At this time of year our historic neighbourhood is full of the sounds of construction. There’s the hammering of our neighbour who is replacing the surface boards on the front porch of his 1912 historic home. There’s the sound of shingles being ripped out across the street as workers rush to put on a new roof before winter sets in. And then there’s the sound … Continue reading Fences for Old Houses
Gardens make any house look better and more approachable, but there is something about gardens and old houses that just seem to go hand in hand. I think it may be that old houses offer flexibility that contemporary homes do not. Contemporary homes use whatever materials that are in style, which makes sense. If you go into a new subdivision there is a good chance … Continue reading Gardens for Old Houses
I’m in a dilemma. What should I do? I’m talking about windows here. Our house is 101 years old this year and still has all the original windows plus the storm windows. I think that’s pretty neat but my happiness at being able to say this is tempered with reality. Old houses, such as the 1912 four-square that we live in, were designed to allow … Continue reading Window Replacement Dilemmas
Sometimes you end up by doing a reno without planning for it. My husband and I had definitely decided that we were not going to do any more projects for at least a year. We needed a break. Of course that was before our water main broke. That bill was over $5000.00 – ouch Of course that’s also before our bathroom floor got damaged. One … Continue reading A Bathroom Reno – by Accident
TIP: If you’re thinking of buying an old house make sure you get the inspector to find out what the water and sewer lines are made of and when they were last serviced! Staircase detail Earlier this summer my husband and I agreed that the reworking of the front yard was going to be our last major project on the house. This was for … Continue reading Water Main Breaks Expensive and Avoidable
Johanne Yakula 