Lancaster’s rich history and diverse architectural styles are a virtual feast for the eyes. Have you experienced them lately? Now that the weather is turning, we are all looking forward to spending more time outside. These walking tours from the City of Lancaster’s website are the perfect way to do so. A Walk …
Do you know the architectural styles of Pennsylvania? The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission has an excellent field guide on the architectural styles found in Pennsylvania. In it, they’ve assigned key periods of development (listed below) – from the Colonial period in the 18th Century to the …
Sometimes preservation takes you on new, surprising paths… Yes, we have kitchens on the brain thanks to a recent custom kitchen project (that turned out to be good fodder for some really cool pictures of our millwork process, so you get to ogle them). The traditional approach to creating a custom kitchen is one we …
Soapstone is a traditional material that’s been in use for thousands of years and is often found in early Colonial American homes. The soft, metamorphic stone material, favored for its ability to withstand and retain heat, was used for fireplaces, hearths, cooking slabs, and water basins. It still is today, thanks to Bucks County Soapstone. …
Bucks County Soapstone: Continuing Thousands of Years of Timelessness Read More »
You hire Reserections. If you want to have any hope of actually moving the castle a thousand miles (without the post office, the moving company, and the airlines losing a few packages and offering you a complimentary Starbucks to say “Sorry!”). Based in Ohio, Reserections specializes in documenting, marketing, and disassembling architecturally unique historical homes. …
How do you move an 1800's stone castle from Ohio to Texas? Read More »
Since I put last month’s e-newsletter to bed (obligatory you can sign up here) yesterday morning (hey, that e-newsletter is one wild party animal on the weekends), I’ve started researching this month’s snail-mail newsletter (another obligatory you can sign up for that one here). We’re delving into the history at Independence National Park in Philadelphia since it’s fresh …
Preservationist vs. revisionist history – is there a time and a place for both? Read More »
“You can’t have your cake and eat it, too” might apply in the kitchen, but when you’re building houses, you sometimes can have both. If you like timber-frame houses but can’t afford one, consider a hybrid. Although a complete timber frame usually costs 10% to 20% more than a comparable stick frame, a small timber-frame …
One of the most rewarding things about historic restoration and preservation is constantly learning about new things and new places. Last week, we learned that we have a National Postal Museum in a former Post Office building in Washington D.C. The National Postal Museum is a Smithsonian museum in Washinton, D.C. residing in the old …
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 …
Your House is a Money Pit more Common Mistakes.. Read More »
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 …
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