Innehållsförteckning för May/June 2024 från Old House Journal

Honoring preservation isn’t the same as historical restoration and it doesn’t call for living in a museum interior. Replacing elements that have failed or gone missing is often prohibitively expensive if not impossible. Decorating decisions usually don’t have a permanent effect on the architecture. Upgrades aren’t necessarily virtuous. Simply put, preservation means taking it easy on the house (something you may wish previous owners had done). It means getting to know the house and its history before making irreversible changes; it means not destroying the good work of the past. No need to erase original features in a quest for comfort and personal preference … and you may find that period design provides inspiration. Let the house itself tell you what it wants to be. Style cues abound: in the…

Small homes of the early 20th century—Tudors, Foursquares, Dutch Colonials—are overlooked; owners may not think they’re special. Not understanding the potential, some remodel until the original is unrecognizable. We must be careful about how much we change because there is a tipping point. Most of us fell in love with an old house—not a new house made of old materials. The 1973 Presidential proclamation establishing what was then Preservation Week (now Month) read: “As the pace of change accelerates in the world around us, Americans more than ever need a lively awareness of our roots and origins in the past on which to base our sense of identity in the present and our directions for the future.” It’s a lofty statement if a bit abstract. Everyday reasons, too, argue for…

Think long and hard before you take on DIY removal of siding that may contain asbestos. Intact asbestos siding on the house rarely presents a health threat. Start pulling and breaking it, though, and it begins to release fibers. Inhaling or ingesting asbestos can lead to serious health issues such as mesothelioma, a deadly form of cancer. “Fireproof” cement board and some pre-1970s asphalt-shingle products always must be checked for asbestos before removal. Have suspect material tested by government entity that provides the service or by a licensed asbestos inspector. If you are still considering doing the work yourself, take a certification training course (most take two to five days). On the job, follow all the procedures required of the pros, from wearing a respirator and disposable coveralls to sealed…

As with other sidings, the removal of Perma-Stone or Formstone is the easy part. It’s the damage underneath that can take weeks or months to fix. Try a test patch first to assess the condition of the underlying brick or wood surface to determine whether it makes sense to proceed on your own or turn to a professional. If going the DIY route, assemble a demo kit that includes assorted sizes of crowbars, prybars and chisels, a hammer, and wire cutters, plus safety equipment (hard hat, N95 mask or ventilator, goggles, heavy work gloves). Stage scaffolding and cover windows with plywood to prevent damage from falling debris. Working from the top down, start at a window edge or door frame. Chisel away enough faux stone to allow a prybar or…

In houses of almost any age, it’s common to see masonry fireplaces coated with paint. Bringing back a painted masonry surface is devilishly hard. No one solution seems to work for all situations; success or failure is a matter of interpretation. Sure, you can repaint the brick, but that just compounds the problem and makes future removal even more difficult. That was the dilemma facing Emma and Bennet Kinghorn, who post about the restoration of their high-style 1896 house on Instagram (instagram.com/oldhouseomaha). Confronted with a starkly white fireplace surround in a room with a heart-stopping Beaux Arts staircase, Emma instantly knew the paint wasn’t original and set about stripping it. “I always want to see what’s behind the curtain,” she says, adding that anyone who wants to paint brick should…

Ken and John Melchert own Harp Gallery, an antiques store in Kaukauna, Wisconsin [harpgallery.com]. When they came across old railroad hand carts ready for scrap, they felt they were too good to discard. The trolleys were used for transporting trunks at railway stations, later for moving furniture in factories: Sturdy in white oak or birch, they have heavy-duty, cast-iron wheels and frames. At about five feet wide, two feet deep, and 14 inches tall, they are coffee-table size. wood repair Restoration begins with repairs to wood elements. After decades of heavy use, top boards are often split or broken. They're strengthened with Gorilla-brand polyurethane glue or, if beyond repair, replaced with matching boards. The boards are sanded (150 grit) with a random orbit sander; careful hand sanding is used over…

To paraphrase Mr. Dickens, the year 2020 was for me the worst of times and the best of times. I broke ten ribs carrying wallpaper downstairs … and I found an old acquaintance that fulfilled a dream of mine. During the first quarter of the 20th century, wealthy homeowners might have self-playing symphonic organs in their homes. The smallest were just a few ranks of pipes while the largest had in excess of a hundred ranks. In so many ways, the instruments brought homes to life. Like living, breathing entities, the lungs of the house, which itself became the sounding board, the organ pipes sang out the popular songs of the day as well as the thunderous majesty of great symphonies and operas. I reconnected with my Æolian–Skinner Opus 947…

Carol Goldberg has only loved one house in her life. She met the 1890 Victorian farmhouse as a 14-year-old hired to train horses in Westchester County, New York. Quickly, her immersion in everything equine grew to the point that she was begging her parents to drive her to the horse farm every weekend. Because it was a long commute from her Connecticut childhood home, her parents let her stay the weekends in the farmhouse. That’s when the house began to feel like home. Most people move on, but Carol never did. Horse training became a career and she remained in the upstate New York neighborhood, keeping an eye on that farmhouse. In 1972, she convinced the owner to sell it to her. “I moved in with nothing but my dog, a…

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Garrett Wade’s catalog, which debuted in 1975, is beloved by woodworkers. The company offers traditional and heirloom-quality hand tools for woodworking and shop, plus tools for outdoor projects and camping, gardening, and the kitchen. Find versatile pliers–wrenches and horsehair detailing brushes, drawknives and mechanics’ vises, moulding planes and handsome Gerstner oak tool chests. The Odd-Job (second from top left in the photo), dating to 1888–1930s, is an inside mitre and a try square, a depth gauge, a scribing tool for arcs and circles, a T-square, a depth-marking scribe (for marking out mortises, say), a plumb level, and a rule. Precision Japanese woodworking tools are a specialty. Shown here, too, are sturdy, USA-made red storage boxes and the easy-to-carry, green “very best size” steel toolbox. Garrett Wade, (800) 221-2942, garrettwade.com…

STEAM Low pressure and chemical free, steam cleaning removes grime and paint from brick without damage. Don’t use this method on natural stone, as it can cause thermal expansion leading to cracks and breakage. Steam cleaners may be rented from builders’-supply stores or purchased online. Look for one that specifically indicates it can be used on masonry. LOW-PRESSURE WASHING This requires turning the room into a shallow bathtub, true, but painted masonry successfully can be stripped with low-pressure washing up to 1500 psi. Like steam cleaners, low-pressure washers may be purchased online or found at a builders’ supply. Make sure you get one with adjustable pressure. Start at a low number (say, 100 psi) and use the lowest pressure possible that effectively removes paint. The higher the pressure, the more…

We’re in a world of high-tech solutions and new materials, so it’s easy to forget or discount the very simple construction techniques that have been used for centuries to extend a building’s life. A hidden groove providing a drip edge is a case in point. Water flowing over a door sill or windowsill would, due to surface tension, flow across the underside of the sill to arrive at the wall intersection. The humble drip groove interrupts the flow, making it impossible for the water runo? to complete its journey across the bottom of the sill. Water collects at the edge of the groove to drop harmlessly away. This protects the shingles and sheathing or the mortar joint under the sill—where you don’t want water finding its way in. WRONG WAY…

1. JUST AS THE ORIGINALS This company’s standard line includes soapstone sinks based on those made 1835–1920. The Wright sink, for example, is 30" long x 20" wide x 9 ¾" deep and dates to 1907. Standard sinks are $700 to $1,200. Custom sinks, $1,000 and up. Vermont Soapstone, (802) 263-5404, vermontsoapstone.com 2. ACANTHUS ACCURACY With arms clad in long, stylized acanthus leaves cut from metal ribbon, the Bennington Village Colonial chandelier is an accurate re-creation of one at Old Sturbridge Village. Multiple metal and wood finishes in two sizes: $2,750 and up. Authentic Designs, (802) 394-7713, authenticdesigns.com 3. MISSION 1910 The Mission sideboard is a 1910 design by L. & J.G. Stickley. Details include butterfly joinery on doors, three graduated drawers, and dark copper hardware. It measures 60" wide…

ADAPTIVE REUSE Recycling an old building for a use other than that for which it was originally constructed. A neutral term, it might involve a sensitive rehab that retains much of the original character, especially on the exterior. Or it can mean extensive remodeling of the structure and details. INTERPRETIVE RESTORATION A less scholarly approach than the historic restoration employed by museum houses, this involves keeping original architectural features intact while reconstructing missing elements as faithfully as budget allows. The decoration and furnishing of interior spaces are appropriate to the style and era of the house, but there is no attempt to duplicate what was there originally. It’s a “might have been” approach—what might have been if the original owners had your taste, say. Most homeowner restorations are interpretive. MODERNIZING…

Classic in black and white, this new kitchen by Kennebec Company beautifully suits the elegant revival house built in 1920. For the renovation, Kennebec’s designers worked with Colin Smith Architects to create a combined family room/dining room/kitchen and pantry space. Plain, inset cabinets from Kennebec’s Maine Farmhouse collection are a suitable choice—simpler than the raised-panel woodwork in the original house. They are hand-painted, a luxury finish today but one that alludes to early casework and furniture. Special features include wood and glass doors with true divided lights, soapstone counters, and brushed-nickel hardware. Revival fixtures reminiscent of colonial-era precedents light the space, which is warmly grounded by a hardwood floor. With classic elements and a modified open plan, the underlying design might be adapted for homes that show a transition from…

“There were once 200 mills similar to ours operating in New England,” says Tierson, who bought the mill from the estate of the Ward family’s last owner, Holly Ward, in 2017. The company is a rare survivor. Ward produces clapboards using a unique radial sawing process akin to traditional rift sawing. The red spruce or white pine log is first debarked and rounded into a perfect cylinder on a lathe. Positioned in a carriage, the 6'-long log then passes over the saw, which cuts along its full length. After each cut, the log is rotated exactly ⅝ " for the next cut, a process that continues until it has rotated a full 360 degrees. The precise cut gives each clapboard its taper and true vertical grain, qualities that produce a…

Restore and protect exterior surfaces of your home. 1. PAINT BE GONE Strip multiple layers of unwanted paint and other finishes safely and effectively with Smart ’n Easy Paint & Varnish Remover. The citrus-scented, non-drip gel contains no caustic chemicals and works on wood, brick, masonry, plaster, metals, and more. $35 per gallon. Dumond Global, (609) 655-7700, dumondglobal.com 2. NATURAL CEDAR Crafted from the highest grades of Western red cedar, these shingles are 100 percent recyclable, biodegradable, and renewable. They’re available in a variety of panel and corner systems for quick installation. Free samples and price quotes available. Cedar Valley, (866) 520-0597, cedar-valley.com 3. CLAD IN COLOR With quarries in Vermont and Virginia, this architectural-slate specialist can match historic roofing in color and finish. Classic colorations include green, purple, mottled…

Old carpet runners with protective padding (mine had been installed in the 1960s) are laden with dust, allergens, staples, and more, so wear protective gear, including an N95 mask, goggles, and construction gloves to protect yourself. Arm yourself with an array of prying tools and a good set of clippers—preferably a carpet cutter, a tool with an angled blade that cuts smoothly with less effort. I didn’t have a carpet cutter so I used tin snips. My arsenal included a 12" prybar, a long flathead screwdriver, a 1" putty knife, a tack hammer, a nail-puller, and a small awl with a pointed head. Practice patience. GET STARTED Begin where the carpet is most loosely attached (bottom or top), or where accessible on both sides of the treads, as at a…

This lovely and remarkable house was not my first love. I had spent 12 years leasing and restoring Trustworth, the late Victorian-era home of educator Henry Turner Bailey. I had a gentlewoman’s agreement with the gracious lady who owned it: the right to purchase at an agreed price in exchange for my years of unpaid labor. In 1994, her children informed me that the house would go to market and I would be allowed to purchase it for $1 more than the highest bid. In effect, after restoring the property at my own cost I would pay for its restoration again by paying the improved price. It was a betrayal of trust, no pun intended, and Trustworth was lost to me. I was given 90 days to vacate. Lighting and…