Innholdsfortegnelse for September/October 2025 i Old House Journal

Contributors in this issue oHj comes to you from people who are active participants in restoration work and the building arts. Others are design historians and accomplished architectural photographers. Many have been writing or taking photos for us for years; their names are familiar. Some pop in and out for a special story. Here are a few you’ll see in this issue of OHJ. MARY ELLEN POLSON | Bearsville, N.Y. | mpolson@aimmedia.com Arriving in 1996 as in-house staffer, Mary Ellen became OHJ’s peripatetic senior editor as she and her husband made several moves, to six old houses in four states. A seasoned technical writer with hands-on experience and a restoration ethic, Mary Ellen also shares her deep and wide knowledge of the marketplace—both building products and decorative offerings. Besides the…

Sympathetic design and fine craftsmanship are evident in this rear addition to a Colonial-era house. Architect Anne Whitney and kitchen designer Jeff Peavey worked with the owners to create a fitting room with old beams, wood floors, and brushpainted wood cabinets. Whitney designed it to look like an adapted “back house” in the Maine tradition: big house, little house, back house (work shed), barn. Hence the exposed beams in the open ceiling and a spare aesthetic. Wide-pine flooring was reclaimed from an 18thcentury house. A door out of view to the left opens to a pantry that hides the microwave oven and offers practical shelving for storage of pantry staples, large pots, cookbooks, and more. Cabinets by Kennebec Company incorporate such functional details as rollout shelves, soft-close drawers, and pullout…

step one PREPARE THE PUTTY Knead the putty to an even consistency. Mix in as much additional chalk as necessary to make the putty feel tacky but workable without sticking to your fingers. step two BED THE GLASS Put a thin layer of glazing putty into the glazing rabbet before inserting the glass. Then use a palm sander—with a soft cloth wrapping the base—to vibrate the glass into place. Flip the sash over and scrape away the squeeze-out with a putty knife. step three INSTALL THE POINTS Shoot the glazing points into the sash to secure the glass. If the points don’t penetrate enough to be completely covered by the glazing, or if you don’t have a glazing-point driver, tap them in by hand. glaze it, then leave it alone It’s important to…

CHIMNEY-CROWN REPAIR The mortar crown on my chimney needs repair. There is damaged mortar leaving holes against the flue and also hairline cracks. Can you folks recommend some products to do the repair? From what I have read there are different products used for larger holes vs. hairline cracks. —Jim Milgroom JOHN CARROLL, a mason in North 3 Carolina, replies: If the crown is crumbling, has large structural cracks, or has deep dips that hold water, you need to remove the old crown and build a new one. Smaller chips and hairline cracks are typically repairable. Start by chipping off the small loose pieces near the flue liner, then remove grime and loose material from the surface of the entire crown with a wire brush. Use a stainless-steel brush to…

WHEN CARLA MINOSH, a nurse practitioner, and Tom Belles, a corporate attorney, were looking for a restoration project, their hearts were set on a Victorian house. “I love the over-the-top-ness of Victorian architecture,” Carla says. “It’s stimulating.” “It was an interesting time in American history,” her husband adds. “The period after the Civil War was a time of growth and optimism, and the houses reflect that.” Searching from their previous home in northern Virginia, they found the house they wanted via a real-estate ad in the National Trust’s Preservation magazine. It’s in Danville, on Virginia’s southern border. The Sublett–Miller House, built in the 1870s of brick with a foursquare plan, was expanded in the 1880s to become a Victorian Gothic house with 8,000 square feet inside. The house represents the…

NOUVEAU BENCH The Fireside Bench from Stickley celebrates the company’s 125th anniversary. Based on a Stickley Brothers design from 1902, the high-backed settle is reminiscent of inglenook seating placed in pairs on either side of a fireplace. This versatile version lends itself to entryways, mudrooms, and living areas. Noteworthy elements include a slightly pitched, triptych back and stunning inlays that recall the designs of architect and furniture designer Harvey Ellis, who worked for Stickley briefly in 1903. stickley.com BENCH SPECS • In quarter-sawn white oak • 46" wide x 22" deep x 53 ½" tall • Hinged bench seat provides hidden storage • Decorative inlays • $4,995 Victorian Spiral Considering an extra staircase for your home? Evoke the opulence of the Victorian era with a spiral staircase from The Iron…

Our 1923 house is unassuming, a bungalow with Colonial Revival touches. When people step inside for the first time, though, they’re apt to look around in mild confusion and say, “It’s a mini Winchester Mystery House!” Remodeled and added onto in 1950 by the original owner, the house became a maze of strange closets and odd nooks. They’d stripped out the bungalow features: double-hung-front-windows, abuilt-in-buffet, every inch of wood trim. A wall with French doors was knocked down, making the living and dining rooms an open space. Besides the remuddled mess, the house had fallen into disrepair. Yet we wanted to disentangle its history and restore it. The bathroom was the only room relatively untouched. Its sink and toilet had been replaced in 1950 but the originals were in evidence…

Repairs take time Restoring a 100-year-old window sash so it will last another 100 years means removing the old glazing putty and glass, stripping the frame back to bare wood to make any necessary repairs, priming, reinstalling the glass and glazing, and finally, applying a couple of coats of paint. Though no one part of this process takes too long, there is a lot of downtime. For example, I use a steam box to soften the glazing putty, which allows me to easily remove the glass without breaking it (though I’ve learned to expect to break about 20% of the glass on a bigger job). The steam will also soften the paint, but don’t be tempted to try to scrape it off along with the glazing. The steam will not only…

Made to Order Windows Adams Architectural Millwork can replicate virtually any style of window or door, including historical reproductions and ecclesiastical designs such as this oversized, half-round window recently installed in a Shingle Style church in Dorchester, Massachusetts. This window uses the finest construction woods; all joinery is mortise and tenon; sash and jamb sections are carefully matched by hand; and all windows are hand-glazed, including those built from radius-bent glass. Other services include wood storm doors and windows. Call to discuss your project. adamsarch.com Naturally Rich Linseed-oil paint has been used for centuries because it protects against all weather and wicks away moisture, rather than trapping it under an impermeable film. Founded by a conservation expert, Broun’s Linseed Oil offers the tried-and-true classic in historically accurate paint colors ideal…

Fink & Son Historic Restoration Chances are good that if you own or work on old houses, you’ll come across masonry in some form—in the foundation, chimney, or other details made from stone, brick, or tile. Mortar is the “glue” that holds these materials together. Over time, mortar is pushed and pulled by freeze/thaw cycles and eroded by weather, and the joints need to be scraped and refilled in a process known as pointing. “Mortar” is a general term for a range of mixtures made from different ingredients in varying ratios. These ingredients and their proportions determine how the mortar performs. Avoiding problems like cracking and spalling means understanding what goes into mortar and how the formulas have changed over time. Here’s an overly simplified timeline: Up until the mid-1800s,…

• CLAYTON was the Pittsburgh home of the Henry Clay Frick family. The 11-room Italianate house, purchased by the Fricks shortly after their marriage in 1881, was enlarged and remodeled in the prevailing style. • In Rhinebeck, New York, WILDERSTEIN started as a two-storey villa; in 1888, it grew into an elaborate Queen Anne mansion. New York City interior decorator Joseph Burr Tiffany, a cousin of Louis Comfort Tiffany, redecorated the first floor in 1889. Calvert Vaux was the landscape designer. • Also known as the Morse–Libby House, VICTORIA MANSION, in Portland, Maine, is their favorite. The magnificent, opulent, brownstone Italian Villa of 1860 has original Gustave Herter interiors with over 90% of its original furnishings and objects, including a rare collection of Herter Bros. furniture.• The owners’ kitchen was…

One Man’s Windsor Chris Harter is a master of the Windsor chair. Chairs like his small Comb-back Windsor, sold by the Country Furniture Shop, are made individually by hand, using traditional tools and construction methods. All legs, bows, spindles, and stretchers are hand-riven from maple or oak logs. Spindles are shaped by hand with a draw knife; legs and stretchers and arm posts are shaped on a lathe. The seat is cut from a clear-white-pine plank and hand-planed. Harter times the natural shrinkage of the wood to create tight joints, a method used since the 18th century. The C-11 chair with carved knuckles is shown in light-blue milk paint. chrisharter.com • Dimensions vary slightly • Other finishes available, including distressed and aged • $1,210 Rustic Trio Authentic Designs makes its…

Use a steam box to soften the old glazing putty. To avoid thermal shock, which can break the glass, either put the sash in the steam box before firing it up, or leave the door open for a few minutes before inserting the sash. Put the sash in with the outside of the window facing up so the glass doesn’t fall out and break when the glazing putty softens—usually in about 45 minutes to an hour. free the glass Use a putty knife to scrape away the old glazing. Before attempting to remove the glass, make sure all the glazing points are out of the sash. If the putty knife didn’t get them out, use a screwdriver or pliers to pry or pull them. Finally, lift the glass from underneath and…

Getting wood to truly shine means putting in the time—and we all know that time means money. Take, for example, an unfinished entry door. For many people, a one-and-done, premixed pigment stain applied to bare wood, followed by a couple of coats of varnish, is too easy to pass up. That’s fine as long as expectation matches effort, but a bit more care and the added step of dyeing the wood gives a better result. With stained wood, you’ll see the grain but it’s muddy or somewhat blurred. By layering stain over a coat of dye, you add depth to the color. It means more work, however. For example, the six-light Douglas-fir door from Simpson, shown here, required 22 hours of labor, which included testing colors and making sample boards.…

WRONG WAY JUMPING AT SUBSTITUTES Home-improvement stores are filled with materials that promise “no maintenance.” Be judicious in using them because you may find that components do not match the original design—and many components or systems are designed for quick assembly rather than longevity. Every material has a lifespan. As for modern materials that can be milled to match original wood elements, be aware that these new materials may react to temperature, moisture, UV light, and other factors in a different way from vintage lumber. RIGHT WAY USE TRADITIONAL METHODS Examine the existing components of your porch or a similar one. Study the details of good old railings, posts, columns, and flooring. Round, bevel, or slope elements to shed water. Caulk and paint are effective and necessary barriers to water,…

this little gem in Old Town Alexandria, Virginia, was built around 1790, as worker housing. While it had been added to (with delicacy) over the centuries, it functioned as little more than a one-bedroom apartment—that is, until BarnesVanze Architects got involved. • Given that the house is merely 14 feet wide and sistered in a row of historic houses, there was little room to grow. By stealing a few feet from the back garden and making clever layout decisions, BVA was able transform this “one-bedroom” into a full-scale home ready for hosting. Before intervention, the first floor offered just a kitchen and a den, with a narrow connection between them. By bumping the kitchen back, BVA created a spacious dining room connected to the kitchen by a generous peninsula. A…