Innehållsförteckning för May/June 2021 från Old House Journal

Several housing booms after about 1917 brought us comfortable houses that are decidedly not Craftsman Bungalows. Indeed, in much of the USA, an “old house” refers to one built in the 1920s or later. Some of these houses belong to an obvious genre—Colonial, Modernist, Tudor. Others are weird suburban mash-ups. In decorating, what falls between Arts & Crafts and Bauhaus? ■ Art Deco, the style most associated with the Jazz Age, never made it to the residential mainstream. Householders usually opted for a plush, romantic look; think of those Hollywood movies offering an antidote to the Depression years. Eclectic rooms featured colorful fabrics, provocative art, faux finishes, and troweled plaster. tHE ERA saw tremendous social and technological changes, two major World Wars, and the Great Depression. Design was just as…

One of the delights of living in an old house is the built-up landscape that surrounds it. Meandering paths, stone walls, perhaps an old millstone found in the woods out back are elements that place the house within its environment and suggest long-time settlement. Suppose, however, that the yard is bare. Rest easy: native stone is widespread across the country, and remedies can turn even the most ordinary setting into a natural scenic delight. Think of stone as a means of creating curb appeal, or to create transitions, to solve landscaping problems (say, shoring up a slope that threatens the back patio), or to define spaces, turning discrete areas into outdoor rooms. At any good stone yard, you’ll likely find several types of stone: building stone, dimensional stone, stone veneer,…

Despite its durability, even Portland-cement stucco can deteriorate. Spalling, bulging, and cracks need to be addressed to maintain the integrity of a stuccoed exterior. Before beginning a patching project, watch the weather. Overcast (not rainy) days are your friend. Too much sun, or harsh weather, may prevent the mortar from curing correctly. For further protection from the elements, consider covering patched areas with a tarp. STEP 1 Before patching damaged areas, find and correct the underlying problem causing deterioration. Determine how much stucco needs to be removed. Loose stucco often bulges and feels spongey to the touch. Tap gently with a wood or acrylic hammer on the wall and listen—weak keys will sound hollow, while intact keys send back a solid sound. Use a chisel, or create a series of holes…

A wooden porch is a valued feature of so many old houses. For most of the 19th century, through the Victorian period and into the first three decades of the 20th century, the porch was a defining feature of architectural style. Porches also preserve the social connection with neighbors and passersby. Still, porches come with a price. Exterior wooden structures exposed to the elements require good, rot-resistant materials, competent construction, and considerable maintenance. Some parts are more apt to fail than others. For example, the square block or plinth that separates a column base from the decking is often in direct contact with rainwater and snowmelt. Exposed end grain is to be avoided, as it wicks in moisture. WRONG WAY SKIMPING ON THE PLINTH Replacing a load-bearing element of the…

SUCCESS DESIGNER Patricia Gaylor Interiors patriciagaylor.com GENERAL CONTRACTOR Roy Ayotte Construction, Swanzey, NH: (603) 313-3400 EXT STAIN Arborcoat Transparent in White Benjamin Moore benjaminmoore.com FLOORING Carlisle Wide Plank Floors wideplankflooring.com CABINETMAKER Kemper Cabinets, Jasper, IN: kempercabinets.com SUBWAY TILES Savoy series subway tile in Sea Mist Crossville crossvilleinc.com COUNTERTOP honed Absolute Black granite RE Marble and Granite,Temple, NH: remarbleandgranite.com KITCHEN RANGE Cafe Series gas range in Slate Gray GE Appliances geappliances.com KITCHEN LIGHTING “jar” pendants; similar Dalton 1 Pendant by Gracie Oaks, at Wayfair wayfair.com KITCHEN PAINT Dove White Benjamin Moore benjaminmoore.com POWDER ROOM WALLPAPER ‘Fox & Hare’ ME 1570 York Wallcoverings yorkwall.com Related Resources Vintage Wood & Forged Iron vintagewoodandforgediron.com Reclaimed wood flooring in old-growth species 20s–30s DECORATING WALLPAPER Vintage & Post War collections Bradbury & Bradbury bradbury.com PALETTES see Classics,…

DO YOU KNOW APT? The Association for Preservation Technology reports on and teaches the best practices for protecting historic structures and settings. Talk about interdisciplinary! Members include everyone from engineers to conservators, historians to contractors. Founded in 1968 in Québec as a joint U.S. and Canadian venture, APT provides publications, conferences, training, and scholarships. The APT Bulletin (3x/year) is a peer-reviewed journal examining all aspects of preservation technology. A recent issue includes in-depth articles on the granite streets and sidewalks of Lower Manhattan, lessons in galvanic cathodic protection technology (regarding reinforced concrete), freeze-thaw resistance of replication mixes for historic mortars, and early brass sash locks. Members may download PDF versions of past articles. APT, The Association for Preservation Technology International: (217) 529-9039, apti.org/apt-bulletin • apti.org…

THONET CHAIRS The famous, award-winning No. 14 Bentwood Chair was first produced in Germany in 1859, invented by Michael Thonet, who had been working with steam-bent wood processes. Never out of style, these chairs were especially popular during the Jazz Age. Today they are produced in the Czech Republic by Ton. Retailers in the U.S. include Bauhaus2YourHouse, which has a wide selection of custom options (wood veneer or cane seat, multiple wood-stain and pigmented colors) and also Rejuvenation, which sells a version with a padded leather seat. The familiar chair shown here is a stock item from Williams–Sonoma: the Ton 14 Caned Dining Side Chair, available in black, white, or natural for $295. Williams–Sonoma, williams-sonoma.com…

Because of its durability, fire resistance, and low-maintenance qualities, stucco has long been used as an exterior finish, starting with the Romans and continuing to this day. Two types commonly found on American old houses are lime stucco and Portland-cement stucco. The two are not interchangeable. Lime stucco, flexible and less prone to cracking, is composed of sand, water, and slaked lime as well as an aggregate for texture. Portland cement is a mixture of cement, sand, water, and slaked lime, with the addition of an aggregrate. It, too, is durable and versatile, but hardens more than lime stucco and can be brittle. For either type of stucco, the texture of the finish coat may come from mix-ins including sand, mica, or pebbles. (Lime stucco often includes animal hair.) The…

“Someone customized a downspout to drain roof runoff through a porch column. The water trickles out a weep hole at the base of the column.” A year ago, we moved into our relatively well-cared-for brick American Foursquare (built in 1918). Soon we noticed something odd, under the porch soffit. From the gutter that collects water on the porch roof, a downspout was installed with a turn that empties it into one of the Tuscan-style wood columns! Which we assume is hollow. I doubt that’s recommended practice; do you think it was done for aesthetic reasons? —Broward and Pam Haley THE FIX There’s nothing aesthetically pleasing about a gutter draining into a classical column! It’s a horrible idea, even if most wood porch columns are hollow or partially hollow and vented…

My late wife and I moved into our home on Manhattan’s Upper West Side in 1965. The dwelling is one in a row of nine brownstones built in 1890 in the English-basement mode; that is, with a stoop to the parlor floor, and the basement a half-storey below curb level. The first owner–occupants were the Schweers family, who moved in during the spring of 1890 and remained in residence for 75 years. Sensitively preserved in all its Victorian glory, the house with high ceilings, handsome woodwork, and stained glass feels opulent. Yet, when it was built as part of a speculative row, in 1890, it was not as a millionaire’s house. Today the interior feels timeless. After Papa Schweers died in the first decade of the 20th century, little work…

Sometimes renovation lets the original house shine, rather than changing its character. This kitchen is part of a gentle upgrade to a late-1920s Sears kit home. The clapboard house remains a delightful, no-frills reproduction of a New England Colonial. Its five-bay, two-storey main block is flanked by a wing on each side, one of which was built as an attached garage. Residential architect James Crisp, whose firm is based in Dutchess County, in New York’s Hudson Valley, says that the clients asked for a better use of the space—to make it open, bright, and family-friendly. The expanded kitchen is generally in its original location. A capacious dining area occupies the far end of the room opposite the windows. (About 450 square feet were added to the house overall, bringing it…

1. FAST CUTS The pro-quality 6 ½" plunge circular saw cuts through wood cleanly, leaving splinter-free, mirror-perfect end grain. The SP6000J has a powerful 12-amp motor. It’s capable of large cuts: up to 2 3/16" at 90 degrees, and almost 2" at 45 degrees; $379. Makita Power Tools, (800) 462-5482 makita.com 2. ON DECK Clear vertical-grain Douglas fir porch decking is a standard for long-lived porch floors. These tongue-and-groove boards measure 3 1/8" wide and come in lengths from 3' to 12'. Depending on volume, cost is $5.95 to $8.25 per sq. ft. Altrufir, (877) 372-9663, dougfirflooring.com 3. ENRICH THE GRAIN Protect and stain a porch floor or deck with Timber Oil, a triple blend of premium oils that penetrate the wood, protecting it from water damage, mildew, and UV…

Loree Bohl is fond of foliage plants, the stranger the better. She gardens in the temperate 8b usda Plant Hardiness Zone, in Portland, Oregon—which lets her take full advantage of unusual and even “dangerous” (spiny, thorny, poisonous) plants that thrive in Southern California, the desert Southwest, or faraway rainforests. Generous use of planters is one key to her success. In them she can grow delicate, less-hardy species, which she over-winters indoors. She creates planters using such salvaged materials as stock tanks, the galvanized tubs used provide water to livestock. Loree has managed to work 12 tanks into her small, urban garden, to hold ferns or to become a water feature. considerations Succulents work well in dish planters, as they don’t require much soil and will survive hot days and dry…

Water causes most stucco failures. Improper mixing of mortar, bad installation, house settlement, and weather also contribute. Unchecked water dripping where it shouldn’t will cause stucco to delaminate, creating bulges and cracks. Wood lath rots and warps; metal lath corrodes.• Sources of water include rain from overflowing gutters or backsplash, wicking from the ground, leaky plumbing, and vapor migration from inside the house. Find the solution: Repair gutters, drip edges, and flashing; add a vapor barrier; fix leaky plumbing; mitigate the capillary action of groundwater.• Settling is the most common cause of cracks; poor initial installation and seismic activity are others. Investigate to find the reason for cracks that grow or change direction. For foundation problems, a professional assessment may be needed. For hairline or stable cracks, proceed with the…

When she adopted the ca. 1700 Oliver Goodrich House on Boston’s historic North Shore, Jessica Marbain knew she would have to walk a fine line. “You have to respect the integrity of an old house, but it needs to be livable,” says the interior designer. When she took on this project in 2014, she faced substantial issues of comfort. The interior was only partially insulated and there was no heat to the second floor. • On the plus side, “the house is adorable.” Presenting a modest, strict, Puritan face to the street, the old house has picturesque rooflines, a stone retaining wall that incorporates a millstone, and a visionary garden that might be called quirky. Alluding to the town’s agricultural heritage, the property occupying a bit less than an acre…

Sometime before 1830, the first cobblestone structure was built in Upstate New York. For the next 40 years, cobblestone buildings appeared from Lake Ontario, south into the Finger Lakes region, and as far west as the Illinois–Wisconsin border, where the second-largest cluster was built in the 1840s–50s. Although most cobblestone buildings are farmhouses, and in the Greek Revival style, other building types, built in styles from Federal to Gothic Revival, are found as well. The word cobblestone comes from the Middle English “cobelston” (cob meaning rounded lump). Cobblestones or cobbles are classified as being 2 ½ to roughly 10 inches in diameter; i.e., a cobblestone can be held in one hand. Natural cobbles were created by glaciers and later by wave action on the shores of the Great Lakes. A…