectic summer and now autumn: jill and I have undertaken a number of projects around the house. One of them involves old wall paper. Jill talks about this in her Notebook: "What's With the Wallpaper!"

HOLIDAY GIFT IDEA: You can buy Ron's book -- signed just for you -- right here:
the Houselove Shop.
Priced lower than Amazon!
Also check out the special 2-for deal.

Jill: Ron is still traveling around giving his hilarious talk (with an awesome slide show), so if you have an organization or book club that would like him to visit, just let him know. We met a number of our Houselove readers on the road and that was great!

This video trailer gives you an idea of what Ron's talk is like: From Animal House to Our House video trailer

Ron, now a licensed house inspector, also gives workshops on various how-to topics.
Ron: Our DIY super-custom camper van did great on its 10,000 journey! You can find all the van videos here: The Houselove Camper Van!
Jill: We have made a new how-to video, How to Install an Electrical Outlet. This is a topic that all homeowners should find of interest.

We also have videos of Ron on TV. Here's my favorite: 7 Tips for DIY Homeowners

You can find our how-to's on our video page here at Houselove or see ALL 40 of our videos at the Houselove Youtube site
Ron: In the spring I wrote for Victorian Homes magazine -- an article all about our kitchen The Kitchen Conundrum
Jill: We've had a number of nice articles written about us and the house this year. You can find them on our (new) Press Room page
Ron: We have new Questions and Answers on our Q & A page
Jill: We've added House Love to Facebook, so now if you want news and updates, we'll be putting them there for you FB fans. Check it out: House Love on Facebook And please "like" it -- thank you!

What Was New in Spring/Summer 2012?

Jill: Ron is on the road, finishing up the first leg of his book tour. He went clear down to New Orleans. Cleo, our bassett hound, went with him! You can read more about his trip if you go to his blog page. I'm going to join him in the West, which will be very exciting because I've seen only California. We'll drive up to Oregon and Washington, then to Montana and Wyoming.
If you haven't seen it, here's the video trailer for the book. From Animal House to Our House video trailer

You can buy a copy -- signed just for you -- right here: the Houselove Shop
Ron: At last my camper van is finished, more or less. I'm making a few modifications as the van gets tough-tested on the road. Did I tell you I blew up the water tank? New van videos are coming: The Houselove Camper Van!
Jill: Ron needs your support -- and he'd love to meet you. If you're anywhere near any of these cities, come out and see him give his very funny, entertaining talk: Ron's 66-city tour
Ron: We have new Q & A 1) here and 2) here
Jill: We've added House Love to Facebook, so now if you want news and updates, we'll be putting them there for you FB fans. Check it out: House Love on Facebook And please "like" it -- thank you!

What Was New in Winter 2012?

Jill: Ron's book is out! I love it! You'll love it too -- it has everything a good read should: humor, adventure, fun, and trouble. Ron is now in the midst of planning a 66-city book tour. He'll be meeting up with preservation and historical societies at every stop. Maybe he'll be coming to your home town! Here's the tour itinerary so far.
And here's the video trailer for the book. It's really funny: From Animal House to Our House video trailer
Ron: I've been working on my camper van conversion in preparation for my 66 city tour. It's a huge project that incorporates everything I know about house renovation and more: The Houselove Camper Van!
Jill: we finished my office! OMG, it took us eight months and included everything from stripping wall paper to running new electricy and building custom cabinets. I beleive it's the best room in the house. There's even a huge antique cabinet for my Steiff collection I t hink Ron is jealous! Jill's Office.
Ron: We have new Q & A 1) here and 2) here and 3) here and 4) here.
Jill: We'd like to welcome a new old house lover, David Delind to our Your House page. And three great blogs to our blog roll: House Crazy, The Eclcectic Victorian, and the Hamilton Project
Ron: I am now a licensed house inspector, after having taken the 80-hour course, then the 4-hour exam, and then gotten my insurance. I still have to build a website for the business. I'm excited to get into this line of work. The next time you buy a house, give me a call!

What Was New in Fall 2011?

Jill: We've finished our back yard with a super Victorian look by laying 3,000 bricks in a herring bone pattern. For me, it's a dream come true! big backyard project to unveil
Ron: Jill and I went to Antiques Roadshow. It was a surprising experience and not what you'd think from having watched the show: Behind the scenes at Antiques Roadshow!
Jill: Ron bought a Sprinter van to convert into a camper van. It's a huge project! So we've added a van page to chart the progress: The Houselove Camper Van!
Ron: I will be touring the country next summer to promote my book, From Animal House to Our House: A Love Story. If you belong to a preservation society or live in a historic neighborhood or an organization that might like me to visit, let me know!
Jill: We're nearly done with my office! It's taking FOREVER but it's going to be great. We're making some how-to videos about it. Here's a peek at our progress:Jil's Office.
Ron: I'm taking a course to get certified as a licensed House Inspector! This has been a dream of mine because I want to know all about how houses work.
Jill: We'd like to welcome a new old house lover, Sheryl O'Donnel to our Your House page.

What Was New in Spring 2011?

Jill: We've got a big backyard project to unveil
Ron: We've added three new tabs to our navigation thumbnails below: garage, featured project, and videos. Check them out!
Jill: Ron and I have been having a lot of second thoughts about compact florescent lights lately. Are they worth the cost and the trouble? Here are some things to consider.
Ron: We've added more to our question and answer page and reorganized it so that now you can browse it by topic.
Jill: We've added some more articles to our suggested reading list. You'll want to check these out, especially one called "Tiffany Glass and Other Tales from the Crypt."
Ron: Fun fact! The bathroom pictured in the June 2011 issue of THIS OLD HOUSE magazine -- pages 76 & 77 -- is OURS!
Ron & Jill: We are heart-broken to announce that our lovely, crazy, wonderful basset hound, Frieda, died unexpectedly in April. The full story and video tribute to Frieda are here.

What was New in Winter 2011?

Jill: Our neighborhood's first holiday house tour was a sold out success! Make plans to visit our historic neighborhood next winter! The Charles Village Snowflake Tour of Historic Homes
Ron: Welcome new old-home renovators James and Amanda Cotton to our Your House page. Check out their 1870's farm house!

Jill: We have a new Frieda video! In this one she's eating the big stalk from Brussels Sprouts. She makes Ron laugh and laugh. Frieda Gets a Stalk of Brussels Sprouts
Ron: We've added some new gifts to our shop -- expanding its offerings. Check it out!>>>
Jill: BIG NEWS! Ron's book -- telling the story of how we bought and renovated our house and still managed to stay in love and get married -- has just been accepted for publication!
br /> Release date will be sometime next year. If you have a local bookstore or reading club you'd like Ron to visit, let him know! In the meantime, take a look at the first chapter of FROM ANIMAL HOUSE TO OUR HOUSE: A LOVE STORY >>>
Ron: Jill came up with a great idea for a coat rack -- just in time for winter. Check it out in Jill's notebook

What was New in Fall 2010?

Jill: I have a new entry in my notebook: fall is the time to go flea-marketing for tools!
Ron: I've answered a number of questions generated by our how-to videos.
Jill: I am SO excited! We've just discovered that we have an adult leopard frog in our pond! We didn't think the leopards survived, but they have a secret we didn't know about.
Ron: We have made a new how-to video, this one on wiring a floor lamp. This is one of those jobs that everybody encounters.
Jill: We have a number of new comments from our readers on the comments page. We love your comments -- they keep us encouraged and energized!

What was New in Summer 2010?

Jill: Frieda's got a new video: How Many Ice Cubes Will Frieda Eat?
Ron: We've added a new feature -- historic houses. Do you have a historic house you've visited and would like to tell others about?
Jill: We've added another new feature called Jill's notebook It offers tips and a featured project each season.
Ron: We've received a lot of questions generated by our how-to videos. Check out the answers here. We update this weekly.
Jill: We're excited about our new Houselove store. Take a look at our selection of pretty notecards.
Ron: we've added over ten slide shows to our new website. My favorite is the "light show," which features all of the lights in our house.
Jill: we've added the comments pages from our This Old House article, which was read by over 400,000 house lovers. You might find the comments about the fraternity interesting.
Ron Another new feature: The next big renovation project