Chipping Off Weeping Mortar

Recapping briefly, my first pig's ear had weeping mortar. And what made it a larger issue in the eyes of many was that it had been painted, greatly impacting the impression of this bricklaying. This was my first exposure to this style of masonry, and I wasn't sure how to deal with it.

As I mentioned in a previous post, one visitor suggested I grind it all off, that I rake the joints. However, I knew this was more work than I wanted or needed to bite off. Since this house had been condemned, a livable situation that was a casualty of an out-of-control dryer fire, I had a long list of pressing scopes of work. And the clock was ticking since I’d agreed to a twelve-month timeline with my lender. Even if I could have connected with someone willing and able to carry out this task, it would have certainly wrecked my limited budget.

Raking the weepers myself wasn't an option. First off, flying solo grinding out joints that totaled nearly two miles would have worn me out. And I was hesitant about my ability to estimate the time (or pricey blades and bits) the grinding/raking approach would have required. Nearly everything about this option was unappealing. At this point in my career, I had years of construction experience but not much logged in residential work. Although I was curious, I knew in my heart (and gut) that starting down the raking path was a mistake. More than intimidated, I was certain I must avoid opening up what would be a huge can of worms.

I had an issue that needed a solution and eventually landed on chipping off all the weeping mortar. The picture above shows approximately fifty square feet of joints or 250 lineal feet. If I tried to rake all these joints, besides the time and cost, I would have had to take precautions so I wasn't breathing in grit during the hours of work I would be taking on. And I'd be faced with pushing through unavoidable fatigue, battling the chance that the grinder might get away from me and either damage bricks, or jerk into the wooden shutters or the frieze board under the soffit.  

If you look at that picture again, keep in mind that I was dealing with this amount of chipping times a little over forty, greater than two thousand square feet. But as I mulled it over for several days, I became more comfortable with chipping it off as my best remedy.

Rather than jumping in, I decided to do a small sample area on the back side of the house, just to see how long it took and then ultimately looked. I did about two square feet in less than five minutes. Plus, I was surprised by how much I liked the textured joints this chipping created, and to me, it was better than the painted weeping mortar I currently had.

Two thousand square feet seemed immense until I arrived at my plan to break it all up into bite sized sections—twenty-five square feet at a time. I estimated that each would take around thirty minutes, adding up to about forty man hours. I built myself a 4’x8’ cubed scaffold to work the top half of the façade and fell into a daily groove. Then, I’d slide the box frame into place for the next day and move onto some other work on my list.

This no-power-tool approach wasn’t difficult, there was minimal dust, and I settled in on one five-by-five-foot area each evening after work, then double or tripled up on weekend days until it was all knocked out.

A month after starting, the end result was unique. I found it distinct and tasteful, contrasting with what I’d inherited at the closing. It felt like progress while the rest of the house was still looking pretty rough. And in a small town full of doubters, I began to win over a growing group of interested observers.

Links to recent posts on weeping mortar:

Embracing Weeping Mortar - July 13, 2026

Moving Beyond Weeping Mortar - July 20, 2026

Grinding or Raking Weeping Mortar Joints - July 26, 2026

“What’s the most difficult part … ?”

Over the years of renovating really bad houses, people have asked me often how I go about it; buying, working through each phase, and then selling.  It’s not rocket science, but it can be tricky when you’ve never done it before.  Another question that people sometimes ask me goes something like, “What’s the hardest part about fixing up a place like this?”  People want to know.  Is it nasty bathrooms or kitchens?  Is it the neighbors?  Snakes?  Dead animals that I’ve had to deal with?  Finding contractors?  Inspectors?  What’s the thing… the one challenge or issue that consistently has to be overcome on all of these pig’s ears.

It took me a few years and multiple properties to really know how to answer, but I did figure it out.  Finding the right property is the hardest part about what I do.  I look at hundreds of properties, do dozens of drive-bys, have a bunch of walk-thrus/showings, and typically make multiple offers before I actually take ownership of the right one.   There are a lot of house flipping and home renovation shows on television that show how exciting and do-able it is and in some ways it seems as if there are now even more people out there trying to find homes to fix up.  That competition may add to the challenge of the property search, but there are a lot of things that make it easier to find the right project.  It’s definitely better than it used to be in many respects. 

When I started doing this, everything was different; classified ads and For Sale signs were where the search started.  I still look for the realtor signs in front yards, but the classifieds is not too useful to me anymore.  The computer helps so much now.  It’s amazing the amount of information you can get in your living room, not to mention away from home on your mobile phone, laptop, or tablet.  You still get the best feel for an area by driving and looking or getting out and walking around, but everything is on-line now in a way that helps you do your homework even before you call to get inside a potential project house. 

Take advantage of all the on-line resources and don’t be overwhelmed by all the info.  Enjoy it.  There are so many ways to get smart on a prospective property.  Be thankful there’s so much information out there.  And I’m talking free, public info.  You don’t have to subscribe to something or pay to have someone do your research.

The real estate sites are a great place to start.  Carolina One here in the Lowcountry is an example of one of the best sites I've found.  It's extremely user friendly.  Also, county governments have property records on-line now.  They’re all different, but not too hard to get a feel for once you get logged in and start figuring them out.  Google Maps is really useful as well and seems to be getting better all the time.  You get the street view and the satellite look for a bird's eye view.  You get a great overhead shot of the property you’re interested in and everything around the house.  You can do your due diligence so much easier now which makes the search more productive.  Finding the right property is still the toughest part of what I do, but I love it too and it's part of the fun.

One suggestion to remember (comparable to the advice you'd give a young person entering the dating world):  Don't fall in love with the first or second house you see.  Finding the right property can be a long process.  It can take weeks, months, and maybe longer.  Getting hung up on one property too soon is easy to do.  Try to avoid this little pitfall and keep your business hat on without too much emotion until you own the house.  That's when the real work and the love begins.

Keep Your Mind On Your Money

From the beginning of your home renovation project you need to be tuned into the money you're spending on the mission.  As I mentioned before (see Attention First-Timers) your budget and your schedule will drive your project.  However, I'll be straight-up and say that I've never kept track of my time.  For one thing, resurrecting one of my Pig's Ears is something I really enjoy and keeping a log of the time I put in hasn't ever felt right to me.  On top of that, it's always seemed impractical.  I can easily be bouncing between six or eight tasks before lunch; inside, out, under the house, or up on the roof.  I'm waiting for things to set, dry, or cure and it's all mixed up with family and personal stuff.   So... I don't maintain a record of my time, but the money is different and I keep track of every cent.

Every dollar you spend will come with an opportunity to receive a receipt.  Sometimes you have to remember to get it and save it, but that's on you.  Take the proof of purchase from each sales clerk and make some notes right away (before you forget).  Some things on the receipt will come with a description that's helpful, words that will jog your memory later on.  Paint from a small, local hardware store may simply read Paint.  Perfect.  However, that same can described on a big box store receipt may show up as a coded description comparable to ABC123XYZ.  You're going to have countless receipts and a month down the road you'll have a hard time remembering what you bought.  The high tech code will give you limited clues, so make notes on the receipts immediately.  If you buy shingles, some sand paper for prepping the front door before you paint it, make a note like: Roofing and Painting.  And if you buy a few 2x4s while you're there, make notes about that with something like Framing.   

Also, separate your personal expenses from renovation costs.  For example, you may buy supplies for Plumbing, Landscaping, and Roofing in the same trip to the store and a check-out you grab a drink or a candy bar.  Break out the snacks when you total things up.  You'll want to have an accurate accounting at the end of your project so be committed to leaving anything not related to the job out of your expenditure figures.  This may seem obvious, but it's an easy/bad habit to fall into.  Keep in mind that buying a tool for a scope of work you're doing yourself is a legitimate project expense as well as special clothing and/or other personal protective equipment.  Create a budget category for these or absorb them into an established budget item, but don't leave them out.  These are renovation expenses and need to be accounted for in your expenses.

 

I always want to know what I spend on each project down to the final penny.  If I spend a quarter for a bolt to fix the mailbox, I keep a receipt and add that to the figures.  If I spend several thousand at the attorneys office on closing costs before I start, that's part of the cost too and I'm mindful of that from the beginning.  Now, I have to make adjustments for project homes that I live in and sometimes that takes some extra thought, but I make the effort because I want (and need) to know how much I'm spending, and at the end, how much I actually spent.  

Figure out a system early on and be accurate and consistent.  It doesn't have to be elaborate or sophisticated, just come up with something that works for you and keep at it faithfully.  You'll be glad you did this, during the renovation and at the end.  Sometimes you'll be surprised at how much more you spent, and sometimes it'll be the other way and you'll have extra money to spend in an area where you went over.  You have to keep tabs on the expenses from the start and throughout or otherwise you be months into your project and you'll have to play catch up. 

 

Stay tuned into your budget from day one and keep the money details in focus until your project is complete.  It will take a little time at first, but in the end it will save you time and make it easier to manage your project, big or small.

  

Trent

bloodsweatandpigsears@hotmail.com   

            

Remember the Seven P's

Prior

Proper

Planning

Prevents

Painfully

Poor

Performance

First off, when it comes to renovating an old home (or an extremely run-down property) you can plan to be surprised.  That’s part of the adventure.  If you anticipate everything flowing in a predictable way, the unexpecteds will create more uneasiness than necessary.  You need a plan, and be ready to work it, but I’ll encourage you to remember that there will be hiccups.

It happens a few times a month; I hit the jobsite, ready to start the day, without a solid plan.  I'll kick things off  by making coffee before really deciding exactly what I'd do that day.  It's kind of fun to wing it once in a while.

However, planning things out is what I prefer and defiantly the most productive way to go.  Prior proper planning prevents painfully poor performance.  It's the best, safest, and most efficient way to push through a rehab.  I have a schedule in the form of a step-by-step plan of attack and how I exactly take on my project each day is oftentimes dictated by priorities of security, safety, basic construction sequencing, and weather.  On a daily basis, I like making a short list of ten things that I want to get done during a typical work day.  When I'm really on the ball I'll write down that list on an index card the day before.  And making the most of my day includes having material loaded on my truck with tools & equipment ready to go too.   

If you've ever seen any episodes of Renovation Realities on the DIY network, you may have an idea about what I'm getting at.  On this show, the renovators oftentimes wake up, make breakfast or coffee, and then they're ready to start.  However, how often do they get side tracked right at the beginning with other stuff before they really get down to business?    Answer: All the time.  One of them has to run the kids over to grandmas or they have to hit the box store to buy the material.  Maybe they need to go borrow a step ladder or empty the kitchen cabinets and move the appliances.  Like I said before, sometimes it's fun to show up and see what happens, but when you have a limited amount of time to work with, you need to consider the value of being a little more proactive.  If you're re-doing your kitchen, clean out those cabinets ahead of time.  Move the fridge to somewhere else the night before.  Figure out what you need and stock the garage or another room indoors.  And make time to do some research and take a few notes before it's time to start.  The internet is an awesome tool for today's DIY rehabbers.   

If you're a do-it-yourselfer and you want to make the most of your limited hours, then plan ahead.  Get the easy things out the way before the days when you need to really get down and dirty with your work.  Most of you DIYers have a couple days of the week that are your prime times to work.  It could be a weekend or another two or three day break from your paying gig.  You're really going to want to make the most of this time.  Get your game plan in mind and make your list before it’s go-time.  Make an effort to have what you'll need before you need it.  Think about getting in and out of building supply store(s) any time prior to the morning for your on-site action.  Then you can haul the material inside and get some rest before you attack things fresh in the morning.  Not only will this be more productive, it will make your rehabbing more enjoyable.
 
So remember the 7 P's, plan your work, and work your plan.  This won't eliminate all the unexpected challenges, but it will help to minimize them and it'll put you in a better frame of mind for the bumps in the renovation road.

What Is A Pig's Ear?

        In Great Britain, pig’s ear is slang for beer, and they a have long-running celebration in London called the Pig’s Ear Beer Festival. Pig’s ear is also what the Brits call a major screw up. However, most dog owners think of a pig’s ear as a dog treat that they can pick up at the pet store.

When it comes to houses, and in particular my type of projects, a pig’s ear is a home that’s in terrible shape. It's a property that’s way over due to be rehabbed or it really needs saved.

       As a project house, a pig’s ear is more challenging than a fixer-upper and a lot worse off than a “handyman-special.” This type of run-down property is oftentimes the worst house on the block, but it might also be the ugliest property in the neighborhood or in town and may even have been condemned by building officials if they determine it to be uninhabitable or “too dangerous for human occupation.”  

       Folks who know me understand that the properties I take on are in this pig's ear category, and in most cases, no one else wanted to own or buy them. Investors, flippers, real estate agents, and other contractors have kicked the tires and said, “Uh… no thanks. I’ll pass.”

On a side note, I played rugby at the University of Cincinnati. If you’ve ever watched a few minutes of this wild sport, you understand how violent it is. There were plenty of times when people would comment on me playing and point out how brutal rugby can get. I’d usually responded with something like, “It looks worse than it is.” Resurrecting a condemned or abandoned home is comparable. For me, these pig’s ears have all looked worse than they were once I dug in and got to work transforming them into silk purses.

If a pig’s ear is a home left for dead, then I’ve been in the resurrection business for twenty-five years.

And finally, as a subsequent acronym, pig’s ear can stand for property in gnarly shape eagerly awaiting rehabilitation.

My Battles with Renovation Addiction

Today is a special, yet difficult post to write since I am sharing something that is more personal. Since I sold The Duplex, I have been traveling on my own path of recovery from Renovation Addiction.

 

RA is not something people discuss openly, but those days are on the horizon, and I am honored to be part of the solution rather than the problem. Pretending has been unhealthy, unfair, and frankly just plain wrong. So, I am writing this as part of my own multi-step program for healing, but also to help others come to terms with their own circumstances. 

My happy smile was masking the sad truth
... my burning need to build stuff.

It may come as no surprise that my issues are rooted in my childhood, playing with blocks while watching Captain Kangaroo or in the backyard in the sand. Soon, I moved onto more challenging play, became obsessed with Legos, erected towers with my baseball cards, and teamed up building hay forts in our barn lofts. My family didn't intervene and I realize now that they were my first enablers. I still love them, but as part of my recovery, I must identify those who've aided me on my travels down this dirty, dumpster lined road. This is not blame, I'm just trying to move forward. 



Getting my fix w/ harder
things in the 90's.

Simple maintenance tasks may not be of concern though. For example, regularly changing a burned-out light bulb, switching the heating and air filter every thirty days, or using a Phillips screwdriver to tighten a leaky faucet. These are routine, normal, and perhaps fulfilling chores for a homeowner or even a renter. But the gateway tasks that can lead to renovation addiction are the things that DIYers need to be mindful of, perhaps even with vigilant awareness.     

 

If you or your loved one is regularly

covered in grime from demolition or

other DIY endeavors, it may be time

to have a serious talk about

Renovation Addiction

For me, college was when things really escalated. I lived in a rented house, and one weekend, someone punched a hole in the wall. We were young and needed to save the money. I was up for the challenge and repaired the damage. It looked good and my roommates were pleased, showering me with praise. Once again, I was surrounded by enablers who were unknowingly adding fuel to my RA fire. Adulation with the rush is part of what comes with the gateway tasks and from there I found myself working summers traveling with construction crews pouring concrete foundations and erecting water tanks. Before I even realized what was happening, I was hooked.

 

Other examples of gateway projects may be wainscoting in a dining room, ceiling fans in every room, or crown molding in the master bedroom. Replacing things in the house that are not even broken or damaged are signs that someone may already be on the slippery slope that is RA.



These non-honey-do type chores are dangerous because for many, they lead to harder and harder challenges---kitchen renovations, master suite additions, decks, pergolas, and extensive landscaping. Construction of detached outbuildings! The madness can be all consuming with families watching helplessly. 

Many people can do small projects recreationally and stop there, but others miss the red flags and lose control. People like me suffering from RA simply fail to know when to say when. 

Building an 8' house of cards as a way of coping with
the occasional March Madness blowout... this may
be a Red Flag for someone suffering from RA.

Nicole Curtis, the host of Rehab Addict on the DIY network and HGTV is the most famous person to step up and opening admit that she is "addicted to rehab." Congratulations Nicole! You're on your way. As I've written before, I'm a big fan of Rehab Addict, but if you find yourself dumpster diving for building materials like NC (or myself), you may have a problem.

In addition, if you find yourself falling in love with the challenge of buying and saving a condemned house (I'm here as well) then maybe you need to talk to someone; a close friend, a member of the clergy, a counselor, or perhaps someone in your family who has struggled with a DIY compulsion of their own.

The thing to remember is that if you are showing these signs, you are not alone and there are people out there that will help you. But you have to come to terms with your overpowering desires to fix stuff that isn't broken or your obsessions with re-doing things that look good already. Admit that you have a problem, look in the mirror and say, "I am a renovation addict." Then, get help. Tomorrow is a new day and April 2nd, but today is the first, so Happy April Fool's Day.

Rehab Addict Nicole Curtis: Restoring Homes to Their Former Glory

In the early 2000's, before all the popular house flipping shows, I told someone that I was self-employed buying and renovating run-down houses.  "You can make a living doing that?" the person asked surprisingly.  I didn't know how to answer back except to shrug and say, "I don't know, but I'm doing it."

Then, not too long after this I started hearing about the people on TV that bought, renovated, and quickly resold houses in a 30 minute episode.  Folks would learn a little about me and ask excitedly, "Oh, are you a house flipper?"  However, I'm really not a flipper.  To me that's always a quick turnaround kind of deal that takes a few weeks or months.  That's not what I do.  Taking on properties that no one else wants is my thing.  These are houses that need seriously reworked.  Realtors, other general contractors, investors, dreaming DIYers, or want-a-be house flippers pass on the properties I take on because their wrecks.  Houses that are really bad have been really good for me.

In the last year and a half, others have started to compare what I do to Nicole Curtis' projects and what she does on Rehab Addict.  For me, this fits better than the house flipper comparisons.  My wife was the first to make this link.  We'd have RA on, Nicole would start preaching her wisdom and my wife would say, "That's what you always say."  Or it would show the freelance renovator salvaging something that had been thrown out and it was like my wife started to get me a little differently as she said, "That's something you'd do."  Maybe it looks better on camera than the way I explain at home, covered in dust and dirt at the end of the day.  I don't know, but I appreciate the way Nicole Curtis has helped people understand what we do. 

Nicole Curtis in Action on
Rehab Addict (HGTV, DIY)

In the Rehab Addict intro, Nicole explains how she restores homes to their former glory. I've loved all of my projects, but I don't really think they've had much former glory.  So in that way I guess we're a little different.  My Pig's Ears have all pretty much been jacked up messes with nonconventional or unorthodox additions that have people shaking their heads and questioning my sanity.  When someone's really being nice they might say something like, "What are you gonna do with this thing?"  I recently tried to explain how the Rehab Addict and I differ like this: 'I don't restore homes to their former glory, but I do make them better than they've ever been before,'  However, to be clear, these houses are beyond fixer-uppers with no where to go but up.  (See my Projects.)

So when I get mentioned with Nicole in a blog like Mom and Her Drill or someone hears me describe what I do and says, "Hey, that sounds like what Nicole Curtis does,"  I like it.  We're saving houses that others don't want or can't save, showing people it can be done.  I'm proud of that.  It feels good and a lot more natural than being called a house flipper, that's for sure.

See Rehab Addict Nicole Curtis on DIY

Welcome Back Rehab Addict

As I've written plenty of times before, I like listening to sports radio while I'm working and my preference is discussions about college and pro football over anything else. 

The completion of Super Bowl XLVII marks the end of football season and the return of the DIY network to our house.  Rehab Addict Nicole Curtis and the network that broadcasts her popular show are not two things that get considered together regularly, but around here they do because of our pay television packages.  In the fall when football starts back up, we upgrade our pay channel package to include the sports channels.  I only want ESPN and ESPN2, but I have to pay for ninety-eight other channels and to make things worse, they pull DIY from our list of options as part of this upgrade.  We still get HGTV, but Rehab Addict is really a DIY show. 

If I wanted to have ESPN and DIY we'd have to jump up to an even bigger package, and this doesn't make sense for our family.  It's just a waste plus a lot of what we'd get is no good for a house with small kids.  And along with this I'm not interested in writing checks for hundreds of TV channels we won't watch any more than I like wasting time or throwing away building materials that can be salvaged.  

Rehab Addict is a show I really like sitting down for.  I love the attitude of the show and the can-do spirit of NC.  Rehab Addict features my kinds of projects and the people who watch Curtis' show are the same types of DIYers that read my blog; hands-on rehabbers or people with a dream of renovating a rundown home of their own.

Like Nicole C. I love the challenge of buying and resurrecting houses most others don't want and we consistently preach similar messages; we share a fondness for ignoring naysayers, we're big on salvaging and recycling things others send to the landfill, we each take pride in solving issues with our heads and stretching our dollars, and neither of us hesitates to roll up our sleeves to get down and dirty when we're the best person to knock out a task.  In addition, we each have our own time-tested approaches we're proud of and comfortable with.  And I think Nicole enjoys encouraging others to do what we do as much as me.

I really love to renovate run down homes and I feel like I get a little fix of my own each time I watch an episode of Rehab Addict.  It's great to see someone take on their projects the way I do, and I especially love the moments when my wife watches along and says, "Hey, that's what you always say."  

So as much as I'm sad to see the football season end, I'm glad to have the DIY Channel back. 

Appreciation for the Radio (January 26, 2012)

Rehab Addict Nicole Curtis on DIY  (April 24, 2012)

Pig's Ears on the Big Screen

There's something intriguing about fixing up an old house and Hollywood taps into this appeal frequently.  Our family is like the rest of our culture in how much we enjoy getting lost in a good movie and extreme renovations are part of some of my favorite films.

Think about some iconic movies where the young couple fixed up a pig's ear (extremely run-down home).  Start with the classic, It's A Wonderful Life (1946).   George and Mary honeymooned at the old Granville house before they fixed it up and raised their young family in it.   Remember how Jimmy Stewart threw a rock at one of the windows while he walked Donna Reed home?  And what about Pacific Heights (1990)?  Melanie Griffith and Matthew Modine fix up that amazing Polychrome in San Francisco before psychotic tenant Michael Keaton moves into the rental unit they need to make the payments and turns their home ownership dream into a nightmare.  Finally, don't forget the heartwarming cartoon Up (2009).  Mr. Fredricksen and his future bride met in the little run-down house as children before they fell in love, fixed it up after they got married, and spent the rest of their lives together there.  That's all part of the reason he's so attached to it and the multicolored little home is a character along with Russell and the talking dog Doug. 

Diane Lane had the starring role in Under The Tuscan Sun (2003) which is at the top of my Hollywood Pig's Ears list.  First, it's about Frances Mayes' adventure in Italy.  I also really love movies based on true stories.  And finally,the plot is structured around her enormous rehab effort.  Look at that picture in the photo to the left; plants overgrown to the point of blocking the door, peeling paint, and nothing to consider too seriously... unless you want to take a run-down home and transform it into something spectacular like Frances did.  If that's the way you think, then you don't get hung-up on the little challenges, you see the potential and all the assets of the property; the solid structure with generations of history to build upon, the architectural details ready to be restored, and the landscape that's waiting to be revitalized.  I look at that house and think, That is my kind of place.   

The Notebook (2004) is really about love in the midst of Alzheimer's disease, but this beloved film does contain an example of a pig's ear renovation.  Midway through, Ryan Golsing works tirelessly to resurrect that Antebellum mansion and this plays an integral part in the storyline because his work leads to his reunion with Rachel McAdams when she spots his photo in a local newspaper article.

When you talk about movies with rehab efforts in the plot, you can't leave out the classic, The Money Pit (1986) starring a young Tom Hanks and Shelley Long.  That big house looked like a beautiful palatial estate until they started making their minor upgrades.  That's when the fun starts... for us. 

 
In Mulitplicity (1996), Michael Keaton and Andie MacDowell patch things up after he finally finishes their kitchen/house remodelling project.  As a side note, I really love that apartment over the garage where he has his  clones hanging out in secret.  Who doesn't envy having space like that for in-laws and guests to have a home away from home when they come over for an extended visit?  Good stuff.

Patrick Swayze and Demi Moore don't fix up any houses in Ghost (1990), but they do up fit that loft together before they move in, so their capturing the romantic spirit I'm talking about.  People really love the idea of fixing up something and turning it into their home. 

So if that's you, get ready for an adventure like the one's shown on the big screen and mentioned above.  Unlike the films, it will take you longer than a couple hours, but it will also be a lot more meaningful and exciting.  Get ready to take plenty of pictures and video... and enjoy the ride.

Trent
bloodsweatandpigsears@hotmail.com