Their contractor warned wood shingles was more expensive and yet also, not as good. Their contractor was a coward. That last one was my assertion, and it still is!
Category: Curb Appeal
Ingledale House | A Hidden Gem
The jewel in the crown of this splendid building is the 12 over 12 sash windows flanking the central door (where in most Neoclassical design would favour sidelights) with the second floor duplicated for symmetry. Usually, Neoclassical houses follow the form of its earlier interpretation, the Georgian (which the original 1815 house in the rear did) with a typical five-bay symmetry. However, in this case the house is decidedly asymmetrical with the central window and door arrangement.
A Fine View | Belvedere
Belvedere is a room built above the roof for the purpose of obtaining a “fine view” (literal Italian translation).
Wooden Soffits (No, you won’t be board)
Wood soffits, they’re boards, with paint. That’s it. That’s what they are. That’s all they are. Pretty simple. Right? That’s why you don’t read anything really dedicated to them.
Poison Ivy
To remove existing vines, cut them off at the base of the plant and allow the vine attached to your house to wither and die. This may take several weeks or even months, depending on whether or not the side of the house has direct exposure to the sun.
Old Home Living House One: Siding Repair With Epoxy
The image in Figure 1 is usually the last nail in the proverbial coffin of older wood siding.
Wooden Scaffolding
When I was young and foolish, I would climb ladders and walk ridgepoles on three-and four-storey houses without a care and without fear.
Even More Wallpaper Woes
In our previous article entitled “Wallpaper Woes,” where we gave our best advice to repair plaster walls after the removal of many layers of wallpaper.
Architectural Millwork
The true sense of a craftsman is the quality of their work!
A Closet Solution
Many people who own traditional houses have one thing in common, the total lack of closet space!
Water-Based Paints Of Old
Paint has had a very long history as is evident in cave paintings and the Egyptian Hieroglyphs, and in the colourful 200-year-old armoire you purchased while on vacation in rural Quebec.
For The Love OF Wooden Columns
More and more terribly executed repairs are being perpetrated on original verandah, portico, or porch posts and columns in Canada each day.
A Wooden Dado
In the mid to late 18th century, lath and plaster walls were devised to hang beautiful hand-blocked wallpaper.
Protected: A Structural Sill Replacement
There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.
The Homestead
Living in a home that has been in our family for four generations has been an interesting and challenging experience.
Antiquities: Primitives, Design Essentials
I am a personal admirer of primitives. I am not talking about new items that are just made to look old, rather the items that are very old, very simple and of very high museum quality.
How To Choose Furniture For Your Heritage Home
Restoring the “envelope” of an historic building requires many skills. Not only does the restorer need to know about the various trades, but must also approach them from a historical perspective.
Old Home Living House One: Siding
In this issue of Old Home Living we decided to tackle the siding on Old Home Living House One in Brantford, Ontario.
The Bedroom
It has taken almost one thousand years for bedrooms to evolve into those which we see today.
Traditions
The earliest houses were an example of the direct outgrowth of architecture from function and materials.
Wallpaper Woes
Many people who live in century houses come across, in some cases, dozens of layers of wallpaper on walls and ceilings.
Ceiling Level Annandale
When Tillsonburg Ontario’s first mayor, Edwin Delvan Tillson, decided to build his beautiful retirement home, Annandale, he chose a high-gothic brick villa straight from William M. Woolett’s pattern book “Villas and Cottages; or, Homes for All” published in 1876 at the height of the Eastlake movement started by English furniture designer George Eastlake
Circa 1835 Ireland House
Exceptional for many reasons, Ireland House is a valuable historic structure – an architecturally intact farmstead – which remained in continued use by one family for five generations.
A Wooden Box Latch
You will find all sorts of interesting things when you dismantle an old building.
Ready For Another 200 Years
Somehow the universe guided us to this old house. Vacationing here as children, we never dreamed that one day we would own it.
10 Ways To Bring Spring Into Your Home
Yes, you have heard it again and again. To some people, clutter is cozy, but to others, clutter sucks away energy.
Antiquities At The Cabin Fever Show
This winter has been a rough one, colder than I can remember and just plain long and dull! I guess it is true what they say, when stranded indoors during the winter, cabin fever can set in!
All About Hand-Wrought Iron
Wrought Iron conjures up many visual interpretations of the Smithy pounding out horse shoes to keep early Canadians on the road.
About Shutters
Shutters are one of the most misunderstood elements on heritage homes and have become, to the majority, nothing but a piece of ornamental trim to flank windows and, in some cases, doors.
Painting A Raised Panel Door
Recently we restored an early six-panel wooden door. When it came to painting it, we found the task not as easy as one may think. If you paint across the grain, the finished product looks terrible.
Free Picket Fence Plans
I have created a set of drawings in hopes to inspire the reader to recreate this historic landscape in their own front yard!
12 Great Visions of Gingerbread – A Lookbook
The true sense of a craftsman is the quality of their work! We look at architectural millwork (a.k.a. gingerbread) and are awestruck at the intricacy and workmanship that went into these pieces of wooden art!
Green Water DIY – An olde fashioned wooden rain barrel solution.
The problem with most commercial water collection barrels is they are plastic and unattractive and do not fit in the landscape of a Vintage Home very well.
31 Fabulous Nova Scotia Doors & Entries – A Lookbook
Old doors have been given a bad rap (excuse the pun) for a long time! The removal of old doors (not unlike wood windows) can significantly reduce or destroy the character and authenticity of a traditional home. The door is the first thing that greets the owner and visitors alike. The warmth and character of…
Verandah Valhalla
And now I leave you with these thoughts… there is nothing which better creates curb appeal, character and makes a house a home than a beautifully maintained and loved wooden verandah.
Don’t Be Afraid of Red!
I enjoy exploring older neighborhoods and looking at the older homes. I pay particular attention to the architectural details and the paint colours used, as this is my special interest. Many people have a fear of painting their house a bold colour such as red however red is a fabulous colour to make both a…
Through the Garden Gate – A Lookbook
A garden gate becomes an attractive focal point for curb appeal and a welcoming portal to what wonderful delights await on the other side; a loved and cared for garden or the charming and perfectly restored house.
