Traditional joinery is a term we’ve all heard as a hallmark of historical millwork. But what is it and why is it so important in preservation of historic buildings? What is Traditional Joinery? Joinery in general is the woodworking technique that joins together two pieces of wood. What a joint looks like, how strong …
Traditional Joinery: What it is and why is it important in preservation? Read More »
We’ve added Big Spring Farm to our Hidden Gem list for a good reason. With no website, no official or regular hours, no main contact information, no obvious advertisements, and yet huge preservation efforts and achievements – Big Spring Farm may very well be our most hidden gem of all. Somewhere around 5am Saturday morning, …
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 …
Protect Historic Masonry Buildings from Permanent Damage Caused by Portland Mortar Historic masonry buildings are very different from modern buildings. Historic bricks were fired at lower temperatures and are much softer and more permeable than modern bricks. Historic buildings constructed with these softer bricks were designed to absorb moisture and then release it. A key …
Portland is a great place for a getaway….not so great for historic buildings. Read More »
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 …
This post is by our Guest Blogger House Crazy Sarah. It was originally posted on her website, www.house-crazy.com. She’s writing about Shotgun Houses – an architectural style most commonly found in the Southern states, but she does reference a few examples found North of the Mason Dixon line. I searched a bit for examples …
Kitchens are more than just a place to cook our food. They are usually one of the main family living areas where we gather, commune, play, break bread with family and friends, and sometimes even work with laptop and files plopped on the table so we are sure to stay abreast of all the …
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 »
Exciting news just in….from Preservation Pennsylvania: Historic Tax Credit Established in Pennsylvania On Saturday, June 30, Pennsylvania became the 30th state in the country to have a state historic tax credit when Governor Tom Corbett signed the FY 2013 Commonwealth Budget and established the Historic Preservation Incentive Act. (Click on the link to read an …
In the summer of 2011, the tower at Independence Hall was bared to the bones for the first time since it was added in 1828. In a restoration project for the National Park Service (NPS), contractors bared the face level of the tower down to the structural framing. The NPS has a detailed write-up of …
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