Professional Advice for the Do-It-Yourselfer
Expert advice from old house enthusiasts and contractors will help guide you through your most difficult projects. Check out our two new columns covering your "how-to" needs and answering all your old house questions.
Exterior Brick Walls and Acrylic Mortars
If you really have to paint exterior brick walls, give the mortar a chance to cure and use a paint that breathes.
Common Fire Safety Device in Old Homes a Health Hazard
Fire Grenades (or Fire Bombs) were popular from 1870-1940, but can actually be deadly during a fire.
Featured Articles
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Exterior Brick Walls and Acrylic Mortars
If you really have to paint exterior brick walls, give the mortar a chance to cure and use a paint that breathes.
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Preserving Ornate Ceilings
Paint strippers may be safe to use on an ornate ceiling, but test the surface first or consider safer alternatives.
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Fixing a Chronically Wet Basement
A wet basement is a problem worth solving, and the solution will not necessarily break the bank.
35 Popular Stories
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- Making Historic Properties Accessible Access to historic properties open to the public is now a civil right. Here's how to do it right.
- The Preservation of Historic Signs Signs are everywhere. They identify. They direct and decorate. They promote, inform, and advertise.
- Mothballing Historic Buildings When all means of finding a productive use for a historic building have been exhausted . . .
- Testing The Water Do you have a home well? Here are tips on how to make sure the water you drink is safe.
- Water Quality: Making Sure It's Safe Water quality isn't something to be taken for granted, especially for people who have a well or cistern.
- How to save a Maine ghost town? "An East Coast version of an Old West ghost town."
- Hurricanes: How to prepare An average of five hurricanes strike the United States coastline every three years...
- Healthy indoor air Tips from New Mexico State University experts on how to make indoor air as healthy as possible
- Treating flood-damaged older and historic buildings Timely advice from the National Trust for Historic Preservation on saving flood-damaged buildings
- Porches and Entrances Entrances and porches are quite often the focus of historic buildings, particularly on primary elevations.
- Historical architectural metals Highly decorative architectural metal features, such as cast iron facades, porches, steps, and hardware, are important in defining the overall historic character of the building.
- Radon in the home Facts about a colorless, odorless gas that can cause cancer.
- Restoring the Spangler Farmhouse The National Park Service follows its own guidelines in rehabilitating and preserving this 1850 Pennsylvania farmhouse
- How long things last around the house And what to do to repair and maintain them in the meantime
- How long things last (part 2) And what do to maintain and repair them in the meantime.
- Carpenter Ants Often confused with termites, these pests are more a nuisance than a danger to your house
- Safe drinking water From the FTC: How to avoid testing scams
- Building fences Simple design, good installation key to longevity
- Art Deco Glass: Preservation of historic pigmented structural glass (Vitrolite and Carrara Glass) Understanding original materials and installation are keys to proper repair and preservation
- Rehabilitating historic storefronts The storefront is the most important architectural feature of many historic commercial buildings
- Carbon monoxide Silent killer more common in winter months
- Cockroach control Fighting a losing battle
- Indoor allergens Nothing to sneeze at
- Repointing Historic Masonry The mortar that's used between the bricks and stones of old homes is traditionally lime-based. The properties of this type of mortar make it a wise choice for repointing and repairs to stone walls and foundations.
- New Support for an Old Floor There's more than one way to take the bounce out of an old floor.
- Insulating a Cathedral Ceiling We are building a house with a cathedral ceiling. The builder suggests using 2x8 tongue-and-groove boards for both the ceiling and the roof deck. The problem is insulation.
- Repointing Old Masonry Using lime mortar to repoint old masonry prevents repairs from causing further damage to the building.
- Cement Asbestos Roofing Cement asbestos roofing is a durable, inexpensive material that was used to cover and protect buildings throughout two-thirds of the twentieth century.
- Keeping Bathroom Air Healthy Mechanical ventilation is a good idea in any house, even if it means the loss of some conditioned air.
- Repairing Old Stone Foundations You'll need special skills and tools, or some old-fashioned good luck, to repair the underpinnings of an old farmhouse.
- Sealing Stone Foundations: Keep Water Out With Plastic Membrane and Footing Drains Old stone foundations pose a challenge when it comes to stopping leaks, but footing drains and a plastic membrane should do the trick
- Removing Pet Odor Try simple solutions first, but an effective treatment might involve getting advice from a vet or professional cleaning service.
- Fixing a Chronically Wet Basement A wet basement is a problem worth solving, and the solution will not necessarily break the bank.
- Preserving Ornate Ceilings Paint strippers may be safe to use on an ornate ceiling, but test the surface first or consider safer alternatives.
- Exterior Brick Walls and Acrylic Mortars If you really have to paint exterior brick walls, give the mortar a chance to cure and use a paint that breathes.
