Steep staircases, creaky floorboards, and things that go bump in the night are status quo for 90-year-old Deb Richards, who says she's always lived with one foot in the past. Deb grew up in a historic house with parents who collected all the accoutrements to create a period interior. After she married, she raised her children in a 1737 Connecticut house. After her husband's death 35 years ago, Richards didn't think twice about moving to the coast in northern New England.
She wanted to live in a historic district. Torn between this and another First Period house, she made a practical decision. The three-storey house that she refers to as "not-exactly-center-chimney" offered ample parking and boasted two driveways and a garage. Most importantly, it was not a fixer-upper. In fact, the house had been sensitively renovated by its previous owner, who updated plumbing and electricity while conserving historic elements. Then there was the price: $12,000.
AN AUTHENTIC INTERIOR
Woodwork is original in the Georgian-era house. Windows even retain pocket shutters; hidden inside the walls, they car be pulled across the window in frigid weather. The wood-body, wire-arm chandelier burning candles is quite old.
Denne historien er fra July - August 2023-utgaven av Old House Journal.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Denne historien er fra July - August 2023-utgaven av Old House Journal.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
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.
