Stucco House & Tappan Talk

For more than 10 years, the writer of the Stucco House blog lived in a 1928 condo in Minneapolis and all was well. It was cute as a bug, finished, and everything in it was original. There was no restoration work to do, it just needed to be repainted every few years. That was not enough for this blogger, who chooses to blog under the pseudonym StuccoHouse, so several years ago a 1924 bungalow on the other end of the city was sought. It still had the original kitchen, oak and maple floors, and it had been pretty much left alone. Coincidentally, it was the same color and paint combination as the old condo. But, happily there was plenty of work to be done. The Stucco House blog has been chugging along ever since 2004, updating readers about all the updates going on in this Minneapolis bungalow. The Stucco House blog has also resulted in a spin-off called Tappan Talk, a blog dedicated to vintage Tappan Deluxe stoves. StuccoHouse has pulled in quite a readership from other home restoration blogs. Stucco House and Tappan Talk are two fine examples of this blogging genre.

You really have interest in fixing up and restoring your home. What inspired you to start blogging about the work you’re putting into it?

I originally started back in 2001 with a web site to keep family & friends updated about work on my house. I was a little surprised to notice strangers seemed to be following my website.  I also discovered a small group of house restoration people with similar web sites and we started to exchange restoration information and tips. When blog services started to become more common, I moved over to a blog format.

What’s your biggest challenge when it comes to blogging consistently? How do you overcome that challenge?

I blog because I enjoy writing. Writing about my house has become almost a form of therapy. I try not to put any pressure on myself to keep my blog current.  If I go too long without updating my blog, I miss it.

You just finished painting a bathroom in the Stucco House pink. What other projects do you think you’ll be working on and blogging about in the near future?

I have a long list of projects coming up. I joke that I’m 7 years into a 2-year restoration project. I always have at least 10 projects going at once. I’m currently working on my vintage kitchen. Restoring and painting the exterior trim of my house is a project that I hope to finish up this summer.

What do you love most about living in the Twin Cities? Minneapolis and St. Paul are awesome of course, but if you had the chance, what would you improve about the Twin Cities?

From an old house owner perspective, I love the fact that we have many resources for salvaged materials for old houses. We also have groups like the Twin Cities Bungalow Club that help people learn about history of their old houses.

Improve the Twin Cities….hmmm….taxes could always be lower

What other blogs do you enjoy reading and why? Who are your favorite local bloggers?

I’m an old house blog junkie. I love reading The Petch House, Foxcroft, Our Tiny Oak Park Bungalow, and Northland Stories. Most of these blogs started at about the same time as I did and we regularly share old house information.

A few of my favorite local blogs currently are Design Grenade (especially when he trolls Craigslist),  Prairie Woodworking and China Shepherdess. All of these blogs are also house related.

If you could give some useful advice to new bloggers, what would it be?

Blog because you enjoy it. If you post well written, interesting pieces…the readers will find you.