Historic Restorations

Putting it in Laypeople's Terms

2012-01-24T10:18:00.000-08:00

Tradespeople and Craftspeopleoften seem like they are speaking a foreign language with all the strangearchitectural terms that show up in their sentences. Here are a few you may hear and what theyrefer to:

FOIL:An architectural foil refers to the arcs (or lobes) between projection pointsof a circle (think of a clover leaf and you’ll begin to get the picture ofarcs/lobes surrounding the center point of a circle). A foil can have three (trefoil), four(quatrefoil), five (cinquefoil), and even more arcs and are often found inGothic architectural masonry, woodwork, and cast plasterwork.

QUOIN or COYN: A quoin is a corner of a masonry building,constructed of alternating long and short pieces. Using quoins (also spelled “coyn”)strengthens corners, which is particularly important if the corners arestructural and load-bearing. Quoins are usuallya material different from the main material of the building walls – stonequoins in a brick building, brick quoins in a stone building. Sometimes quoins are intentionally built-outto project out so they are not flush with the wall in order to provide a visualemphasis of stability.

JOGGLE JOINT: Atype of fitting where a notch is created in each the two pieces being fittedtogether, so that the end result is a joint that looks like a zig-zag, ornotched.

LAMB’S TONGUE: The end of a handrail that is turned out ordown from the rail and curved to resemble a tongue.

Preservation in Progress: Lancaster Press Building

2012-01-24T09:58:00.000-08:00

Lancaster County is not normallythe place one thinks of when considering social experimentation. Yet that is exactly what The Drogaris Groupand Garden Spot Village are doing with the Lancaster Press Building that sitson the corner of Prince and Lemon Streets.

The 100-year-old, massive brickbuilding was originally built as a cigar factory in 1907. The building served as a cigar factory until1922 when it was purchased by Lancaster Press Co., to house their printingoperations. For the majority of its lifethis was the building’s use, until 1992 when the printing company moved and thebuilding sat empty until a packaging firm used the building between 1997 and1998. From 1998 on the building has beenempty and abandoned.

In 2006 the building was purchased by theDrogaris Group, who is partnering with Garden Spot Village to create a uniqueretirement community for those 55+ who want to live in an urban setting. To honor the building’s history and thearchitectural features that give the Lancaster Press Building its character,Historic Restorations is working with the Drogaris Group to restore windowsashes, windows, door jambs, a custom-built Sapele transom, and a 4’ wide X 7 ½’ high wood door using insulatedglass and traditional joinery to showcase the building’s potential in a modelliving space.

Preservation in Progress: NIH Building #3, Bethesda, MD

2012-01-24T09:49:00.000-08:00

Working on the restoration of ahistoric building is always awe-inspiring, but working to restore a historicbuilding that once housed the laboratories and research of brilliant medicalscientists who advanced our medical knowledge by leaps and bounds over thelast 75 years inspires a particular awe.

Cornice restoration work by Historic Restorations in progress at
Building #3 of the NIH campus in Bethesda, MD

In 1938, when The NationalInstitutes of Health (NIH) broke ground on their new 70-acre campus, Building#3 was constructed to house intramural laboratories, including animal breedingfacilities on the second and third floors. In the 1950’s, Building #3 was home to ground-breaking biochemists andother scientists, some of whom would go on to become Nobel Laureates for theirresearch and advancement of medical knowledge.

In 2011, after being abandonedand left to sit vacant and unused for years, Building #3 is making a come-backto its former glory in an adaptive re-use project designed to restore andrenovate the stately brick building for office and administrative space for theIntramural Research Program. Our mastercraftsmen are currently working on restoring and preserving eight-piececornice. Not all the wood in thecornice is salvageable, requiring our carpenters to use consolidant and wood-fillepoxy to retain original fabric and fabricate custom moldings to match existingmoldings where the wood was too badly damaged to restore.

The story of the design andconstruction of this massive complex, and Building #3 in particular, includingan intimate look at how large projects like this were handled in the 1930’s,how much tradespeople earned for their craftsmanship, pictures of theconstruction process, and a general history of the establishment of such animpressive, and important, medical campus, please read Michael Lyons’ article 70 Acres of Science: The NIH Moves toBethesda available on NIH’s website at:

http://history.nih.gov/research/downloads/70acresofscience.pdf.

"New" Artist in an Ancient Art

2012-01-24T08:52:00.000-08:00

Michael Bovie's work on display at the
2011 Lancaster Historic Home Show

Stained glass has been around forthousands of years. Stained glass, asmost of us think of it, has been around for hundreds of years. Stained glass artist Michael Bovie has beenaround much less, but he is undoubtedly making his mark on this ancientart.

One of the craftsmen working on the Schmucker Hall restoration project alongside HistoricRestorations, Lancaster Stained Glass Designs was contracted to restore aneight foot fanlight and two sidelights at the entrance door in the mainfoyer. About 130 years old, the stainedglass was in sad shape with broken and missing lead castings and glass, andeven more hidden damage Bovie found as he began taking the glass apart to beginhis restoration.

This is exactly thekind of challenge Bovie thrives on, “No two jobs are ever the same, so nothingis ever boring and in the end I get the satisfaction of bringing something backthat was so badly damaged, restoring it to its original grandeur,” thecraftsman says.

Bovie’s favorite project so farwas a piece commissioned from Lancaster Stained Glass designs by Mount St.Mary’s University in Maryland to pay homage to one of their alumni, a foundingfather of modern stained glass by the name of John LaFarge. LaFarge invented opalescent glass – themilkier stained glass that uses streaks of color to add movement and texture tothe piece. Before creating the stainedglass piece, Bovie researched LaFarge and his techniques in depth, including atrip to Boston where he utilized unprecedented access to information andLaFarge’s works at several churches to help him design the piece commissionedby Mount St. Mary’s.

While typically not quite asextensive or involved, Bovie’s historical restoration work does usually involveresearch in resource books and online sources into the history of stained glasstechniques, artists, and their styles. Bovieenjoys bringing this deeper level of detail and craftsmanship into his workwith historical restorations.

The oldest glass Bovie has workedon is right here in Lancaster County, stained glass from the early 1800’s on achurch in Little Britain Township, though Lancaster Stained Glass Designs iscommissioned for both new stained glass pieces and historical restorationpieces. Bovie works primarily in theSouth Central PA region, but has travelled all over the Eastern Seaboardsstates making and remaking art history.

So exactly how does one end upmaking art history? Thirty years ago, a friend cajoled Michael Bovie intotaking a short stained glass class at a local studio. This class turned out to be life-changing forBovie and within one year Lancaster Stained Glass Designs was born and has beengrowing ever since. From his studio inManheim Township, Bovie says stained glass is the ideal art for him because itutilizes both his “art head” during the design creation process and his “techhead” during the actual creation of the stained glass project.

More information about stained glass craftsmanMichael Bovie and his company Lancaster Stained Glass Designs can be found attheir website: www.lancastersgd.com

Your House is a Money Pit more Common Mistakes..

2012-01-20T08:01:00.000-08:00

3. Replacing Original Wood Windows.
      Technology and architectural styles have shaped the design of windows throughout history. The windows are one of the few parts of a building that serves as both an interior and exterior feature, and they usually make up 20-30% of the surface area of a historic building. It is for these reasons that windows are an important part of the character of a building, so removing or radically changing them has a drastic impact on the building's character.
      Conduct an in-depth survey of the conditions of windows early in the process so that options to retain and preserve windows can be fully explored. Many make the mistake of replacing windows solely due to peeling paint, broken glass, stuck sash or high air infiltration. These are not indications that the window is beyond repair.
      In fact, weatherizing and repairing doors and windows is often the most practical and economic maintenance plan. Also, repair window frames and sash by patching, splicing, consolidating or otherwise reinforcing. Repair may include replacement in-kind of parts that are missing or deteriorated. Do not obscure historic trim with metal or other material, strip windows through inappropriate designs,change the number, location, size or glazing pattern of windows.
      Windows that are too deteriorated to repair should be replace in-kind using the same sash and pane configuration. If this is not technically or economically possible, then use a compatible substitute material. Use historical, pictorial and physical documentation to replace windows with an accurate restoration window.
      Protect and maintain existing windows with cleaning, rust removal, limited paint removal and protective coasting on a regular basis to prevent deterioration.

Applyling Vinyl or Other Synthetic Materials

2012-01-16T08:17:00.000-08:00

2. 10 Common Mistakes People Make While Working on their Historic Building.
        Structures are historic because the materials and craftsmanship reflected in their construction are tangible and irreplaceable evidence of our cultural heritage. Substitute materials subtract from the basic integrity, historically and architecturally, of buildings. Historic materials should be retained whenever possible. Since wood has always been present in abundance in America, there is a richness and diversity of wood sidings in America. Therefore the wood sidings become a recognizable part of the historic character of a building.
       Often, during a restoration project, the replacement of wood siding is deemed necessary because it has deteriorated beyond repair. The concern with using vinyl or other synthetic materials to replace the original materials is a loss or severe diminishing of the unique aspects of the building. Applying synthetic material to a historic building can damage or obscure historic material, and more importantly diminish the historic identity of the building.
     Though installation of artificial siding is thought to be reversible, often there is irreversible damage to the historic materials during the installation process. Furring strips are used to create a flat surface, "accessories" are needed to fit the siding around architectural features, and the existing wall fabric is damaged from the nailing necessary to apply the siding.
       In addition, aluminum and vinyl siding is often applied to buildings in need of maintenance and repair, thereby concealing problems which are an early warning sign of deterioration. Cosmetic treatment to hide difficulties such as peeling paint, stains or other indications of deterioration is not a sound preservation practice. In addition, artificial siding makes it impossible to monitor the condition of the building because it is hidden from view.
     The questions of durability and relative costs of aluminum or vinyl siding compared to the maintenance cost of historic materials are complex. One consideration is repair cost. All siding materials are subject to damage and all can be repaired. However it is much easier to repair wood siding, and the repair, after painting , is generally imperceptible.
      Because aluminum and vinyl can be produced with an insulating backing, they are sometimes marketed as improving the thermal envelope. In reality, the thickness of any insulating backing would be too small to add to the energy efficiency of a historic building and should not be a consideration when choosing synthetic siding.
      Finally, artificial siding removes the unique details and distinctive qualities of your building and can reduce its value in the marketplace by making it look like every other house.
      Historic Building materials, when properly maintained, are generally durable and serviceable materials. Their existence of tens of thousands of historic buildings is proof that they are the good selection.

2012-01-11T10:51:00.000-08:00

10 Common Mistakes People Make While Working on their Historic Building.
        1. Repointing Bricks with Modern Mortar
                Masonry is one of the most durable historic building materials, however it is also very susceptible to damage as a result of improper maintenance or repair. Mortar is used to bond together masonry units. The interaction between mortar and brick or stone is complex and often misunderstood. Historic mortar (lime based) was generally soft and readily allowed water or vapor to pass. Modern mortar (Portland cement) is very hard and slow to transmit water or vapor.
             Portland cement works well with modern brick or stone, but causes problems if used with older, hand-packed brick (which were fired at low temperatures and are fairly soft).
              Repointing historic masonry with Portland cement mortar can create a bond that is stronger than the historic material, resulting in a differing coefficient in expansion and porosity, causing damage. This pairing can cause rapid deterioration and failure in hundreds of years old masonry.
             When in doubt, use soft mortar.

Your House is a Money Pit....

2011-12-16T08:49:00.000-08:00

You know that to preserve your home you must take responsibility for it's care. Some of you are handy and willing to tackle this "homework". Some of you are not as well versed in swinging a hammer and the such, in that case calling for reinforcements - a friend of a friend of a friend who repaired something in a house before. I am not knocking either approach, what my concern is have you done your due diligence to know what your house needs really are?
First Rule: DO NO HARM.

Your House is a Money Pit..

2011-11-30T07:47:00.000-08:00

Your house is a money pit, you know it, I know it and there is no way to get around the fact. So what do you do, when you discover that your largest single investment requires you to constantly tend to it with your time and money.

A quote from my childhood, "a stitch in time saves nine" referees to mending your garments -while a small repair takes a few minutes, if you let it go the repairs will be much more extensive- cost increases. Now what do you do, do you look for the least expensive solution? A little paint, some caulk and a prayer?

President Obama speaking on Preservation

2010-09-15T05:31:00.000-07:00

Building preservation jobs cannot be outsourced - local jobs that will renew our collective built history. From this video it seems as though the President has a good understanding of preservation and energy efficiency - very encouraging.

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Decline of McMansions

2010-09-13T12:19:00.000-07:00

This weekend I read about the decline of McMansions - the average house size has begun to decline with the crash of the housing market. (The new home builders have really been hurt by the current housing market - they built and promoted the McMansion "lifestyle").

I was reading about the housing trends and thinking about how this could help or benefit the preservation/restoration niche of the building industry when I started to read the comments section. I was glad to read about people making smaller spaces work when I read a comment from someone who had been sadly misinformed about older homes and energy efficiency. The comment is copied here:

Listed: MSN Real Estate's daily blog - MSN Real Estate: "p.s. The modern McMansions actually use about the same amount of energy to heat and cool as our tiny premodern depression era house. Oh I can't wait to update the horsehair board insulation and large *original* windows. We've learned our lesson about buying older unimproved houses, let me tell you...."

The preservation/restoration community has a lot of information about the truth of older building energy efficiency in print and on the Internet - but obviously we are missing a large number of older building owners.

The argument that a 900 sq. ft. house (referenced in her first post) uses less energy than a McMansion at 7,000 plus square feet doesn't even make sense from a logic stand point and goes to show the marketing for the new building products is working.

A few facts (based on her comment):

Buildings built from 1950 through 1970 are the least energy efficient (actually the federal government has done studies on their older buildings and they consistently use less energy than their newer buildings).
Heat rises - it makes more sense to insulate the roof than the walls in an older home
Plaster is not insulation - it is a wall finish
It has been scientifically proven that well maintained wood windows with a storm window (either interior or exterior) are as energy efficient as replacement windows. The energy savings is $0.60 per year - the replacement windows will last at the most 30 years. Will the money saved balance with the amount the windows cost?

Common Themes in Endangered Historic Buildings

2010-07-22T10:17:00.000-07:00

I was reading the July/August 2010 Preservation magazine which features the 2010 list of America's Eleven Most Endangered Historic Places. Some of the places featured on the list include natural landscape preservation.

One theme that stuck out to me was the fact that all of the buildings listed as endangered are being demolished by neglect. The two reasons all the buildings are endangered were neglect and deferred maintenance - something we see in all communities - proving once again that preservation is maintenance.

These buildings are from all across the country and include privately and publicly owned buildings. I was surprised that the majority of the buildings have suffered water damage leading to the reason for them to be slated for demolition. These are common problems in all historic buildings - preservation is inexpensive - what becomes expensive is when a historic element on a building needs to be rebuilt because of damage from the elements. After making sure the structure is sound, the next most important thing, is keeping the weather out of the building.

To read the article and learn more about the 11 endangered historic places visit the National Trust for Historic Preservation's website at http://http://www.preservationnation.org/issues/11-most-endangered/.

Seven Ways to Ruin an Older Building

2010-06-15T11:24:00.000-07:00

This list was taken from the Directory of Preservation Resources complied by the Historical Architectural Review Board in the Borough of Columbia, PA.

Encouraging regular maintenance (true preservation) rather than quick-fixes that will fail in a short amount of time this list highlights seven common "repairs" or "upgrades" that do more harm than good.

1. Repointing bricks using mortar with a high content of Portland cement. Instead use a flexible mortar with a high lime content.

2. Sandblasting, using high-pressure power washes, or harsh chemical cleaners to clean or remove paint. This will remove the hard outer shell exposing the soft brick. Always use the gentlest method possible to clean.

3. Applying vinyl or aluminum to wrap the building (walls, sills, soffits, and eaves). The installers regularly remove architectural details. In addition trapping moisture can accelerate structural decay.

4. Replacing original wood windows (unnecessarily). Repair rather than replace. Wood windows can be made energy efficient using weather stripping and storm windows.

5. Ignoring peeling exterior paint. A good paint job will provide a protective coating against insects and moisture.

6. Hiring contractors without the necessary skills or experience working on old buildings. Modern materials and construction techniques are not always compatible with older buildings. A contractor unfamiliar with traditional buildings and methods cab permanently damage the building.

7. Introducing "mix-and-match" period style detail. Respect the original period-style of your building. Fight the urge to make it appear newer, older, or fancier in style than it really is.

Internal Gutter Systems

2010-06-03T10:49:00.000-07:00

What we call internal gutter systems are also known as Yankee Gutters, built-in, or integral gutters. What ever you call them they can become an expense problem without careful monitoring and maintenance. These drainage systems have been used on houses from the 1700's through the early 1900's though they are most commonly found on buildings from the Victorian period.

Typically they are incorporated into the cornice along the roof line, on a porch, or bay window. The usual construction is a wood trough lined with metal. Because of the cornice covering the system they are not easily visible creating unseen problems.

Signs your system is not functioning properly include: peeling paint, moist wood, and damage to masonry. On bay windows leaking into the house can also occur. Unfortunately once these symptoms are presented there is often damage to the structural framing, walls, or ceiling not to mention the decorative mouldings of the cornice making repair (restoration - replacement to match original) an expensive proposition.

One way to minimize the cost is to make sure the gutter is regularly inspected and the the solder joints in the metal are properly maintained. Never use roofing tar to seal the joints this will trap the water into the wood causing the same problems you are trying to correct.

Some people roof over their internal gutter system and use external gutters for their water management - this is an option for saving money but it does change the original appearance of the building by covering the decorative cornice. This solution also does not address the damage to the structural systems. Often times someone will wrap the problem in vinyl or aluminum using the "I can't see it, it's not a problem" approach to maintenance (as seen by the picture above). This actually creates larger problems and sometimes results in losing the entire front porch.

May is Preservation Month

2010-05-25T08:44:00.000-07:00

May is preservation month the theme of this year is, "Old is the New Green!". With most people looking for ways to minimize their impact on the environment in their corner of the world it is important to not do anything to a historic building that will damage the historic fabric of the structure.

Historic buildings are "green" because their materials are repairable, durable, and contain embodied energy (energy already expended in construction). Many of these attributes cannot be found in modern "green" solutions.

As part if the National Park Service Technical Preservation Services there is a series of interpretations of The Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation (http://www.nps.gov/history/hps/tps/tax/ITS/itshome.htm). These are divided into compatible and incompatible treatments with explanations and pictures. If you are going before an historic review board - this is how they will evaluate the changes you want to make.

An interesting article in this section is #54 "Installing Green Roofs on Historic Buildings" - as long as the foliage is not visible from the street scape installing the green roof is acceptable. And somewhat encouraged to enhance the energy-efficiency and sustainability of the building. Interesting thoughts and ideas to join new construction with old buildings in a sensitive manner.

Top Ten Restoration Mistakes

2010-05-13T06:34:00.000-07:00

The April/May 2010 issue of Old-House Journal listed the top ten restoration mistakes. Following these tips can help to save time and money (in the long run). The entire article can be found at: http://www.oldhousejournal.com/top-10-restoration-mistakes/magazine/1673

Cheap Paint (good paint is hard to find - we are trying linseed oil paint on our house available from http://www.solventfreepaint.com/)
Poor Paint Prep (paint will not adhere to dirt or loose paint)
Mixing Metals (unlike metals can react)
Epoxy Overuse (I would also add using the wrong type of epoxy, such as, marine or automobile filler on wood)
Waterproofing Exteriors (houses need to breathe and moisture trapped behind the coatings can cause the underlining materials to rot)
Waterproofing Interiors (use holistic building approach when solving water infiltration - look at source of water and ways to direct away from the house)
Removing Masonry Finishes (removing paint or formstone from a brick wall is often not recommended because of the likelihood of damaging the brick by removing the veneer)
Removing Wood Finishes (take care that the paint prep does not damage the wood underneath)
Using the Wrong Mortar (use soft lime-based mortar with older brick to stop the damage from the thaw-freeze cycle - a good source is http://www.limeworks.us/)
Bad Design (use water-shedding designs for all exterior repairs)

Five Expectations

2010-04-28T08:25:00.000-07:00

The April 2010 edition of Qualified Remodeler featured a Sales and Marketing article by Dave Lupberger describing five behaviors you should expect from a professional contractor. In my opinion these are things every contractor should do because they value the relationships they build with their clients - unfortunately this is not always the case.

Professional contractors will be on time for every appointment (if not they should communicate the reason);
Phone calls will be promptly returned;
On the jobsite (your home) professional contractors will be respectful to you and your neighbors;
At the end of the day the jobsite will be cleaned and free of safety hazards; and
The process and status of your project will be communicated to you regularly.

New Lead-Paint Regulations

2010-04-19T12:14:00.000-07:00

On Thursday, April 22nd, any contractor working on a building with lead-based paint will have to be a lead-safe certified firm. The EPA is has written guidelines to help protect homeowners from lead dust and contractors have to complete a 8 hour training course. Helping to protect homeowners is important - the downside is the increased cost to each project (we will have to see what that is once we have set up a few projects with the new protective barriers).

For more information on lead and how to protect your family visit the EPA website: http://www.epa.gov/lead

Wood Window Maintenance

2010-04-12T10:36:00.000-07:00

Taken from the Historic Wood Windows tip sheet from the National Trust for Historic Preservation - maintenance is important for all areas of a building to help insure that it will continue to perform without costly repairs. Preservation is maintenance and it is a lot less expensive than replacement.

Four Wood Window Maintenance Tips:
1. Keep exterior surfaces painted (keeping the water out of the wood);
2. Repair glaze - reglaze entire window as needed;
3. Don't paint the window shut - so that it can operate as intended; and
4. Don't paint the sash cord.

For more information read "The Repair of Historic Wooden Windows" Preservation Brief Series #9 - www.cr.nps.gov/hps/tps/briefs/brief09.htm

Help Your Cause

2010-04-06T11:20:00.000-07:00

American Express along with Take Part are promoting a contest in which people can vote (once a week) for the charity of their choice. The categories are:

Arts and Culture (in which the National Trust for Historic Preservation is included)
Community Development
Education
Environment and Wildlife
Health and Wellness

There a lot of worthy organizations trying to win the $200,000 - I am using my vote to help preserve our built history. I will not pressure you to vote the same way I am. You can vote at www.takepart.org.

So Easy A Caveman Can Do It - WHAT!!

2010-03-11T06:13:00.000-08:00

While catching up on my newspaper reading the other evening I came across an article by Amy Hoak of Marketwatch, the title of her piece is "When It's Best to Go With a Pro", needless to say it caught my attention. Amy notes that our current economic "situation" has prompted more homeowners to DIY with varying degrees of success. Amy had four points to consider before starting a DIY, When safety is an issue, When water is involved, If the cost of materials or tools is high, last but not least, If the project is too big. We here at Historic Restorations have been offering hands-on classes for the past three years, knowing that the average person in the United States today, has not had a personal relationship with tools and little information about how a building is put together. Yet, when shows on television show a home "makeover" done in a week...it all seems so easy. Basic home maintenance knowledge should be required of everyone because it is the most cost effective way to literally keep the roof over your head. Building an ongoing relationship with a professional builder will help and encourage homeowners to take on the tasks that they can do themselves and knowing when to call in a professional with confidence that all projects on your home will help it to be the castle that it is intended to be.

15 Steps to Weatherize Your Home

2009-12-01T08:17:00.000-08:00

The November/December 2009 issue of Preservation Magazine featured an article, Getting Ready for Winter: 15 Steps to Efficiency. These tips are taken from this article.

Insulate the attic (this is where the majority of your heat loss will occur - though the replacement window and door companies would have you believe it is on the walls of the house - heat rises.)
Zoned heating system (heat only the areas of the house you "live" in).
Bleed radiators and clean forced-air vents.
Have your furnace serviced.
Change your furnace filters once a month.
Install a programmable thermostat (turn the heat down at night when you are in bed and during the day when you are away).
Insulate duct work and hot water pipes in cool spaces. Install foam inserts behind electrical receptacles and light switches (they sale the inserts (with precut holes) for behind the covers at any hardware store).
Close fireplace dampers (when the fireplace is not in use - we have had a call from someone not sure why their house was filling with smoke).
Set ceiling fans to low and switch direction so the hot air is being forced downward from the ceiling.
Make sure bathroom fans have functioning dampers.
Keep your original windows maintained (caulk, fix glazing, replace broken panes, repair wooden parts, and install weather stripping).
Install storm windows.
Use lined curtains, working shutters, and insulated window shades.
Caulk holes at exterior penetrations (mail chutes, etc.) only use exterior-grade caulking for this job.

Columbia Market House

2009-11-19T11:48:00.000-08:00

Work on the Columbia Market commenced on October 12, 2009 with a 120 day project schedule, since this is a "working" market with stand holders open for business on Thursdays and Fridays, work is to be done in 10 hour days, Monday through Wednesday with Saturday and Sunday optional work days. Historic Restorations is restoring the fourteen original windows. On site the entire windows are removed and the openings are secured with plywood, in the shop the old glass is gently removed, cleaned and labeled for re-installation at the end of the process. The wood mullions, rails and stiles are stripped of their old paint and sanded in preparation for a fresh coat of paint. Any rot or damaged wood is repaired or replaced, if necessary. After one coat of primer the windows are reunited with their original glass and any extra glass that may have been purchased to replace broken panes . Meanwhile, on site in Columbia, the exterior and interior window trim is being prepared to receive the refurbished windows, wood filler, sanding and missing pieces are used to create an exceptionable frame and architectural detail for form and function. Today Historic Restorations is about half way through our portion of this project, we are thrilled with the transformation and honored to be a part of this historic buildings story. If you ever get to this little river town, on a Thursday or Friday, stop by the Market, the oldest in the United States or have a virtual visit, www.columbiahistoricmarkethouse.com

Trick or Treat

2009-10-23T06:41:00.000-07:00

This time of year people become a little more curious about supernatural happenings - going on in strange and normal places, looking for a sign or some kind of message , that to this point may have gone unnoticed as we live in our own worlds.
It seems appropriate that on Monday of this week I took a call from Harrisburg Area Community College, that informed us of a class offering with five people signed up for it, the class name "Dating Your Older Building". The four people who showed up for the class were eager to learn what to look for when trying to determine the time period of a building, how the region influenced what materials were best to use in their construction, how prosperous the community was, trends in the style of architectural detail that notes an era in our collective built history. Many of the earliest homes no longer exist, as they were intended to be temporary, what we see today are second homes that were built to last.
Before the call we were unprepared, by the end of our class time, Chuck and Danielle had presented a capsulized examination of house history and had engaged the 'students' in discussion
beyond our nine o'clock ending time.
When you pause and look at our built environment you can begin to see past the shadows of what is accepted as ordinary and notice the nuance of the story in our homes, tell tale signs...just waiting to be discovered.

Traditional Product Reports

2009-08-27T11:11:00.000-07:00

Restore Media (publishers of Old House Journal, Traditional Building, and Period Homes along with many other avenues to promote traditional trades and preservation) has developed a web site devoted to reports on traditional products.

This is a valuable resource complied in a central location for anyone interested in restoring or preserving their own historic building. They are located at http://www.traditionalproductreports.com/ and they are available by subscribing to their newsletter. The reports include articles about products, case studies, installation/treatment tips, and where to buy replacement products.

Topics include:

doors
windows
hardware
interior finishes/fixtures
metalworking
timber frame
and many more ...

"Time will prove the wisdom of building well"

2009-07-15T11:27:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I find gems buried in the piles of papers on my desk. This is from the Winter 2008-2009, HARBnews, published by the Historic Architectural Board of Review of the City of Lancaster.

The speech was given on December 22, 1905 at the opening of the Stevens High School (corner of North Charlotte and West Chestnut - now converted into apartments - adaptive reuse). The project was being criticised for running $91,000 over budget and this was in response to the critics. The discussion of quality materials, true craftsmanship, and sustainability are all issues we regularly deal with - it just goes to show the more things change the more they stay the same.

"With the scientific and commercial development of our people comes the ever increasing necessity for better and larger high school buildings that shall adequately meet in all their parts the necessities of these schools; and they should, like all other important civic buildings, be erected in the most thorough, substantial manner, fundamentally sound in all their parts, with the polish of fine workmanship, to the end that they may not only exert an elevating and refining influence upon the scholars within their walls, but also represent the intelligent, liberal, and progressive spirit of the community.

The modern high school is, therefore more complex in form and more elaborate in appointments than like buildings of some years ago, and necessarily more expensive in its cost. In the construction of this building we have employed the best of what we deemed reasonably necessary to fully meet not only the demands of today, but of many years of the future.

We have not attempted to build with cheap materials and poor workmanship, but rather to build strong and substantial with the best material and workmanship, and at the lowest possible cost. Solid and enduring work is the basis of true economy, and time will prove the wisdom of building well.

I also desire to refer to the great fidelity and honesty of purpose with which the builder performed the work he assumed in the erection and completion of this building. The thought uppermost in his mind seems ever to have been, not how he might realize the greatest profit from this undertaking, but how the greatest strength, durability and beauty of finish might be secured."

- C. Emlem Urban

Affordable Housing

2009-07-02T08:13:00.000-07:00

Lancaster, Pa is the oldest inland city in the United States. Lancaster City also boast itself as the largest designated historic district in the U. S. with it's four square miles of structures that tell the story of this settlement's life since 1730.
We live in the city and enjoy the urban feel of a downtown area stepping over the cusp into revitalization and neighborhoods that tell how the citizens prospered and moved away from the city center, yet remained connected through the grid of streets layed out like the spokes of a wheel. In our neighborhood homes were built with brick and mortar in the late Victorian Architectural age 1870-1910. A middle class community mix of professional trades people, doctors, attorneys and middle management of local industries. Getting to my point. The past four months I have watched a beautiful home be ravaged by people who I am sure have good intentions. Before the recent remodel the home was divided into two separate living spaces, O.K. the use of this building did not change. The goal of the homeowners is to create income producing units at an affordable price - Great Idea. Here's where I start to have "issues" with what I've seen as the answer to the question of housing that is considered "affordable". All of the original double hung solid wood windows were removed from their openings and replaced with an "inexpensive" plastic replacement window. The original windows, weights and sash cords were tossed into a dumpster. Solid wood exterior and interior doors were last seen stacked on the front porch. Interior trim that surrounded the original windows, doors, original base boards in the house has been removed and sent to a landfill. Plaster walls have been covered with drywall. If you were to walk into this house today you would see freshly painted walls- white, new wall to wall carpet - covering hardwood floors, modern windows, masonite exterior doors and hollow core interior doors, trim purchased from Home Depot.
My question is, why must a place be cheapened so that the house will be considered affordable? What does that say about the attitude of the person who has made the offer of this space to the people who will live there?
I believe that the goal could have been achieved without losing the architectural detail of the original house parts, parts that could have been repaired with some knowledge and thoughtful care. Now the material that was put into this house was designed to be destroyed or obsolete in just a few years. The house will never be the same, the future holds more neglect and destruction in the wake of creating "affordable housing".

The National Trust's Sustainability Initiative

2009-06-30T12:26:00.000-07:00

The National Trust for Historic Preservation recently launched a website devoted to providing "green building" resources to home and business owners.

The site includes:

Tips for homeowners
*10 green things for under $10
*wood window facts (to educate yourself when the replacement window salesperson knocks on the door)
*energy efficiency tips

There is also information for businesses, about the reuse of buildings, green news, research, and other green building/preservation resources.

This is a valuable site to continue your education about preservation and sustainability be sure to visit and revisit often http://www.preservationnation.org/issues/sustainability/.

Building History Day at the Ephrata Cloister

2009-06-11T07:53:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, June 6, 2009 the Ephrata Cloister hosted their Building History Day. This was a day with traditional crafts being demonstrated, speakers on the topic of historic building and the evolution of domestic architecture, and tours of the unrestored floors of the Sisters' House.

We were invited over the winter to host a seminar - we had never attended this event and where pleasantly surprised at the number and quality of the demonstrators. I would recommend this event to anyone interested in traditional building methods or techniques.

Our seminar topic was contemporary additions to old homes - after going through the nuts and bolts of the "rules" we had fun showing pictures of "the good, the bad and the ugly" - the discussion among the attendees was fun as we picked apart each addition.

I would like to publicly thank the Ephrata Cloister Associates for inviting us to be a part of such an interesting and worthwhile event. I hope we are invited back next year.

Maintenance is Preservation

2009-06-03T05:12:00.000-07:00

Preservation is retaining what is existing - this can be achieved through regular maintenance activities - saving thousands in potential cost. Once something is lost it is very expensive to recreate it.

The Business Section of the May 20th Intelligencer Journal had an article titled 'Five home repairs not to postpone' under the Investors Guide - the point of the article was to encourage small maintenance and repairs before they become big expensive problems. The five tips are valuable so I am passing them along:

1. Storm Water Management - maintain gutters, downspouts, and leader pipes (get the water away from the building, clean out gutters, make sure the soil slopes away from the building)
2. Roof and Siding - check flashing around roof penetrations and siding around door and window openings for leaks
3. Using caulk to seal gaps around pipes and ducts in attic can help insulate and prevent damming - notice I said caulk and not spray foam.
4. Pest infestations - wood eating pests love moist soil and rotting wood
5. Mold and Mildew - check under carpets, under windows, and behind plate covers for mold you might not see
6. Foundation Cracks - 1/4" or more may be a problem - monitor all cracks for movement - if the building continues to move it is time for a consultation with a structural engineer.

Encouragement Award

2009-05-06T11:30:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday, Chuck and Lois went to lunch at the Preservation League of Staten Island to receive an 'Encouragement Award'. Recognizing the work underway (but not yet completed) at the George W. Curtis house - we have completed the front facade restoration including the front porch, missing architectural details (aluminum siding installers love straight edges to work toward), and working louvered shutters. There will be a final award once the work is completed.

The Preservation League of Staten Island works to preserve Staten Island's historic architecture. More information about their work can be found at: preservesi.org/plsi.htm.

Webinar - Traditional Durable/ Sustainable Products

2009-04-24T07:56:00.000-07:00

Tuesday afternoon I sat in on a webinar focused on what traditional products teach us about durability and sustainability (essentially green building). I am going to pass some the information from the webinar along during this post - next week I will be back to sharing information from the Traditional Building Conference.

*In order to evaluate if a product is durable and therefore sustainable there needs to be a life-cycle assessment (LCA).
*Desirable green attributes:
-Durability
-Low Maintenance (but repairable)
-Fire Retardant
-Life cycle benefits - extending the service life
*2009 new LEED rating systems
-Point increases for urban living (density and alternative transportation)
-Life Cycle Assessment - focuses on structure/envelope assemblies
-Preservation of existing buildings adds points - traditional materials are preferable because of environmental impact
-Leed for Existing Buildings looks at accreditation without major renovations through changes in Operations and Maintenance

Traditional Materials are Sustainable:
-Masonry Walls both brick and stone
-Traditional Lime based mortar
-Roofing - slate, metal, clay tiles
-Old growth woods
-Anything that has stood the test of time and with care and attention can last another 100 plus years is a green solution

Sympathetic Additions to Historic Buildings

2009-04-16T12:01:00.000-07:00

Some thoughts about Sympathetic Additions from the Traditional Building Show:
-The Secretary of Interiors Standards advise against any addition to a historic building
-Protect the historic integrity of the building by making any changes reversible
-Avoid construction in front of building
-Minimize the loss of historic material
-Make a definite separation between new and old construction
-Avoid radical change in form (size, scale, massing, and proportions)
-Preserve the facade line by using set backs

We are presenting How to Build a Sympathetic Addition to a Historic Building on June 6, 2009 at the Ephrata Cloister - more information is posted on our Events page on the web site.

Preservation is Green Building

2009-04-06T06:50:00.000-07:00

Some thoughts from the Traditional Building Conference:
-Existing buildings are inherently green (embodied energy) tearing down to make a new green building uses more energy than it saves
-Changes made to "modernize" a building have contributed to the perception of the poor energy performance
-An important part of green building should be the materials should both be durable and repairable - many of the new green building products are durable but are they repairable?
-The greenest building is one that already exists - the restoration process involves less carbon emissions than new construction
-Thinking globally while acting locally also helps create local jobs and builds a sustainable local economy

Improving Energy Efficiency of Your Older Building

2009-03-30T10:45:00.001-07:00

We exhibited at the 2009 Old House Fair sponsored by The Preservation Alliance of Greater Philadelphia this weekend - this is the last of our home shows for the spring season. It is always affirming to meet so many people dedicated to caring for their older buildings.

As promised some energy conservation tips from the Traditional Building Show are below - check back every week for more knowledge gathered from the seminars.

1. Do an energy audit - contact your electrical company for information.
2. Change your light bulbs to either CFL or LED bulbs.
3. Install a Programmable Thermostat.
4. Unplug electronics when not in use - 40% of electricity is used when electronics are not in use.
5. Retrofit toilets and faucets to save water.
6. Use lighting controls - dimmers and usage.
7. Use ceiling fans to help circulate air both in the warm months and the colder months.
8. Upgrade appliances to the most efficient possible.

Traditional Building Show

2009-03-19T11:12:00.000-07:00

Last weekend Chuck, Lois, Jonathan, and Danielle traveled to Boston for the Traditional Building Show. The Traditional Building Exhibition and Conference is sponsored by Restore Media and features a trade show with traditional building products and seminars featuring traditional building topics (both theory and practical). The focus of most of this spring's seminars where the green building movement within preservation - more posts about that later.

Chuck and Danielle presented 'Traditional Building Methods vs. Modern Approaches' on Saturday, March 14th. We have many seminars we have developed for various preservation groups - soon we will have a listing with description posted on our web site.

These pictures (above) where taken at the Boston Commons on our only adventure outside of the convention center (who ever designed the convention center, which is a combination of a mall, offices, restaurants, hotels, and the actual convention space, knew how to keep people entertained within the confines of the area). We did not realize celebrating for St. Patrick's Day was beginning over the the weekend - we had a hard time finding a restaurant with room. We did walk the Freedom Trail to Paul Revere's house and found a little Italian restaurant to eat in.

Once we have time to digest the various seminars we attended we will post summaries on our blog to share the knowledge we have acquired.

Historic Home Show at York

2009-03-04T08:20:00.001-08:00

Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday we exhibited at the Historic Home Show at York. As part of the Historic Home section of the Mid-Atlantic Garden Show at the York Expo Center. We enjoyed connecting with people that are interested in maintaining and restoring their vintage properties. The availability of regional "historic" home shows helps building owners find many resources for their projects under one roof. We try to list as many as we can on the events page on our website - any information you can pass on is much appreciated.

The Carpenter, May 1938

2009-02-09T10:29:00.000-08:00

Wrecker or Builder
I watched them tearing a building down
A gang of men in a busy town.
With a ho-heave-ho and a lusty yell,
They swung a beam and a sidewall fell.
I asked the foreman, " are these men skilled,
As the men you'd hire if you had to build?"
He gave a laugh and said, "No, indeed;
Just common labor is all I need.
I can easily wreck in a day or two
What builder have taken a year to do."
And I thought to myself as I went my way,
Which of these two roles have I tried to play?
Am I a builder who works with care
Measuring life by the rule and square?
Am I shaping my deeds by a well-made plan,
Patiently doing the best I can?
Or am I a wrecker who walks the town
Content with the labor of tearing down?

Clarence E. Allerton, Local Union 439, Orange, N.J.

Greetings 2009

2009-01-08T07:21:00.000-08:00

This new year is already picking up the pace from the relaxing holiday season. Next Friday, January 16, 2009 is the opening day for the Greater Philadelphia Historic Home Show. Chuck began constructing frames for mirrors to show and sell last month. The hardwoods that were selected for the mirror project are, Cherry, Maple and Flame Birch. The frames are mortise and tenon, a form of joinery dating back to 2400 BC. Jonathan will add the color to finish the fine furniture pieces. The mirrors are our signature item, kind of a large calling card. A hand crafted, easy to carry away from the show piece that people can hang on their wall - reflecting beauty - and be reminded of the kind of service we provide for our friends/clients. The Historic Home Show will provide for us an opportunity to "predict" how the world is affecting those of us who treasure our vintage homes and the built heritage we share as a nation. Preservation is Green. I am optimistic!

2008-12-18T06:15:00.000-08:00

Season's Greetings! This is the time of year when we all take a little extra time to reflect on our family, our world and what life has presented to us in the past year. If you pay attention to the news, most of us are suffering from some form of shell shock or even Post Traumatic Stress. Some of the institutions we all thought were "bullet" proof, turn out to be part of a mass illusion. How did this happen? Each of us share a portion of the responsibility for this. Each of us must resolve to do better in the New Year. I can hear a lone voice in the wilderness, " I am only one person, what difference can I make?"
First abandon the old way of thinking. Instead of seeking instant - anything, make decisions that will bring long term benefits. Each choice that you make will not be added to the Merry-go-Round of built in obsolescence. This is the perfect time to push for recovery at personal, national and global levels. This "new" direction can be more rewarding in terms of personal life enrichment than the "old" boom was. The new mind set should provide self fulfilling intentions to every aspect of our day to day living.
Moving forward, we must restore ourselves. A book written by Storm Cunningham, "The Restorations Economy" was published in 2005. Danielle wrote about this book in the July 14, 2008 blog. The books focus is in the building industry but the message should be embraced by everyone who sees real opportunity in the -other side- of all the failures of current industry and institutions of the past months.
As we venture into the next phase of "Life" let us all choose to be the pebble that radiates gentle ripples through the collective conscience of our world.
Blessings, Peace and Love

The Hancock House

2008-11-26T11:40:00.001-08:00

Historic Restorations recently built the 'tavern' door for the 1734 Hancock House for the New Jersey State Park Service. The Hancock House is one of just a few houses left in Southern New Jersey with the date in a decorative pattern on the gable end. Besides the architectural importance the house was the site of the March 20, 1778 massacre by the British troops to punish the local militia (stationed within the Hancock House) for not supporting the British Army when they came for supplies. Everyone within the house was bayoneted - Judge William Hancock died several days after the attack.

Energy Conservation Workshop

2008-11-03T08:01:00.000-08:00

On Wednesday, October 28, Jonathan and Danielle attended a energy conservation workshop offered by LIVE Green and Pure Energy. We learned things that can be done within an older building (they used a city row house as the example) to help conserve energy. The importance of insulation and energy efficient appliances to significantly reduce heating and electric bills. We appreciated the physics lesson explaining why replacement windows are not the answer to save energy (beyond the historic value).

LIVE Green is a non-profit organization that promotes sustainable city living their website is www.livelancaster.org for more information on their purpose, events, and workshops. Pure Energy is a Lancaster-based energy auditing company their website is www.pureenergyaudits.com for information on their services, training, and energy conservation tools.

Historic Preservation Trust of Lancaster County Architectural History Tour

2008-10-20T07:27:00.001-07:00

On Sunday, October 19, Chuck, Lois, Jonathan, Danielle, and Josh attended the Architectural History Tour of the Northeast Lancaster Township Historic District. The tour was appropriately called "Mansions on Marietta" and highlighted buildings built as the first suburban development in Lancaster County.

The oldest house on the tour was built in 1828 and is Wheatland home of 15th President James Buchanan. The other six homes on the tour (private residences) where built between 1920 and 1939. These houses reminded us of the "old" (at least 100 years old) building on the West Coast.

Williamsburg

2008-10-13T08:45:00.000-07:00

Danielle and Jonathan spent three days in Colonial Williamsburg with Jonathan's parents Donald and Diane. The picture shows Jonathan and his dad in the stocks next to the courthouse - they quickly learned that public punishment was not very comfortable. A lot has changed in Williamsburg since Danielle and Jonathan visited Thanksgiving 2001. They are in the process of building a new plantation close to the Colonial Capital of Virginia to show how the majority of people lived during this time period - they have a few buildings built (the smaller outbuildings) and they will have to wait until the coffeehouse next to the Capital building is finished being built (next fall) for the carpenters (using only 18th century tools) to build the main house at the plantation.

Jonathan also had a new appreciation for the hand forged rosehead nails that we purchase after watching the blacksmith make them one at a time. Having the time to step back in history appreciating the colonial architecture (noticing the similarities and differences depending on the region of the country) and learning more about the people that lived during our colonial period was a relaxing way to spend a warm fall weekend.

Rainy Days...

2008-10-03T07:21:00.000-07:00

What to do when a wet Nor'Eastener settles over Staten Island on a work day? Take the ferry to the Big Apple! Lois and Chuck went on an adventure in Manhattan last Friday. We arrived at the Staten Island Ferry Terminal at noon and mingled with the local fokes waiting to board the ferry to the City. Hearing serveral different languages spoken by excited young adults making their way around the deck. As we all braved the wind and the rain to watch the tug boats, tankers, and ships glide along the Hudson River. Lady Liberty appeared out of the fog to greet us, a beacon of hope and welcome for the past 100 plus years. The ride was actually fast, about 15 minutes. Landing in the Battery Section of lower Manhattan.. Of course Chuck and I walked around, looking up, pointing out the architectual details on the buildings to each other, like a couple of tourist. We even walked to Wall Street, there were a lot of people in the bars....

Catching the ferry to return to Staten Island at the end of the day was another eye opening event. Dare I say thousands of people gathered and boarded the ferry. This system of transporttion works and its free. Historic Restorations will have a field trip to the city again, we will make sure that the kids experince this too.

Columbia Preservation Fair

2008-09-22T06:20:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, September 20, 2008 we presented "How to Approach Work on Your Older Home" to a group of interested homeowners in Columbia, Pennsylvania. We discussed avoiding common mistakes, how to make an older home more energy efficient, and how to plan for the work. After we finished the question and answer segment Chuck offered to take anyone who was interested to go outside to look at some of the mistakes made (previously, such as, sandblasting and using Portland Cement based mortar) on the Columbia Market House and the maintenance tasks that can be completed to help preserve the building. The preservation fair was sponsored by The Borough of Columbia and the Historic Architectural Review Board through the support of The Richard C. von Hess Foundation.

Ephrata Cloister

2008-09-16T07:49:00.000-07:00

On Sunday, September 14, 2008, we went to the Ephrata Cloister's tour of the second and third floors (areas not usually open to the public). The third floor is mostly intact from the 18th century (used to recreate the rooms on the first floor for the museum tour) and the second floor was "remodeled" in the 19th century with some walls being taken out and staircases moved. The most interesting features were the wooden thumb latches and wooden hinges on the cabinets.

Some of the buildings on the Cloister site are unique because they are half-timber (frame buildings with the inside of the frame filled with masonry and then covered by wooden siding). This is the largest collection of buildings constructed in this manner in Pennsylvania.

Labor Day Weekend

2008-09-16T07:35:00.000-07:00

We spent Labor Day Weekend at the Oregon Coast at the Groshong family reunion. The picture shows Chuck with his siblings in descending order. Almost the entire family gathered to reconnect and reminisce about times spent at the beach. With walks on the beach, rowing in the lake, and a bonfire with singing a good time was had by all.

Practical Restoration Reports

2008-08-28T06:31:00.000-07:00

We are working on building our preservation store on our website. Besides the Speedheater Paint Removal System we are adding John Leeke's Practical Restoration Reports. These reports are able to be used by homeowners, contractors, and architects to provide an industry standard within restoration to work to. The reports we are going to carry are: Save Your Wood Windows, Wood-Epoxy Repairs, Wood Gutters, Exterior Wood Columns, Mouldings, Exterior Woodwork Details, and Managing Maintenance. A sample of Save Your Wood Windows
http://historichomeworks.com/hhw/reports/WoodWindowsSampleScr.PDF is available at the link above.

If you know of a preservation product or tool that you cannot live without let us know we are always looking for additional products to added to our website to help people restore/preserve their buildings with sensitivity.

Have a great holiday weekend!

Habitat for Humanity

2008-08-22T06:35:00.001-07:00

Chuck, Jonathan, and Josh worked at the Lancaster Habitat for Humanity houses Thursday and Friday this week. The pictures above show them helping to set trusses for the new houses Habitat is building on Beaver Street in Lancaster. We believe this is a good use of our talents to help build homes for those that are less fortunate.

Nine Mile Canyon

2008-08-11T07:00:00.000-07:00

The National Trust for Historic Preservation's Forum Journal for the Summer 2008 highlights how the federal government's energy policy is threatening cave drawings (5000 BC) in the Nine Mile Canyon in Utah. Since the Energy Policy Act of 2005 opened up federal lands for energy development 120 natural gas wells have been drilled above the Nine Mile Canyon with 50 more planned. This has caused multiple problems with dust covering the drawings from the many vehicles traveling the dirt roads to the natural gas wells. In addition the additional traffic is endangering the thousands of artifacts (from stone beads to pottery pieces to stone tools). In 2004 (before the Energy Policy Act of 2005) the National Trust named Nine Mile Canyon to the list of 11 Most Endangered Historic Places.

We all want to work for energy independence deciding which route to take is the largest dilemma in solving this problem. A question we need to ask ourselves is the amount of natural gas being collected from these wells worth the potential damage to the irreplaceable cave drawings?

More information about the Nine Mile Canyon can be found on the National Trust website at: http://www.preservationnation.org/take-action/advocacy-center/action-alerts/nine-mile-canyon-at-risk.html.

Winterthur

2008-08-04T08:43:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, Sunday, August 3rd, Jonathan and Danielle took Chuck and Lois to Winterthur (Wintertour is the pronunciation given to us on the tram tour)for their 35th wedding Anniversary. Winterthur is located in Delaware and is the vision of Henry Francis DuPont (he expanded the existing house on the property into a museum and then opened it up to the public). In addition to the house dedicated to preserving America's history through a collection of decorative arts including furniture from many different time periods up until 1860, china, pottery, silverware, and the period rooms many of which have been taken out of buildings that were being demolished serving as a backdrop to the antiques) there are hundreds of acres of gardens to walk and enjoy.

The most impressive feature we saw (we only took two tours of the house and want to go back and see the rest of the house) was the Montmorenci staircase (three floors of spiral stairs unsupported) built from the design of a southern staircase purchased by DuPont. The staircase is supported internally by concrete and metal but to stand at the bottom and look up three floors to a complete 360 degree turn is worth the trip to Delaware if that was the only thing you would see. But that is not the only thing to see there are nine floors and over a hundred rooms full of antiques and a record of America's history through the very items that were used everyday by our forefathers.

Historic American Buildings Survey

2008-07-30T06:48:00.000-07:00

The Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) began in 1933 now contains the written record with drawings and photographs of 35,000 historic structures. This is a digital collection managed by the Library of Congress. Many buildings we have been involved in restoring have been featured within this collection. Searching the HABS for your building or buildings in your area can give you clues to the remodeling completed on your structure. This provides a good place to begin researching your building's history and gives you a snapshot of the time period when the HABS was recorded. You can search the collection at http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/collections/habs_haer/. This is just one of the many tools available to help you research the history of your building.

Dog Days of Summer

2008-07-22T11:03:00.000-07:00

No, this post is not going to feature more pictures of the "girls" our office dogs. We are at the end of a heat wave in Pennsylvania and I am feeling like a trip to the pool is in order.

We received our contract for The Greater Philadelphia Historic Home Show in January in the mail this week - that has us thinking about our plans for next year and what we can do. We are also working on our class schedule for 2009 - please let us know if there are any topics you are interested in that we did not offer this year.

On Sunday morning after breakfast we walked down to Building Character (www.buildingcharacter.biz) in the 300 block of North Queen Street in Lancaster. They were having their Sunday Market (organic food vendors, local produce,with live music and architectural details for sale). I bought a picture of one of the Star Barn's (locally famous on Route 283 outside of Harrisburg - soon to be moved to Lebanon) outbuildings (which I consider more architecturally interesting than the main barn). The outbuilding was built in the Gothic Revival tradition and features an interesting cupola. Anyway I digress -Building Character is not the typical architectural salvage store - they attach history of the pieces if they know it and they are blending architecture with art. In the same way we try to do with our work. If you have an opportunity, I recommend visiting Building Character for a unique shopping experience (if you have a chance to visit on Sunday you can also grab lunch).

Restoration is Green Building

2008-07-14T08:20:00.000-07:00

Green building is all the rage in the building industry. I can not open a remodeling or design/build magazine without a reference to a green building project. Preservation and restoration work is green in it's approach. By using resources (building materials) that have already be harvested on land that has already be cleared is a greener approach than building a brand new building using new green materials. When you are building a new building you have to create the resources, ship them to the building supply store, and then ship them to the job site on the newly cleared land (from farmland, forest, or a tear down).

Storm Cunningham in The Restoration Economy (covering all aspects of the restoration economy natural and built environments) states that 25% of all landfill waste is from construction activities. By reusing the salvaged materials from buildings that are being torn down in our restoration projects we are keeping those materials out of the landfills.

It is easy with these new green materials to refer to new building as green. The new building materials are green for a new building approach but that approach is not necessary the best method when working on an older home (one built before 1945). There are ways to take a green building approach when dealing with your older building that does not include retrofitting inappropriate modern materials.

Odds and Ends

2008-07-02T10:32:00.000-07:00

The production crew spent the last week in Staten Island, New York repairing/rebuilding a cornice on the Curtis house. We have been working on this project since April the original scope of work was repairing the original porch and making traditional (single pane, true divided light) windows for the first floor. The scope of work has grown to the restoration of the entire front facade - removing aluminum siding, repairing rot and portions that the siding installers cut the architectural details away.

Back at the office our June newsletter was mailed (a day late) and we are investigating the e-newsletter options on Constant Contact. If you would like to be added to our e-mail list please e-mail dkeperling@historic-restorations.com.

In our June newsletter we introduced the Speedheater Paint Removal System - if you are interested in a demonstration or rental please call us we would be happy to accommodate any requests. The office number is 717-291-4688.

Father's Day Weekend we had a wood window repair class. We enjoyed our time teaching and getting to know the participants - look for pictures and video of this class to be added to our website soon. One thing that we have heard from almost all of our participants is that they thought there was some mystical secret to restoration. We spent sometime during the class discussing that the majority of restoration work can be taught within a relatively short amount of time - these usually are the repetitive labor intensive projects - and if the building owner is willing to contribute some "sweat equity" the cost of restoration can be greatly reduced. Of course there is a percentage of the work in which skill and expertise are required - which is the work we enjoy doing (the detail orientated - finish work).

Have a happy Fourth of July - enjoy sometime with your family cooking out and watching fireworks!

Historic Preservation Incentive Program (HB 221)

2008-06-27T09:00:00.001-07:00

Historic Preservation Incentive Program (HB 221) is a piece of pending legislation that will help preserve historic structures across Pennsylvania. The legislation is designed to encourage people buying, selling, or dealing with historic buildings to be sensitive to the buildings history. This legislation will give more incentives to homeowners and developers making more grants and tax credits available for the preservation/rehab of historic structures. This legislation would help the state in multiple ways: preserving our collective built history, encourage economic development, and reinvest capital in our cities and towns. Twenty-nine other states have already enacted similar legislation.

What can you do?
The budget negotiations are going on right now and are scheduled to conclude next Tuesday, July 1st. Contact Governor Rendell, your State Senators, and House Members. Let them know how important our historical resources are to you. For more information regarding HB 221 contact the National Trust for Historic Preservation at http://www.nationaltrust.org/ (information is available on the advocacy page of their website along with a letter to e-mail to your local representatives and Governor Rendell).

Take Your Dogs to Work Day

2008-06-20T07:21:00.000-07:00

Today is the first day of summer and also bring your dogs to work day. So we decided to bring our dogs to the office and take pictures of them in while they "work". Delilah (Jack Russell), Analiese (White German Shepherd), Bernadette (Am Staff), and Angelica (Pug) have made our day a little more exciting.

On a more serious note we had a successful hands-on plaster class last weekend (June 14th and 15th). We have posted pictures and video from this class on the class portion of our website. Chuck and Jonathan spent both days teaching how to plaster an entire wall from scratch using lathe and a traditional three coat plaster method, how to patch holes, and how to repair cracks. Despite the warm weather everyone left feeling confident in their ability to tackle the plaster projects in their own homes - which was our goal.

Wood Window Repair Seminar in Bellefonte, PA

2008-06-13T08:42:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday, June 7, Chuck, Lois, and Danielle drove to Bellefonte, Pennsylvania (right above State College) to conduct a seminar for the Borough of Bellefonte as part of their wood window seminar day in the park. There where various other exhibitors (replacement windows, storm windows, and stained glass window experts with booths) as part of the window fair.

It was a hot day with high humidity on top of the heat - I would describe it was oppressive. We made due with the weather (which impacted the turn out) and moved our presentation into the park gazebo were there was shade and benches for the attendees.

Despite the small crowd we had a good time discussing the importance of wood windows to a historic building, the replacement cycle (caused by inferior new growth wood and modern construction practices) (the replacement window salesman was not happy with this aspect of the discussion), storm window options (interior and exterior), the energy efficiency of wood windows (with support from the University of Vermont Wood Window Report - showing the energy savings is less than a dollar a year when wood windows are replaced with modern replacement windows - a copy is available under the Services section of our website), how to make wood windows more energy efficient, and a demonstration of the steps to repair wood windows.

We enjoyed sharing our knowledge with the few concerned homeowners and the Borough of Bellefonte's available HARB members. We look forward to visiting this Victorian city again in the near future.

Inital Post

2008-06-03T07:24:00.000-07:00

We are a residential restoration company focusing on the preservation of our collective built history for future generations. We hope to help educate our clients and the general public to care for their older buildings and make decisions that will benefit the preservation of the building.

This is our first venture into the world of blogging. We will complete at least one posting a week regarding some form of preservation/restoration news, information, or trivia. We often make presentations to preservation groups and will highlight those presentations as well as our hands on classes within our blog and on our website.