Indholdsfortegnelse for October 2017 i Old House Journal

In OHJ’s June 2017 issue, this photo of an unfortunate Midwest Victorian ran on the “Remuddling” page. We speculated that the boxy addition took the place of a piazza, or porch. Because there’s no apparent entry door, some correspondents thought that this is the back of the building. But the placement of the campanile (tower) suggests that this is the house’s front elevation. Mistero risolto! The sender of the photo, Kathy, later followed up with the engraving above, writing: “Here’s the drawing I was searching for, showing the pink house as it originally looked.” With an unusual combination of Gothic Revival and Italianate elements, the Romantic-era house was formal in the manner of an Italian Villa, with an elevated piano nobile, or principal floor. The porch spanned the width of…

Along with cheap labor, the new mechanical saws and mass manufacture that came with the Industrial Revolution created a burgeoning market for wood embellishment, inside and out. “Gingerbread” was even added to earlier houses, especially when the owners added a new front porch. The Victorian era’s most common ornaments are still in production: from big wood brackets under the cornice to bull’s-eye corner blocks in window trim. The local millworks usually can closely match any surviving piece you bring in. Choose components cut from durable, insect-resistant, dimensionally stable wood with a low moisture content (kilndried poplar, Western red cedar, redwood, mahogany). For elements not at eye level, or in extreme conditions, today’s resin and engineered substitutes are a good option; when they are painted, it’s hard to tell them from…

Hello to OHJ! Your regular “Remuddling” page (and the occasional “unmuddling”) gave us both the inspiration and the courage to uncouple a 1970s caboose from our house. A shoebox on a boxcar, it was incompatible in every way with this lovely if modest 1881 Victorian Italianate home. Although we do have old photographs of the front and side of the house, we were unable to find documentation of the original rear elevation. We decided to duplicate the typical bay window that remains on the front of the house. That gave us a casual dining space near the kitchen, overlooking our new garden. The newly renovated kitchen looks like it was always part of the house, unlike its 1970s predecessor. It’s got a restored 1925 stove, a beautiful old slate sink,…

Nothing like the flickering flames and cozy warmth of a fire on a cold, damp evening. That is, if the fire actually catches and draws without smoke billowing into the room. Chimneys work on the principle that hot air rises because it is less dense than cold air. When a chimney is filled with hot gas, the gas tends to rise because it is less dense than the air outside. The rising hot gas creates a pressure difference called draft, which draws combustion air into the firebox and expels the exhaust gas outside. Most old-house fireplaces draw well because they were built by masons skilled in the art of chimney and firebox construction. Over time, however, conditions that affect draw may change. “The house has to be in a pressure…

WHETHER A HOUSE is on the National Register or is simply from an earlier era, a host of factors must be considered even before interviewing a contractor or architect about building an addition. Site conditions, materials, budget, and how the new will relate to the old are issues as important as the program for use of new space. design Sandra Vitzthum, Architect, Montpelier, VT: sandravitzthum.com project location Montpelier, VT scope: Reconfiguring added-on space in an 1800s Cape Cod The first is cost. Additions to historic houses are typically more expensive per square foot than those on newer homes. “If we’re talking about a historic house, we’re talking about historic appearance, materials, and character,” says David Heide of David Heide Design Studio. “There’s nothing basic about that. Everything [the owner] is…

Sometimes we have to spend time away from our childhood home so that we can see it fresh. Susan Comden moved to Los Angeles for college, marriage and family, and a career in commercial real estate. Then she and her husband, Len, decided to remodel their lifestyle and buy a house in La Jolla, Susan’s hometown. La Jolla is one of the spectacular coastal California enclaves, akin to Monterey, Santa Barbara, and Malibu. | “I have always been partial to Spanish architecture,” Susan says, “especially all the wonderful seaside homes built in the 1920s and 1930s.” | The couple met Linda Marrone,n’s hometown. La Jolla is one of the spectacular coastal California enclaves, akin to Monterey, Santa Barbara, and Malibu. | “I have always been partial to Spanish architecture,” Susan…

HOUR Care for Your Tools Piled in a bucket, tossed in a drawer— we take tools for granted. With a bit of attention, they’ll be more functional and last longer. After each use, wipe tools with a clean rag. Check for damage or corrosion. Rusty? Scrub with steel wool and rust remover; wear heavy gloves to prevent getting cut. Wash and repeat, then dry thoroughly. Lubricate moving parts with all-purpose oil, avoiding handles. For rough handles, use medium-grit emery cloth to sand first across and then with the grain. Coat with linseed oil. Keep tools sharp with a medium-grit sharpening stone, lubricated, depending on type, with water or honing oil. Organize clean tools: in boxes, on shelves or in cabinets, from hooks on a pegboard. Hang lawn tools, don’t store…

WRONG WAY FORCING THINGS Trying to jack up joists that have set into a crook over a long period of time usually doesn’t work. Pushing up on the center low point of the joist will yield unwanted consequences. The joist pocket (particularly if the joist is fire-cut at a slight angle) will fill up with debris. As the joist is forced upward, that debris compresses and puts pressure on the exterior masonry or wall, sometimes causing units to dislodge or the wall to buckle. Reverse bending sometimes will induce cracking in the top of the joist; bent flooring nails will resist movement in the opposite direction. RIGHT WAY JACK THE FLOORING & SISTER If the flooring itself is noticeably sloped, such that large gaps have opened between flooring and baseboard,…

Ill-conceived additions on a pristine early Cape had seriously compromised its integrity. A den and garage tacked on in the 1950s or ’60s had cut off all natural light to the dining room. The kitchen lacked storage and the house needed a mudroom. Sandra Vitzthum, the architect who managed the project, solved most of the dilemmas in this 3-D puzzle with a surprising decision to relocate the kitchen to the despised dining-room space. “It was so dark, the owners wouldn’t eat there,” says Vitzthum. “We transformed it by making it the hub of the house.” With the clients won over, all the walls between the old dining space, the family room, and the den came down. The floors were leveled and rebuilt, and new passages conceived to create more natural…

Many bar-cart designs are over-embellished or industrially streamlined; this iron tray cart on wheels with distressed red paint has old-fashioned utility. By Park Designs through online retailers; $137.95 from everythingprimitives.com Signature Hardware has this versatile 42" enameled cast-iron wall sink with integral fluted drainboard. Disposal flange and backsplash-mount faucet sold separately. $995.95. signaturehardware.com The old-fashioned bean pot is a kitchen stalwart. The stoneware bean pot (shown in Truffle) is from Le Creuset’s Heritage line. Safe to 500°, 4.5 qt., about $160 through online retailers. lecreuset.com Brick-pattern linoleum, wildly popular for decades, is no longer made. So how about real ½" thin-cut salvaged brick flooring that installs like ceramic tile using thin-set? Price is $6 per square foot, from Vintage Brick. bricksalvage.com…

The american heartland, says commentator Ronald Brownstein, comprises those states “that don’t touch an ocean.” Bloomington, Illinois, in the middle of the heartland, has a wealth of 19th-century architecture. One is the Behr Home, built 1884–85 for successful dry-goods merchant Henry Behr and his four children. Originally just a modest frame house, it was enlarged in 1897 in the Queen Anne style and given a three-storey tower. | After Behr descendants left in the 1940s, the grand Victorian went into decline, eventually becoming a nursing home covered in asphalt and aluminum sidings. The interior was institutionalized, with original details either torn out or covered as rooms were partitioned. The original double entry doors went to a salvage yard. The lovely staircase was blocked and the second floor unused for years;…

FREEPORT, ME / $725,000 Built around 1870, this farmhouse was added to in the “big house, little house, back house, barn” tradition. Sensitively renovated, it includes a reproduction cookstove, soapstone countertops, original spindled staircase, and a low farmer’s porch. SPRINGFIELD CENTER, NY / $545,000 A big red barn and other outbuildings complete the setting for a ca. 1840 renovated farmhouse painted inside and out in period colors. Original chestnut flooring and rebuilt Rumford fireplaces remain; the sympathetic, unfitted kitchen has a drainboard sink. SHIPPENSBURG, PA / $349,000 This 1820s Greek Revival farmhouse is replete with a stone-and-timber bank barn and packing house. Plaster-coated stone walls are 2' thick. See a staircase with decorative end-boards, built-in cupboards, plus period windows and mantels. DUNDEE, KY / $74,900 A spectacular entry with Queen…

FIRE WITH FLOURISH Shown with a reflective fireback made of hot-rolled steel that effectively throws heat, the Fleur-de-lis fireplace grate holds wood in the optimum position for burning. Both components come in various sizes and styles. As shown: $437. Grate Wall of Fire, (800) 274-7364, gratewalloffire.com A MANTEL DARK & STONY Soapstone has always been an ideal material for fireplaces. The mantel and surround are composed of 1 1⁄8"-thick Church Hill soapstone from Virginia. Mineral oil was applied to give the fireplace an aged look. Materials and installation: about $5,000. M. Teixeira Soapstone, (877) 478-8170, soapstones.com LOW-PROFILE RADIANT Recalling early industrial design, the Steam Flow Form radiator offers a low-to-the-ground option for steam or hotwater systems. Fins arranged in a spiral around the heating tube radiate heat throughout the room.…

As a serial renovator, I already had a rapport with my cabinetmaker. We sat down casually, early in an extensive job, to sketch up a Victorian-style bath vanity. The working drawing for the cabinet shop was done in elevation. When the cabinet was delivered—to the newly built room—I realized that the tall section, with drawers as deep as the cabinet, was blocked by the toilet. Oops. “We drew the proposed cabinet in elevation, concentrating on coveted details. I didn’t refer to a room plan.” Share Your Story! What have you, your spouse, pet, contractor, previous owner (you get the picture) screwed up? Email us at lviator aimmedia.com. THE FIX This was not a disaster as renovation mistakes go. But our long-time reader was horrified at his “novice mistake” all the…

Q: We’re renovating a Craftsman house in Nashville, Tenn. During some demo, we uncovered a floral linoleum rug, but unfortunately we damaged it with a saw cut before we knew it was there. Can you share any restoration tips? —Rob Beach & Sarah Silva A: Your linoleum "rug" is worth preserving if possible, because they don't make them anymore. The floral rugs date to the 1930s–50s. I'd assume a cut could be repaired with the use of a glue syringe and, if necessary, having an artist infill-paint any missing pattern on the surface. You might try hiring a painting (i.e., canvas) conservator, finding one through a local art college or antiques restoration business. Cleaning the linoleum should start with the most innocuous solvents (water) and move up from there as…