"Lois,
I agree with the general idea of your statement, although with huge caveats and asterisks. Obviously, what you are referring to is the horrible "remuddlings" folks perform on their houses where they, for instance, take a Queen…"
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Lois Groshong
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Your House is a Money Pit/10 Common Mistakes people make while working on their Historic Building
5 Replies
#10 Mixing and Matching Period Styles. Respect the original character of your building and maintain the period style with which it originally designed. Avoid making changes that may try to…Continue
Started this discussion. Last reply by Andy Streenz May 14.
More...Your House is a Money Pit, #9
2 Replies
#9 Not Having a Plan of Attack. A plan is necessary to maintain an order to the progress of a project. If a task is completed out of order, it can cost more money when you have to complete the…Continue
Tags: windows, replacement, doors, DYI, how-to
Started this discussion. Last reply by Sarah Felix Burns May 1.
10 Common Mistakes, Your House is a Money Pit
8. Bad Design - Non-Water Shedding, etc. Without proper water-shedding design joints can open and allow water in, which can lead to fungal deterioration. Proper design can prevent many major…Continue
Tags: common, mistakes, bad, prevention, pit
Started Feb 23
Your House is a Money Trap/10 Common Mistakes People make while working on their Older Homes
7. Replacement Not In-KindAccording to Preservation standards, historic character should be retained and distinctive materials that characterize a property will be preserved. While repair and…Continue
Tags: siding, house, doors, preservation, standards
Started Feb 13
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Andy Streenz replied to Lois Groshong's discussion Your House is a Money Pit/10 Common Mistakes people make while working on their Historic Building
johninelgin replied to Lois Groshong's discussion Your House is a Money Trap.....""A stitch in time..." is SO important. When I bought my 110 year old clapboard bungalow, I took the time to survey the house, prioritize, and plan. The first thing I did was the roof. (3 layers of asphalt, over original cedar…"
lyn joy replied to Lois Groshong's discussion Your House is a Money Pit/10 Common Mistakes people make while working on their Historic Building"My home is an 1817 Georgian colonial. It had no bathrooms or kitchens. It was made into 2 units in the early 1900's. The ell is balloon frame. The main house is post and beam. I have done most of the new work…"
Lois Groshong replied to Lois Groshong's discussion Your House is a Money Pit/10 Common Mistakes people make while working on their Historic Building"That is a hard call, because people change their homes as they become more prosperous, or/and have more childern. With a two hundred year old house many remodels have taken place. You can choose to let the house tell its story and leave…"
lyn joy replied to Lois Groshong's discussion Your House is a Money Pit/10 Common Mistakes people make while working on their Historic Building"Would you prefer a simpler mantle? Is the other one pretty? Someone thought so. You are the one looking at it. Do what you like.
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cblehmann replied to Lois Groshong's discussion Your House is a Money Pit/10 Common Mistakes people make while working on their Historic Building"Our house was built in 1830's but in 1899, owners completely remodled it, adding and expanding, installing drains (wonder where they are?) a water system, complete with windmill driven pump and attic cistern, semi- paving…"
Lois Groshong posted a discussionYour House is a Money Pit/10 Common Mistakes people make while working on their Historic Building
#10 Mixing and Matching Period Styles. Respect the original character of your building and maintain the period style with which it originally designed. Avoid making changes that may try to make it appear older, newer or fancier than what it really is. Even small subtle changes that do not seem to have an impact will accumulate over time and begin to sacrifice the histoirc integrity of the building. Also, adding features that serve no functional purpose will rob the building of its…See More
Sarah Felix Burns replied to Lois Groshong's discussion More...Your House is a Money Pit, #9"I think after a few houses, those six steps just come to me intuitively now!
(i.e. current house had to fix the multi-spliced knob & tube wiring in the attic so as not to burn the house down in the first two weeks!!)"
Trevor K. Stringer replied to Lois Groshong's discussion More...Your House is a Money Pit, #9"Thanks for sharing! Lot's of practical information here!
I agree with your point - if we don't plan first and allocate the limited fund we have today... perhaps we would fall for a double loss and a headache!
that principle I guess, is…"
Lois Groshong posted a discussionMore...Your House is a Money Pit, #9
#9 Not Having a Plan of Attack. A plan is necessary to maintain an order to the progress of a project. If a task is completed out of order, it can cost more money when you have to complete the same task morn than once. Work should progress in six basic steps: 1. Safety - An important first step is to ensure that the structure is safe for occupants. 2. Structural - The structural systems should be tested to verify that they support the building's…See More
TriDog replied to Lois Groshong's discussion Your House is a Money Trap....."I grew up hearing my Dad yelling... "I hate this F****** house". My dad worked in profanity like artist worked in oils or clay.
But I did learn that when problems pop up, to get on it right away. And do it…"
Lois Groshong posted a discussion10 Common Mistakes, Your House is a Money Pit
8. Bad Design - Non-Water Shedding, etc. Without proper water-shedding design joints can open and allow water in, which can lead to fungal deterioration. Proper design can prevent many major expenditures and repairs. Exterior surfaces must be able to shed rainwater. However, creating a design that allows rainwater to move from the house's highest point to the ground without getting stuck, is difficult. Key to proper water-shedding is that all exterior surfaces are angled away from the…See More
Lois Groshong posted a discussionYour House is a Money Trap/10 Common Mistakes People make while working on their Older Homes
7. Replacement Not In-KindAccording to Preservation standards, historic character should be retained and distinctive materials that characterize a property will be preserved. While repair and restoration is always the preferred option in retaining historic character, it is not always a viable option, due to extensive deterioration or misssing parts. The next step is limited "replacement in kind." "In kind" means a replica of the old feature in all respects, except improved condition.There are…See More
Lois Groshong posted a discussionYour House is a Money Pit/10 Common Mistakes people make while working on their Historic Building
6. Not Maintaining the Buidling. All buildings deteriorate over time. Sunlight, wind, seasonal weather, tempterature changes, insects, rodents, birds, vegetation, and chemical pollutants are all factors in the long-term deterioration process of a building. Another factor, is neglect. With proper treatment, historic buildings can continue to survive for decades more - in many cases, lasting longer than modern buildings. Waiting to perform maintenance only after something fails doesn't…See More
Jill Perkins replied to Lois Groshong's discussion Your House is a Money Pit/10 Common Mistakes......."I've had good luck with most brands, but prefer Sherwin Williams mainly because I've used it so often that it is predictable and I adore their Preservation Palette of historic colors. I recently used their texture paint to skim coat…"
"Glidden, Dutch Boy and others still have the name, but have been formulated to meet a lower price point for the big box stores. Quality has definetely suffered. I know that Behr and others always test well in Consumer Reprots, but in the…"
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- Tell us about yourself:
- I am the wife of a life long wood worker and I am promoting the first ever Lancaster Historic Home Show, in Lancaster, PA.
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- We live to work on, live-in and share our knowledge of the care for vintage homes to the world.
Lois Groshong's Blog
Your House is a Money Pit --10 Common Mistakes People Make While Working on their Historic Building
Continued from 12/9/2011
In addition, aluminum and vinyl siding is often applied to buildings in need of maintenance and repair, thereby concealing problems which are an early warning sign of deterioration. Cosmetic treatment to hide difficulties such as peeling paint, stains or other indications of deterioration is not a sound preservation practice. In addition, artificial siding makes it impossible to monitor the condition of the building because it is hidden from…
ContinuePosted on December 14, 2011 at 12:27pm
10 Common Mistakes People Make While Working on their Historic Building.
2. Applying vinyl or other synthetic materials.
Structures are historic because the materials and craftsmanship reflected in their construction are tangible and irreplaceable evidence of our cultural heritage. Substitute materials subtract from the basic integrity, historically and architecturally, of buildings. Historic materials should be retained wherever possible. Since wood has always been present in abundance in America, there is a richness and diversity of wood sidings…
ContinuePosted on December 9, 2011 at 1:11pm
10 Common Mistakes People Make While Working on their Historic Building
1. Repointing bricks with modern mortar. Masonry is one of the most durable historic building materials, however it is also very susceptible to damage as a result of improper maintenance or repair. Mortar is used to bond together masonry units. The interaction between mortar and brick or stone is complex and often misunderstood. Historic mortar (lime based) was generally soft and readily allowed water or vapor to pass. Modern mortar (Portland cement) is very hard and slow to transmit water…
ContinuePosted on December 5, 2011 at 11:45am
Your House is a Money Pit...
You know that to preserve your home you must take responsibility for it's care. Some of you are handy and willing to tackle this "homework". Some of you are not as well versed in swinging a hammer and the such, in that case calling for reinforcements - a friend of a friend of a friend who repaired something in a house before. I am not knocking either approach, what my concern is - have you done your due…
ContinuePosted on December 1, 2011 at 2:15pm
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