Photo courtesy of Dan Setera
I call houses vessels of memories. There is something essential about them that is almost tangible – I can feel the past, sense the layers of history and the varied personalities that have inhabited an old place. If in the course of repairs or remodeling one destroys too much of the old material this colorful experience is diminished. For example if your house has old stained glass windows but they are drafty a contractor will tell you that you should put in new energy efficient windows. For the contractor this is a quick way to ‘fix’ the problem and requires minimal labor with the ability to mark up something she or he buys wholesale to a retail price for more profit. But the value of the house as well as the joy of living in it is diminished when bland new windows replace the artistry, color and texture of the old one. Still, no one wants a homeowner to suffer with drafty windows. The preservationist will demonstrate that readily available, inexpensive storm windows are proven to bring decent old windows up to par for energy efficiency and will protect them without needing to remove an integral part of the beauty from the house.
Some people desire that everything look new – either in terms of condition or style. Many good homes have been compromised by people who want to be trendy and have the money to renovate and do so without caring about the architecture. If someone lives in an antique style house I tell them to embrace it, do not try to disguise the old nature of the house or make it over into something else. It almost never works out well without an architect and huge budget. Most people wouldn’t put on cheap slippers when wearing formal attire but that is analogous to an elegant façade marred by a cheap porch enclosure or plastic ornaments. For years people have tried to turn every kind of house into a ‘Colonial’, which they perceive as more desirable. They add multi-paned windows, wood-look shingles, shutters and a cast metal eagle. But why bother? A house with a Victorian shape and a tower or a tract ranch home will always show its’ roots.
It is not necessary that every old surface be made to look new. If you overly polish brass hardware it may appear cheap or artificial. The warm, soft glow of aged metal is often more attractive. This comes down to a kind of naturalism, or an organic attitude about old houses. To your house be true. Learn to understand the structure and how it relates to the site, era of construction and style of origin. Rather than impose unnatural looking changes on it or allowing contractors or repair people to remove elements that give it integrity consider the whole house and make changes to flatter it and enhance it. I can never emphasize enough that if you need to undergo substantial repairs or additions that the price of hiring a legitimate architect that understands your kind of house is worth far more than the cost. A good architect will be able to optimize any changes to enhance your home while saving you money. Most contractors operate from within a framework of what is currently popular, readily available, and standard or considered profitable for them. They rarely have the training to do quality design work let alone to properly integrate new work into an older house.
Many of us focus on ensuring our bodies are kept fit with diet and exercise and even assure our autos are kept tuned up and repaired by a qualified shop, using the proper parts so they perform correctly and look right. But when it comes to our home we tend to not see it holistically. A house is a kind of organism, and a complex one, with structural, mechanical and stylistic systems, even in a relatively simple home, to try to assure that it works well as shelter. There is no one size fits all solution. Love your house and take time to be well informed and figure out how to keep it working and looking good by spotting and correcting problems before they get big and avoiding spontaneous changes that might permanently alter the house for the worse.
Considering that new construction has severe negative impacts on the environment in so many ways old house curating is a major form of conservation. I think of us as curators of the planet and of the culture and architecture created by those before us. My calling is to keep the houses good homes for the next folks to come along.
