the blog
“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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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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“Summer afternoon—summer afternoon; to me those have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language.” ~ Henry James, as quoted by Edith Wharton For Americans, the words “front porch” conjure a similar feeling of warmth, contentment, ease, nostalgia. Turned columns, spindled railings and fretwork, beadboard ceiling, a fan to encourage […]
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Bathrooms are among my favorite parts of a house. So I was thrilled to write a couple of blog posts recently for CIRCA Old Houses about this most sacred room. Plumbing fixtures (clawfoot tubs, pedestal sinks, cross head taps) can be incredibly beautiful, even delightful in their quirkiness, and the palette of materials can range […]
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Photo credit: Em McCann Zauder So…you might have heard of this website called CIRCA Old Houses. Yes? Then you must be among the 2 million page views they get every month. Pretty impressive, huh? Especially considering their SOLE FOCUS is old houses, and their primary audience is preservation nuts. Like us! That’s why I’m so […]
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CHALLENGES: Virtually untouched for decades, the house revealed its evolution from simple farmhouse to stately Arts-and-Crafts home, with many of its original features intact—two-over-two double-hung wood windows (behind shabby aluminum storm windows), wood clapboard siding, oak floors and staircase, delightful (and practical) built-ins, paneled doors and distinctive hardware. It suffered from deferred maintenance, dated kitchen […]
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On the heels of our happy and generously received collaboration for the 2022 Kingston Design Showhouse, Worth Preserving and Quittner joined forces again in Winter 2023 to refresh the dining room at a house that we (Worth Preserving, not Quittner because they were teenagers back then) rehabilitated in Germantown, NY, over a decade ago. In […]
