Over several decades, I’d been storing a fi ve-foot-long glass transom window. With a classic design of the period—an etched center panel surrounded by multi-colored sidelights—it transitioned between Victorian and Arts & Crafts and was simply too nice to discard. Finally, as I was working on renovating my English-basement kitchen last year, the transom came to mind. Framed in white oak, it would make a perfect pocket door to close the kitchen off from the rest of the unfi nished basement.
prepping the transom
The antique transom window was examined carefully to ensure that no old nails or hardware remained. To fit its new frame, it was trimmed down one inch on each side (on a table saw) with care taken not to cut too much or use rough handling.
Rabbet joints were then routed into what was now the sash to secure it into the door's frame, for more strength.
building a frame
Esta historia es de la edición July - August 2023 de Old House Journal.
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Esta historia es de la edición July - August 2023 de Old House Journal.
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Navigating the Lumberyard - Here's some lumber lingo you should know before you venture into a lumberyard.
Here's some lumber lingo you should know before you venture into a lumberyard. Almost everyone fixing an old house will end up at a lumberyard-whether it's a local supplier or the organized aisles of a big-box home-improvement store.
a farmhouse renewed
Sensitive renovations and restoration work preserved a house that dates to 1799.
AN OVERVIEW OF METAL ROOFING
METAL ROOFS ARE RESURGENT, FOR GOOD REASONS.
ENDURING BEAUTY IN WALLS of STONE
Now back in the family who had been here since 1830, the old farmhouse is again ready for generations to come. Additions dating to 1840 and the 1950s were preserved.
ARCHITECTURAL DETAILS COME TO LIFE
Owners and their designer celebrate the unique features of a 1912 Arts & Crafts Tudor.
For a Wet Basement Wall
If there's problem common to old houses, it's a wet basement. I'm not talking about occasional flooding, but rather a basement that apparently seeps or leaks after even a rain shower or during snowmelt. Several approaches are available; sustainable solutions will get to the root of the problem.
Patching a Plaster Wall
Fix a hole in the wall with a few common tools and some drywall supplies. Practice your technique!
Roofing & Siding
Make note of these historical and unusual materials for the building envelope.
The Riddle of the water
When water incursion happens, the roof isn't necessarily the culprit. Maybe snaking a drain line, or clearing debris from a clogged gutter, temporarily will stem a leak. But a recurring problem usually means other forces are at work. It takes persistence-and a team with the right skills and patience—to identify the source and apply a solution.
Light-filled Craftsman Redo
For a dark kitchen in a 1914 Illinois house, the trick was anchoring white expanses with woodsy warmth.
