The house had suffered from neglect and then, in 2011, from the devastation of Hurricane Irene. With an L-shaped footprint, the big house boasts 10 bedrooms.
The building probably dates to ca. 1836, though the Italianate touches may have come a bit later. It's a country example of a Tuscan Villa-defined by the boxlike symmetry, a heavily bracketed cornice, and the belvedere on the roof. (That "cupola with a view" historically was used as a viewing pavilion. It is also a passive ventilation device.) Like this house, many Villas have a front verandah.
A rear ell had been constructed on stilts, without the basement that supported the front section. "It was so cold in that part of the house!" says Sarah Blank, the interior designer who worked with the family to design the kitchen and furnish the interior. Excavation, structural work, and new mechanical systems preceded final design of rooms inside.
1. A WELCOMING ENTRY
A new mudroom connects the back door to the kitchen. The antique settee came with the house. A Dutch (split) door is versatile, controlling egress and ventilation; it complements the simple battened wainscoting. The pine wide-plank floors are original.
This story is from the Renovation Lookbook 2023 edition of Old House Journal.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the Renovation Lookbook 2023 edition of Old House Journal.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
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.
