Your inputs are very stimulative and exciting to learn. Preservation in any such is always a good thing for me.
Kelly Moore Paint

I cant wait to see this one when finished. I just love the style of this one, and the inside is naturally beautiful.

pantry closet shelves

It should be that way actually. It can help for preserving its classic look.

walkin closet designs

cdinopassas -- two green options for insulating existing enclosed wall cavities are blown-in cellulose and soy based spray foam.

You can read a little about them at http://www.thegreenguide.com/doc/107/soyinsulation.

The problem for you is that you have an older home with very little space between the brick and inside frame for insulation. I'm by no means an expert in this area, but I'm wondering if the cost of adding insulation to that small space between the walls is really going to be worth the expense.

See http://www.askthebuilder.com/610_How_to_Insulate_an_Older_Brick_Home.shtml.

If you find that insulating the walls is too expensive given the benefit, there are a lot of other improvements you could make. You could add insulation to the attic, replace your windows, seal cracks and crevices, etc. If I had a house like yours, before I committed to insulating the walls, I would have a home energy audit done to determine the most cost effective ways to increase the energy efficiency of my home. If you decide to add insulation to the attic, I would recommend hiring a licensed professional to do the work -- older homes can have asbestos insulation in the attic that should not be disturbed. Good luck with your home improvements.

• I have a 1952 brick ranch in the Chicago area and would like some
  ideas of how to insulate between the brick and the inside frame of the
  house which is about 1.5 inches?

I live in Austin and had the pleasure to view all of the green features of the house in a recent Green House Tour sponsored by the Texas Solar Endergy Society (http://txses.org) and Austin Energy (http://austinenergy.com/Energy%20Efficiency/Programs/Green%20Building/in.... Here is more on the house (http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/tvprograms/houseproject/overview/0,16542...). They had 6 homes that had great green features in it. I really like how people are using foam insulation so all the ducts are not subjected to cold/hot air. Despite Rachele Begley's opinion, I LOVE my rain barrels ;-)

Hopefully when they get done "greening" that old house, they will list it on Listed Green - Listed Green is a new worldwide internet platform for green, energy efficient, sustainable homes and developments worldwide.

I don't watch TV. A few friends taped the green series Living with Ed. It was super, I sure hope it comes back as a weekly series. Ed Begely Jr and his wife Racheele were so funny together with each playing the opposite of each other on green issues. My wife realtes to Rachelle since she is always wondering what project I'll do next.

This week I planted 3 citrus trees at our house. We have a 10 year old 1600 sq ft home. I have added a solar PV grid tied system solar hot water, 2 solar tube lights , radiant barrier in the attic, CFL and LED lights , energy star fridge. My wife found a great front loader washer and an efficient dish washer. I think she's hooked.

Hmmm, I'd love to get better windows since they are always big losers but I want R20 or 30. Maybe in a few years when nano gel come out. My goal is to get to zero energy !

the solar stacks

I've been seeing the commercials for the new season of This Old House and am pleasantly surprised to hear about this green-izing of the show. I am definitely interested to see what options they are going to install beyond the "normal" green updates such as solar, fluorescent, gardens, etc. Thanks for the info.