Category: Get Your House Right!

Help Me! Where Do I Start My RENO!

I get asked all the time by clients – how do I start my renovation? The most important document is a plan of renovation and preservation. Rather than bulldozing ahead and tearing-out remodeling of past owners and trying to renovate or preserve piecemeal, the home owner needs a written plan and a well thought out schedule before he or she starts the work.

Ask the Old Home Doctor | Asbestos in Heating Ducts!

I have a question that I was hoping Dr. Cooper could answer.  I live in a 1913 home in Aurora, Ontario.  We had the home inspected and we were told that there is asbestos in the heating grates.  (We have metal heating grates on the wall and between the metal duct and the wall is…

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9 Common Heritage Masonry Problems

The appearance of brick and stone masonry owes as much to the character of the mortar joints as to the brick and stones themselves. Unsuitable poorly executed repointing can affect not only the look but also the durability of masonry and is amongst the most frequent causes of damage to the character and fabric of a historic building.

A Heritage Landscape | Neo-Classical Fence

This lovely 18th century house (circa 1716) is located north of Boston, Massachusetts. These images were taken in the early 1930’s and are a record of both the building and this most remarkable wood fence. I would surmise the fence would date from the mid 19th century, but it has a very Neo-Classical flavour to the design so it could even be earlier.

Floorcloths | A Fashionable History

Floorcloths or “Oylcloths” are first mentioned in Britain at the beginning of the eighteenth century. They were painted by humble house painters and often offered in the classical designs used for marble floors by the fashionable architects of the day.

Wood Shingles | A Once Ubiquitous Crown

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! 

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. 

Should You Get Rid of Those Old Wood Windows?

You finally bought that house on the hill.  You know that one.  It’s ‘100-and-something’ years old.  It has that steep roof and those weird, different-shaped shingles.  It has that gingerbread in the eves and multi-pane windows with old-fashioned wooden storms.  Part of the roof is wooden shingles.  The ‘old guy’ used to live there and then his family put it on the market after he died. 

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.