the blog
Moving Day in Little Old New York, satirical painting, c.1827 Time for a little spring cleaning? May is a time for fresh starts – planting a garden, hitting the trails, opening the windows and letting the air in. The idea of “spring cleaning” goes back millennia and makes particular sense in the 19th-century context of […]
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Spring Break is over. Easter chocolate and jelly beans have been consumed. Taxes are filed. So, what’s next? Here’s my calendar for the upcoming month, full of items that need tending to. After a long season of fireside planning, life is shifting outdoors again. I’ve already dipped a toe in the garden – hooking […]
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“Repair or Replace Old Windows: A Visual Look at the Impacts” by the National Trust for Historic Preservation Historic windows are an important character-defining feature of old houses. For me, as a preservationist, that alone is enough reason to go to the mat. But there’s more to the story. Preserving historic windows is a […]
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You never know what you’ll find behind wall paneling, under carpets, or in the basement after a hard rain. I always encourage owners to take their time in the planning stages and try to anticipate as many decisions as possible because, lord knows, old-house rehab projects are a roller coaster ride once they get started. […]
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There are many features that sing to me when I’m exploring an old house as a potential historic rehabilitation project. To my eyes (and ears), none sing more emphatically than windows. No matter how incredible, a house with vinyl replacement windows is always a bit of a disappointment because I know a good chunk of […]
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From Preservation Briefs 9: The Repair of Historic Wooden Windows The word “window” conjures so many different ideas. Your eyes are windows into your soul. We have a window of opportunity to take a fabulous vacation this summer. When the universe closes a door, it opens up a window. With all of these positive connotations, […]
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For straight talk about buildings old and new, there’s no better resource than Desiree Lawlor, CEO of Hart Water Conditioning. Poking around in people’s pipes and basements, she sees it all (including snakes!). She knows how houses work, and she also knows the problems that are likely to crop up without mindful care and action. […]
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If you haven’t heard about historic rehabilitation tax credits, you’re in for a treat. In a nutshell, it’s a big way the government incentivizes the preservation and adaptive reuse of old buildings. This topic fits in with other posts I’ve written about the National Register of Historic Places because, to qualify for historic tax credits, […]
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Old buildings tell stories…we just need to understand how to read them. How many times have you scratched your head, wondering where the original fireplace was, why a previous owner sealed up that door, or how a pair of men’s boxer shorts ended up behind the wall? Some mysteries will never be solved, but we […]
