Remember that old Tim Allen show, Home Improvement--the TV show about a guy who hosts a home improvement TV show called Tool Time? "Tim" would open each episode of Tool Time with the line, "Today I salute those amazing guys . . ." In today's post, I salute the guys who help keep our old homes working. There's no paper credential for someone who calls him or herself a "handyman," but the best have a firm place in my heart. A handyman is someone who probably grew up in a household where folks fixed things without a lot of fuss. He looks at pipes or wires as a doable puzzle rather than a formidable maze. As a boy, he probably helped a father or grandfather make plumbing repairs, paint the back porch, and install a backyard patio. He readily takes things apart, because he's confident he can put them back together again. He likes working with his hands, and learned a fair amount of carpentry outside of shop class. He's doesn't need a clerk's help in the hardware store. Above all, this person is thrifty by nature. He wants to tackle all repairs himself, and scorns elaborate, high-cost solutions. He never replaces when he can repair.
Architectural Salvage in Restoration/Remodeling Projects-I
When I decided to buy a 1928 Craftsman bungalow, its original features--yellow pine cabinets, birch floors, and natural woodwork--were a big part of the charm. Many of the house's original elements had gone missing over the years, however, so part of the restoration process involved hunting down replacements or reproductions of missing parts.
This was lots of fun for a veteran scavenger. I knew something about architectural salvage from a previous remodeling project in a Queen Anne house. I needed to find a new flooring material for the kitchen. It turned out that underneath the worn-out lineoleum was nothing but some scrap wood. New hardwood flooring just didn't look right. Luckily I discovered a local Cambridge, Massachusetts company that sells recycled antique flooring. Longleaf Lumber specializes in beautiful quarter-sawn heart pine flooring. This wood took my breath away. It's a gorgeous tawny yellow color with clear (free of knots) grain texture. The remilled and refinished heart pine gave the narrow, north-facing room a new warm tone. Antique lumber comes in wider widths than contemporary hardwood flooring, and this, too, adds to its suitability in old rooms. The price difference between recycled wood and high quality new hardwood is not always huge--in this case, I remember paying about 15% more.
This was lots of fun for a veteran scavenger. I knew something about architectural salvage from a previous remodeling project in a Queen Anne house. I needed to find a new flooring material for the kitchen. It turned out that underneath the worn-out lineoleum was nothing but some scrap wood. New hardwood flooring just didn't look right. Luckily I discovered a local Cambridge, Massachusetts company that sells recycled antique flooring. Longleaf Lumber specializes in beautiful quarter-sawn heart pine flooring. This wood took my breath away. It's a gorgeous tawny yellow color with clear (free of knots) grain texture. The remilled and refinished heart pine gave the narrow, north-facing room a new warm tone. Antique lumber comes in wider widths than contemporary hardwood flooring, and this, too, adds to its suitability in old rooms. The price difference between recycled wood and high quality new hardwood is not always huge--in this case, I remember paying about 15% more.
Recent writing on the evolution of American house types
For those who've wondered how American houses and neighborhoods came to be designed and built the way they are, I have a must-read for you. Christine Hunter's Ranches, Rowhouses and Railroad Flats: American Homes: How They Shape Our Landscapes and Neighborhoods (W. W. Norton, 1999) is a wonderful tour through 400 years of house design, construction, and urban development. With energy issues mounting and housing policy in the news, the book is even more pertinent today than it was at publication a decade ago.
Old Windows: Replace or Restore? A Hot Issue for a Cold Season
"Tax Credits!!!" "Energy Savings!!! You've seen the full-page newspaper ads. Before you dial that 1-800 number for replacement windows, read the following Q & A posted on the National Trust for Historic Preservation website :
"Are new windows truly "green"?
Tearing out historic windows for replacements wastes embodied energy – the energy required to extract the raw materials, transport them, make them into a new product, ship the product, and install it. What's more, when we keep our existing windows, we avoid all the negative environmental impacts associated with the manufacture of new windows. For example, the manufacturing of some windows produces toxic byproducts. And, the new wood that manufacturers use today can’t begin to match the quality of old growth wood in older windows.
And here's the kicker. New windows will often have a life span of just 10 to 20 years. Historic and older windows, when properly maintained, can last for many more decades. Furthermore, studies have shown that with proper weatherization and use of a good storm window, older windows can be made nearly as energy efficient as new windows – even in severe climates such as the Northeast.
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