True Tales From Old Houses
True Tales From Old Houses is a lighthearted, entertaining, and educational show for anyone who loves old homes and the stories they tell. Host Stacy Grinsfelder shares real-life restoration experiences, expert interviews, and insights from people keeping craftsmanship alive. Whether you’re a DIYer, preservationist, or simply captivated by history and design, this show celebrates the beauty, chaos, and charm of keeping old houses alive.
True Tales From Old Houses
True Tales From Old Houses is a lighthearted, entertaining, and educational show for anyone who loves old homes and the stories they tell. Host Stacy Grinsfelder shares real-life restoration experiences, expert interviews, and insights from people keeping craftsmanship alive. Whether you’re a DIYer, preservationist, or simply captivated by history and design, this show celebrates the beauty, chaos, and charm of keeping old houses alive.
Recent Episodes
192
June 15, 2026
192: Robert Khederian & Old House Culture
In this week's episode, the season finale of True Tales From Old Houses, Stacy welcomes Robert Khederian, a realtor, writer, and commentator on pre-war architecture, design, and old-house culture. Robert is known for his thoughtful observations about historic homes and the people who love them, making him the perfect guest to help close out the season. We discuss changing attitudes toward historic homes, what buyers are looking for today, timeless design, and how social media has influenced the
191
June 8, 2026
191: Dreams, Dust, & Due Diligence
In this episode of True Tales From Old Houses , Stacy talks with Ariana Makau, principal conservator and founder of Nzilani Glass Conservation, about her decision to purchase a long-neglected industrial building in Oakland, California. After hearing from so many listeners interested in historic commercial buildings, Stacy invited Ariana to share her experience taking on an old industrial property and turning it into a space that works for both her business and her broader mission. Ariana explain
190
June 1, 2026
190: Nova Scotia Solutions & New England Dreams
In this episode, Stacy explores both sides of old house life: making the most of the house you have and taking a leap toward the house you want. First, returning guest Rod Whale checks back in from the 200-year-old Bailey House Inn in Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia. Rod recently wrote in with several excellent passive cooling ideas in response to the Good, Better, Best segment about hot rooms, so Stacy invited him back to continue the conversation. Then, Bari Ackerman joins Stacy to share her stor
189
May 25, 2026
189: What It Takes to Save a Building
In this Memorial Day episode, Stacy wraps up Preservation Month with listener follow-ups, one final round of State of Restoration conversations from Pine Mountain, and a practical look into the complicated realities behind rehabbing historic commercial buildings. After touring a long-empty downtown building, Stacy started asking a much bigger question: What does it realistically take to save a building like that and turn it into a financially viable project? The answer involves far more than pas
188
May 22, 2026
188: Live, Laugh, Lose Your Patience
In this episode, Preservation Month continues with another State of Restoration check-in, but this time, Stacy starts connecting some dots. After hearing more listener voicemails and Pine Mountain conversations, Stacy explores an idea she keeps coming back to: money, motive, and means. Could missing one of those help explain why some preservation communities seem to thrive while others struggle? Then, Stacy is joined by Carissa and Larry for a refreshingly honest conversation about old house lif
187
May 18, 2026
187: Beyond Old Houses: Cemetery Preservation
In this episode, Preservation Month continues with another State of Restoration check-in and a look at one of the most overlooked forms of historic preservation: historic cemetery and headstone care. First, Stacy checks back in with the State of Restoration project, where one theme starting to emerge is that preservation often follows money. Then, she is joined by Justin Frost from Past Preservation to talk about historic cemetery preservation, headstone cleaning, and headstone repair. They disc
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Recent Blog Posts
May 18, 2025
Lustron Love: Inside a Rare All-Metal Home
Listeners have been mildly obsessed with Lustron homes for several seasons now. We've received questions, comments, and plenty of requests to feature them on the show.These rare, all-metal houses were born out of the post–World War II housin…
March 30, 2025
Frank Lloyd Wright’s Gordon House – A Usonian Gem You Can Visit in Oregon
Earlier in March, I made a quick stop at the Gordon House in Silverton, Oregon—Frank Lloyd Wright's only building in the state. It was a spontaneous detour between my visit to Taliesin West and the Window Preservation Alliance conference. Unfo…
March 30, 2025
True Tales T-shirts: Ready to Ship
We have a few leftover True Tales From Old Houses t-shirts looking for a good home—and maybe that home is yours!These shirts first debuted during our merch run last fall, and we recently brought them along to the Window Preservation Alliance…
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