Innehållsförteckning för November/December 2025 från Old House Journal

“In this part of the world, it’s rare to see a Colonial Revival house sheathed in stucco,” says architect Frank Shirley. “But Allen W. Jackson, the architect who designed it in 1912, was fond of European design. I think the stucco exterior was, for him, reminiscent of houses of the English Arts & Crafts period.” • The Cambridge, Massachusetts-based architect has worked on two-or three-hundred houses since founding his firm 25 years ago. (In 2025, Shirley was named to the American Institute of Architects’ prestigious College of Fellows.) This house was built in a familiar American style, “but it was particularly interesting,” he says. THE LIVING ROOM is large enough for distinct seating areas, including this classical grouping around the fireplace. Comfortable new furniture is traditional. The wide, cased opening to…

There are no rules, but a bit of color theory and some expert tips will make your decisions easier. So the walls are repaired and primed and you’re faced with a blank slate. You may be overwhelmed by the endless choice of colors, not to mention paint brands and finishes. You may doubt your design chops, fretting over which color “goes with” which, thinking there is only one answer. It can be paralyzing. • Choosing paint colors presents a challenge for homeowners and building professionals alike. I am trained as an architectural color consultant, but you don’t need to be a trained colorist to get architectural color right. Understanding some basics about color—how to combine colors, how light affects them, and how the human eye responds to color generally—should give…

Ask 10 homeowners what “energy audit” means and you might get 10 different answers. Many are surprised to learn that it is a legally defined term, with building science–based, national standards that emphasize building durability, comfort, and air quality as much as they focus on ways to reduce energy usage. • The result of a comprehensive energy audit is a road map for the homeowner. Recommendations are not limited to energy efficiency. They may also include corresponding improvements to indoor air quality, suggestions for air monitors, projected dates for major equipment or appliance replacement, and coordination with relevant home-improvement projects. Energy-efficiency upgrades are typically assigned a return on investment because the avoided cost of future energy use can pay for the improvements over time. (The cost may be offset by available…

With obsolete systems and failing, sometimes-unsafe structural components, old homes make for complex projects replete with pitfalls for unwary remodelers. As a restoration contractor, I feel like I’ve seen it all: homeowners who spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on renovations that commence with no planning, who devalue their property by stripping away its character, or who throw away money by forgoing valuable tax credits—in short, people who miss key opportunities in their attempt to restore their old house to its past glory while making it modern and efficient to live in. Here are blunders I’ve seen often in my work, with some advice on how to sidestep them. 1 Proceeding without a plan Old-house renovations often don’t go according to plan because, too often, there is no planning. Many homeowners question…

Original wood windows in good repair, which have been weather-stripped and paired with storm windows, often equal or outperform any replacements currently marketed. There are dozens of weather-stripping shapes and materials, but generally, weather stripping for sash windows is designed for compression (filling the space between the upper and lower sash and the jamb, and the space between the meeting rails); or it might be spring/leaf style, which allows the sash to move over the weather stripping while it flexibly fills the gap between the sash and the side jambs. • Folks have always been creative with weather stripping—from the old standard of nailed-on felt to the newer, high-performance polymers and bronze. The sketch illustrates fairly common applications. WRONG WAY MAKING THE WRONG CHOICE It goes without saying that the…

PALM DESERT, CA / $1,195,000 The OWL House was built in 1956. The locally registered, Mid-century Modern landmark boasts a semi-enclosed entry, sloping ceilings, clerestory windows, and a wall of glass opening to the patio—in the indoor/outdoor mode used by pioneering architect William Krisel. SAVANNAH, GA / $695,000 This minimalist, pitched-roof Ranch was designed in 1954 by architect–builder John Ahern. Inside find exposed beams, walls of windows, and a floor-to-ceiling fireplace composed of lozenge-shaped brick. LINCOLN, NM / $715,000 Built on the site of Billy the Kid’s family land, this 1950 hacienda-style Ranch is loaded with character, from the Saltillo-tile floors and stone fireplaces to the exposed, bracketed timbers in the living/dining room. WAYNESBORO, PA / $367,500 Built in 1959, this low-slung Ranch with Eichleresque touches features a double entry…

primary hues The three unique hues: red, blue, and yellow. No other hues comprise their makeup. They sit equidistant from one another around the wheel. secondary hues The three hues that are comprised of the two primary colors they sit between: orange (red and yellow), green (blue and yellow), and purple (blue and red). tertiary hues The six hues that are created by mixing equal amounts of the secondary and primary hues they sit between. complementary colors Colors that sit opposite one another on the color wheel, sharing nothing in common. If the pigments of complementary colors were mixed, they would cancel each other out, creating a greyish, brownish black. But if these opposite colors are used near one another, it creates what I call an “energized harmony”—they enhance one another.…

1. Don’t assume windows need replacement: Windows are expensive and often are not the major cause of air leakage or heat loss. (We’ve had several clients whose energy costs went up after installing new windows.) 2. Adding insulation before air-sealing can result in insulation R-value being diminished by air leakage and moisture issues. An installer who’d work in this way may not know to check for existing knob-and-tube wiring and could create a fire hazard. 3. Installing new HVAC equipment too soon, without making enclosure improvements first, often leads to oversized and poorly performing equipment. It is generally not a costeffective way to go. 4. Air-sealing without blower-door testing may be a waste of money—and even lead to an under-ventilated house with unhealthy indoor air. Don’t tighten the house without completing post-retrofit…

A COMMANDING HOUSE Vigorous white Iceberg roses (Rosa cv. ‘KORbin’) line the front walk. Enhanced landscaping includes lawns interspersed with planting beds. The carriage house is new. DEEPLY OPULENT The entrance from the parlor to the study is framed by richly embroidered gold portières. Painted friezes in an Arabesque design were stenciled by the homeowner. For decades, the two had been collecting Victoriana: lighting, textiles, furniture, and ephemera. They’d long wanted a proper setting for the collections. Hanford Castle was perfect: 8,000 square feet, four storeys, 18 rooms, a tower, and a wraparound porch with expansive views. The interior boasted four fireplaces, 13 original stained-glass windows, woodwork never painted, and original designs in the plaster, including the Hanford family’s English family crest featuring a stylized sun. Solidly built of three-brick–thick…