Katie
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handmadekatie.bsky.social
Katie
@handmadekatie.bsky.social
430 followers 140 following 250 posts
I like old houses. I build things.
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handmadekatie.bsky.social
This little secretary desk has lived many lives already. It started as 1970s wood-look formica in my grandma’s house, and now it’s an installed piece in our basement library.

It went from Grandma’s to my sister’s, where it was scuff sanded and painted midcentury-mustard.
A small secretary desk is tucked into a wall next to a doorway. There are construction materials to its right and paint and stain cans on the floor. The desk and the walls are painted the same color: Sherwin Williams Riverway, and the desk has two brass knobs and a brass handle.
August 9, 2025 at 4:45 PM
handmadekatie.bsky.social
Three down, one to go.
With how our lot is graded and the snow switch we get in MN (either a TON or basically none) the past several years, we decided the best course of action three years ago was to swap all non-egress windows to glass block. None have great views, but these are water tight.
A glass block window is installed in an unfinished wall opening.
May 27, 2025 at 11:41 PM
handmadekatie.bsky.social
We added a giant chess/checker board to the basement library today! This big, blank wall has some sound-dampening and extra fun for the kids… and for us.
The kit was from Felt Right.
#oldhouselove
A felt chessboard with green and cream squares hangs on a dark teal wall behind a navy sofa. Wooden post-and-beam structure is exposed, and rainbow stairs are in the background. A felt chessboard with green and cream squares hangs on a dark teal wall behind a navy sofa. Pieces have moved from their starting positions. A felt chessboard with green and cream squares hangs on a dark teal wall behind a navy sofa. The chess pieces have been removed, and checkers pieces are on the board.
April 27, 2025 at 2:43 AM
handmadekatie.bsky.social
I dismantled the top rail off a single panel door to shorten it a few inches the right way!
In other circumstances, a bit of the bottom rail can be planed to make a door a shorter, but not this time. I removed the rail, shortened the stile, and am gluing back together.
#oldhouselove
The top of a door is leaned on its side edge with a bar clamp closing the top rail and stiles. The top rail of a wooden door has been removed. The stile has some splintered-off wood at its top from the start of the hand-cut removal. The top rail of a door is leaning against the panel in the same door. The inside of a door rail. The original floating tenons have been removed.
April 15, 2025 at 8:53 PM
handmadekatie.bsky.social
Basement progress is… progressing! The “couch wall” is done, with its picture rail and baseboards painted, and the bookcase doors have their first two coats. I’ll do the last coat with these installed. Between the windows is where the picture rail will eventually be, windows first.
#oldhouselove
Picture rail is painted blue and hung on a blue wall with slightly flatter sheen. A beam is above the rail, and a post is on the edge of the wall. Above is a slightly paler blue bead board ceiling. The edge of a window is behind a blue painted water pipe under a bead board ceiling. A darker blue is on the wall with a sconce and the corner of a TV. Two doors are painted a deep blue and are leaning against a white kitchen countertop on wooden cabinets.
April 6, 2025 at 9:27 PM
handmadekatie.bsky.social
Grieve in the morning, protest in the afternoon, party at night.
Tops of heads and political signage outside the Minnesota State Capitol building. A rainbow fist sign with the word “resist” is in the air in front of blue sky. A sign that reads “Democracy must rise up to stop the steal of our social security benefits” is in front of the capitol building. The American flag can be seen flying above the building. Protestors and signage are in front of the Minnesota State Capitol building. The dome over the rotunda is on the left side of the image with a sign that reads “Hands Off”. The right side shows the Minnesota state flag.
April 5, 2025 at 10:06 PM
handmadekatie.bsky.social
I decided today that the library needs picture rail. These walls have gotten fairly smooth, and after all the repairs I’ve done I want to see art… but not holes in the drywall.
Ask me about picture rail: it’s my favorite!
#oldhouselove
A poplar picture rail is hung 1/2” below a wooden beam on a dark blue wall. Along the side of the image is a post beneath the beam, and a little bit of the blue bead board ceiling can be seen in the corner above the post and beam.
April 5, 2025 at 3:15 AM
handmadekatie.bsky.social
This wall in the library has been purple since we finished closing in an old doorway in 2018. Now it matches the rest of the library.
This wall always seems to have something here: from the drywall scraps and lumber to actual furniture, so painting felt like a treat.
#oldhouselove
A wall is painted dark blue beneath a wooden beam and between two posts. The nearby ceiling is slightly lighter, and the bookshelf in the background is painted a matching blue.
April 4, 2025 at 12:17 AM
handmadekatie.bsky.social
The library ceilings are finished! This is a huge step to finishing this basement, and with it being the space most of the house electrical runs through… it also means we’re pretty far with everything else too.

Full write up is on the blog!
https://www.handmadekatie.com/home/library-ceilings
A bead board ceiling with vintage ceiling-mounted fixture and bead board soffit. The soffit beyond the light, the soffit steps over and reduces in size. Bookshelves? A floor lamp, and lion painting are in the background. An access panel is built into a bead board soffit. A 1/2” copper pipe runs perpendicular to the soffit into the access panel, and a cast iron drain enters at an angle. Stairs with rainbow treads, a wooden post, and a brick chimney are in the background. A vintage vent register cover is mounted to the underside of the bead board soffit.
March 31, 2025 at 11:30 PM
handmadekatie.bsky.social
This part of the basement has been a near-decade’s- long slow roll. We started working in earnest on converting the awkward, small basement office into a family room back in 2018, and I finally see the light at the end of this tunnel. Floors wrapped today!
#oldhouselove #bungalow
A pair of bookshelves is installed under a bead board soffit above a wood-look floor. In front of the bookshelf is a 1970s tufted chair. Assorted toys and books -including the entire Redwall series- is on the bookshelves. Additional bookcases are installed in the margins of the image.
March 29, 2025 at 9:24 PM
handmadekatie.bsky.social
The difficulty of getting this vent into the soffit cannot be overstated, but It. Is. In!!
I love this vent from the attic of a 1941 revival and I have two more already in the house. I adore this one. The main soffit is just about done! This get’s me over the hump on the library ceilings.
A vintage vent cover is hung in a bead board ceiling. Both are painted the same shade of turquoise.
March 18, 2025 at 9:56 PM
handmadekatie.bsky.social
This is from a bit ago, but with spring just around the corner, it felt right to share it now.
March 16, 2025 at 5:14 AM
handmadekatie.bsky.social
I’ve started another big step in finishing the basement ceilings with the beginning of the soffits.
Today I went back and finished writing about the toilet that kick-started my return to this part of the house. It’s up on the blog now!

https://www.handmadekatie.com/home/when-emergencies-call
A 1950s ceiling fixture is hanging in a bead board ceiling. Next to it is the installed side of a bead board soffit. Structural pieces are peeking out from the bottom of the soffit, and there is a tiny gap where the soffit and the ceiling meet.
March 7, 2025 at 9:19 PM
handmadekatie.bsky.social
I added the last of my on-hand push button switches this week, and I started the process of labelling inside the plate covers. Along with the electrical plan in the panel, breakers should be easy to figure out.
#oldhouselove
A single, push-button dimmer switch is installed on a dark teal wall with a brass cover plate. The back of a duplex switch plate for push button switches has an embossed label that reads “Breaker # 6.”
March 6, 2025 at 7:17 PM
handmadekatie.bsky.social
Taking some time today to replace an antique light socket that finally failed with another from my stash… and since the breaker is off, it’s the perfect time to install these push button light switches. Satisfying click and all.
Two push-button, antique-style light switches are sitting on the arm of a couch. One is a dimmer switch with a steel front plate, the other is an all black standard switch. Both have mother-of-pearl button inlays. Two push-button switches are installed in a teal with next to wood millwork. They have a raw brass switch plate, and all four buttons have mother-of-pearl inlay. The left switch protrudes farther from the wall with a top on-off button and bottom dimmer knob. The right switch has the typical arrangement for depressing the top to turn on and the bottom to turn off. There is glint from the light in the room reflecting in the brass of the cover.
February 28, 2025 at 7:40 PM
handmadekatie.bsky.social
Hey folks! I’ve already included the Alt-Text requirement instructions for BlueSky, but here they are for Flashes too!

Right in the main settings page, toggle the requirement for Alt-text to on!

These make your images more accessible, and this setting won’t let you post without it.
The settings menu on the Flashes app is scrolled down to the “Composer” section with “Require ALT-text before posting” highlighted. The toggle is in the “on” position.
February 27, 2025 at 5:40 PM
handmadekatie.bsky.social
I’ve been trying not to spin my wheels too much online these days, and I’ve been focusing on the must-do things in the house… namely the attic and the basement library.
But in between, I’ve been tossing around this little dream side project of building a revival fireplace for our living room.
A drawing of a fireplace with Edwardian and Craftsman lines. Two pilasters ascend beyond the height of the mantle with a low overmantle at the back, the firebox has an antique cast iron face with tile surround. Above the fireplace are two brass and copper sconces. The fireplace is on a small hearth surrounded by wood floor, and patterned wallpaper is sketched on the wall behind the fireplace.
February 26, 2025 at 6:15 PM
handmadekatie.bsky.social
It’s getting there! I’m nearly to framing out the soffits. Ceiling is insulated, lights are back in, and all the angled cuts are done.
#oldhouselove
Two vintage lights hang in a partially-installed bead board ceiling. Where bead board is not installed, mineral wool insulation is tucked between the joists. To the side is the silvery glow of the return ductwork.
February 13, 2025 at 9:03 PM
handmadekatie.bsky.social
Using one of my electrical tricks today: old houses often have chaotic panels, so I made a plan and labelled each light, receptacle, and appliance. Circled numbers are general for whole rooms.
#oldhouselove
A rough house plan with doors drawn in and numbered circles and boxes indicating which circuit corresponds to each receptacle, fixture, and appliance. Additional notes show how unlabelled spaces are occupied.
February 12, 2025 at 6:37 PM
handmadekatie.bsky.social
One half of the basement library’s ceiling is done! Up next: bead board on the other side of the ductwork and framing out the soffit around it.
#oldhouselove
A long stretch of bead board is attached to a ceiling. Below are a few pipes hanging below the joists. In the distance is ductwork and plumbing that will be in soffits.
February 11, 2025 at 8:53 PM
handmadekatie.bsky.social
The only thing growing in my yard right now are the piles of snow… but winter is a good time to dream about plants to come.
Some of my favorites are rudbeckia and catalpa.
Rudbeckia hirta, black-eyed susan on the High Line in NYC. Canon R50 50mm f/1.8 Northern Catalpa blossoms among large leaves characteristic of the tree.
February 9, 2025 at 2:31 AM
handmadekatie.bsky.social
Working on the ceilings the past few weeks reminded me that I really needed to get the electrical in the ceiling fixed before I could effectively do anything.
So, today I rewired the lights at the bottom of the stairs, and added this pair of ceiling lights on a three-pole switch.
#oldhouselove
Two vintage ceiling lights are hung in a basement ceiling . Between joists is insulation, and in two bays are air return vents. The wiring can be seen coming from a metal electrical box with cable clamps. The back wall has a blue bookshelf, and there is various storage nearby.
February 8, 2025 at 4:10 AM
handmadekatie.bsky.social
After literal years building to this, I’m finally starting the ceiling in the basement library.
#oldhouselove
A dark blue wall with lit 1970s sconce and basement hopper window is below a slightly-lighter bead board ceiling. Just below the ceiling hangs a white PVC pipe. The area around the window is unfinished, and there is a box of junk nearby.
February 5, 2025 at 10:33 PM
handmadekatie.bsky.social
WHY?

I tore apart a whole room because of toilet issues from a plumber reinstalling after blowing a toy out.
So guess what the kid did today!
Flushed these.

#oldhouselove #pottytrainingistheworst
A toy giraffe and sock are in a bathroom sink basin.
February 1, 2025 at 10:03 PM
handmadekatie.bsky.social
I have that one!
A photo of the cover of “Pretty Good House: A Guide to Creating Better Homes.” By Dan Kolbert, Emily Mottram, Michael Maines, and Christopher Briley
February 1, 2025 at 5:13 PM