Old house products & services – Yes, you likely can find it.

“Nobody makes that anymore.”

“Nobody does that anymore.”

While it may not be at the local mass market “big box” store, very often it IS available and with numerable options. It’s frequently more a matter of knowing where to look or who to ask.

I’ve a couple personal favorites:

• - The Old House Journal Restoration Product Directory — once upon a time only available via their print catalog. You can now reference this online. If you’ve an old house you need to know about this resoure.

• - Clem Labine’s Traditional Building — He was the original creator of the OHJ. Personal note… I actually have copies of his early “magazine” from when it was still in a black and white, stapled and hole-punched form.
  

Recently there were two different inquiries on where to find capitals for some porch columns. These are generally available locally but with limited options mostly fitting a few standardized dimensions. Tapping either source above would likely overwhelm with the available options… including many with prices comparable. To that you factor repair relative to replacement in terms of price, quality of replacement and what’s being sent to the land fill.

For example, we recently purchased a mortised lock set for a screen door from Van Dyke’s. The type of item not found in a “big box”. When done our 80 year old screen doors will be good for many more decades. Wonder what the life expectancy is and various costs are on a “green” replacement screen door.

The above links and more on the evolving Beloit NPA Links page.

Belt-drive workshop — Still in production

Saw this and had to share. This is too cool, at least for me.

Before the advent of electric powered manufacturing it was all done by steam or water powered, belt driven machines. I’ve seen pics of belt-driven manufacturing here in Beloit.

Anyway, there’s a woodworking company that restores and puts back into production belt-driven woodworking machines for their window and related products manufacturing.

Not a Luddite. I enjoy and work in new technologies. I am though astounded by the level of sophistication of early manufacturing. Early industrial design had an elegance to it. Note the decorative striping on the machines. Also note, both father and son in the video had all their digits. Wonder how common or not that may have been “back in the day”.

Belt driven workshop

Janesville – Walking Tour & Garden Walk

Had an exceptional “Old House” day today.

A couple months ago we attended a conference in Madison for Historic Preservation Commissioners, in the case of Beloit it’s the “Landmarks Commission”.  There we had the opportunity to meet folks likewise involved in other communities across WI.  Among those we met was Rick Fletcher who chairs the Janesville Historic Preservation Commission. Rick provides guided walking tours of various historic areas around Janesville.  Today we had the good fortune to attend Rick’s tour of the “Old 4th Ward”.   It was WONDERFUL!

There were ~70 people in attendance following Rick around getting some insight into Janesville history as well as period architecture. We finished up with being invited, all 70+  of us into the fine home of one of the residents.  It was a -very- cool house.

While there we were reminded that today was the Janesville Garden Walk. While sponsored by and for the Rotary Garden it consisted of eight residential gardens, five of which were in the “Courthouse Hill” historic district.  Keep an eye out for this next year and go.  It was… amazing!

To cap it all off, being “Old House” home owners and enthusiasts ourselves we really enjoy meeting and talking with others who share this interest. We had a chance to meet several homeowners in the Courthouse Hill historic district. Big fun.

Now, Janesville’s historic district house walk is coming up in August. I forget the date but will be broadcasting it here. We went last year and it was very enjoyable and we’ll be attending this year as well. It might be fun to get a group together to attend. Lemme’ know if you’d be interested or simply comment below.

~Rick M    rick@BeloitNPA (dot) org

Historic Home Owners Tax Credits

Our last meeting on “Historic Home Owners Tax Credits” was very interesting and well attended. Joe DeRose from the Wisconsin State Historic Preservation Office clarified a lot of questions for us about how the program works and how best to take advantage of it. It would seem to be a largely forgotten or otherwise not taken advantage of here in Beloit. There have been no applications submitted in years from Beloit. We’re fortunate in that not all states have this benefit available to home owners.

This Old House recently announced their “Best Places To Buy An Old House In America“. Unfortunately we didn’t make the cut. Reviewing the winners, it was interesting that several neighborhoods cited availability of their states tax credit program among the benefits of living there.

By way of overview…

• - It is a 25% Wisconsin state income tax “credit”. Not federal tax, not property tax, not a “deduction”.

• - For example, you spend $10K combined on one or more projects, you get credited back $2,500. If you cannot use the full credit in a given year, you can carry the unused credit into the following years until you use it up.

• - There is a $10K minimum investment. This can however be spread over multiple projects and up to five years. Additionally, you’re not limited to one application. if have ambitious plans and want begin using taking the credits prior to all the projects being completed you can break it up into multiple applications, so long as these still equal >$10K each.

• - If you live within one of Beloit’s historic districts or individually listed homes you’re eligible to apply. If you do not you may still be eligible to apply.

• - There are specifics on what sorts of projects are approved and strings attached are mostly with regard to meeting “secretary of the interior standards for rehabilitation”.

• - Your project(s) need to be approved before any work is begun otherwise your application is void.

Important. You’ll need to confirm the above and your understanding. The above is to the best of my understanding.

Historic Home Owners Tax Credits - Program Description.

Historic Home Owners Tax Credits – Application.

Additionally, if you’ve questions you may contact Joe DeRose at Joe.DeRose@wisconsinhistory.org You can also contact Joe for some guidance prior to going through the application.

Personally, I wish we had applied when we moved in years ago. I suspect we could have received credit for many of the things we’ve already payed for. We’re in the process of doing so now though. Perhaps I’ll record how it goes for us here.

Old House & Neighborhood Networking

Having moved to Beloit from out of state several years ago most of my existing old house and neighborhood connections are likewise out of state. More recently I’ve been trying to forge relationships with individuals in other Wisconsin historic communities for the purpose of sharing ideas and best practices given WI circumstances and resources.  Little bit by little bit its coming together, has already been informative and shown benefit.

If you’re visiting this site from another historic Wisconsin community welcome! We would like to get to know you and what’s going on in your community as well.  You can reach us at info (at) BeloitNPA.org

Old Window Repair – Why-n-how

Just saw some great videos produced by the Kansas SHPO (State Historic Preservation Offices).

For decades, consumers have been led to believe that replacing their old wood windows with new vinyl, metal or clad windows will improve their home. Replacement windows have been marketed as energy efficient, and therefore environmentally friendly, and economical, by saving the homeowner money over the lifespan of the window. In reality, properly repaired wood windows can be equally energy efficient, are more environmentally friendly, are a better financial investment, and preserve one of the most important character-defining features of a historic home.

Wood Window Introduction:

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Anatomy of a Window:

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Sash Cord Repair:

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Epoxy Repair:

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Glazing Repair:

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Heat rises. Most heat loss is through the roof, not the windows. Remaining heat loss from windows is largely due to drafty windows that can be repaired, NOT from radiation from the glass as those selling it would have us believe. Yes, insulated glass radiates less heat loss but at what cost? What’s the incremental savings from heat radiation? Not much. Old house homeowners are spending a dollar to save a dime. They’re buying into an immense and unified marketing message from manufacturers, retailer and installers… Why repair your windows when you can buy what we’re selling? They’re being snookered.

For professionals interested in learning this skill or homeowners interested in do-it-yourself there is training available.
Belvedere School – Window Restoration College

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For those who’d rather hire a professional who knows how to repair old windows…
Watch this space. I’ve got some leads I’m chasing down. I’ll also be updating this to our Old House Services page.

Window Restoration Contractors:

Rory Mulligan
Mulligan Restoration Inc.

128 W. River St.
Rockton, IL. 61072
Phone and fax (815)964-4210
Cell (815)509-6246
mulliganrestoration@charter.net
www.mulliganrestoration.com

Smaller Projects:

For many smaller projects, it is more cost effective to use a local contractor.  The skills to restore windows that need basic maintenance (painting and weather stripping) are not that difficult for a trained carpenter. However, if the sash are seriously deteriorated and need epoxy repairs and custom replacement parts, it is better to use a specialist.

Window Repair Resources:

This is a very well illustrated and well written guide to essential window repairs.
Save Your Wood Windows by John Leek

Preservation Brief 9: “The Repair of Historic Wooden Windows” by the National Park Service:

Lead Paint Safety:

Virtually all old wood windows have lead paint. It is not necessary or required to have a lead abatement contractor do this work unless your project has federal funding from the Dept. of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).  The following downloadable publication (Lead Paint Safety: A Field Guide for Painting, Maintenance and Home Renovation) covers most of the practical methods of doing renovation work and working lead-safe:

~ Illinois Historic Preservation Agency

Best Places To Buy An Old House 2009 — Midwest

We’d thrown in our hat several month ago to This Old House for their 2nd annual search for “Best Places To Buy An Old House.

I’m sorry to say we didn’t make the cut. There were thirteen historic neighborhoods selected from across the Midwest.  The online reviews are brief but indicate high degree of community-wide appreciation not only for their historic housing stock but also indicate proactive, tight-knit communities. You’ll also see frequent references to economic and quality-of-life aspects and initiatives. They all seem like wonderful places.

I’ll have to pull out my Cubs fan adage of… just wait always next year!

From This Old House description of what they were looking for…

Unique, tight-knit neighborhoods are precisely what we looked for in selecting the winners of our second annual Best Places to Buy an Old House contest—places that might not be on your radar but deserve to be. Like last year, we relied on our good friends at PreservationDirectory.com to help us contact thousands of neighborhood groups, real estate agents, and preservation societies to get their takes on the best places to track down, fix up, and fall head over heels for older homes.

Here are the eight greatest places to buy an old house in the Midwest, from Arkansas to Minnesota.

The neighborhoods and communities TOH selected are:

Elgin, Illinois
Gifford Park Association website
The city is offering grants to help buyers restore single family homes that were broken up into multifamily units.

Also, Elgins award was picked up in MSNBC.

Woodruff Place, Indianapolis, Indiana
The stately homes in Woodruff Place were built for the elite but are now available at moderate prices. Many large Victorian-era homes that were divided into apartments in the 1960s and ’70s can be returned to single-family houses.

Guttenberg, Iowa
The town hasn’t been bought up yet by city slickers from Milwaukee, Dubuque, Iowa, or even Chicago (4 hours away) looking for peaceful vacation homes.

Leavenworth, Kansas
The Kansas Income Tax Credit gives homeowners a 25 percent reimbursement credit for restoration or maintenance work on homes in the National Historic Districts.

Morgan Park, Duluth, Minnesota
The neighborhood hit a rough patch when thousands of steel jobs were lost in the 1970s and ’80s, but it’s experiencing a renewed sense of pride as beautification efforts have begun turning Morgan Park back into the solid middle-class neighborhood it once was.

The Southmoreland Neighborhood, Kansas City, Missouri
Southmoreland Neighborhood Association
A movement to restore Southmoreland’s historic homes is underway thanks to the neighborhood’s walkability, close proximity to downtown, and cultural institutions including the Nelson Atkins Museum of Art and the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art.

The Dundee Neighborhood, Omaha, Nebraska
Omaha has recently become known as a hip, indie-spirited place, primarily around the city’s Old Market area, near Dundee, which is packed with studios, museums, music venues, pubs, and clubs. Heck, even people from big cities are moving here to take advantage of cheaper art and music-studio space.

Southside Historic District, Fargo, North Dakota
A recent study by MainStreet.com found there are more job opportunities per capita in North Dakota than any other state in the country.

College Hill, Cincinnati, Ohio
….addition, the neighborhood continues to tackle quality-of-life issues. It recently took part in the Neighborhood Enhancement Program, a 90-day blitz of initiatives launched by the city that address crime, blight, and building-code violations. (Officials follow up with businesses, volunteers, and others involved for the next nine months to ensure all changes are permanent.)

Eureka Springs, Arkansas
The town is attracting an array of new part-time and full-time residents, from retirees who want something a little funkier than Florida to younger, outdoorsy types flocking here for the hiking, biking, climbing, and kayaking.

Brewer’s Hill, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Brewer’s Hill is attracting an increasing number people looking to buy and restore its enormous houses at prices that are hard to find outside of the neighborhood. All the rehabilitation bodes well for both property values and the neighborhood’s future.

The Vine neighborhood, Kalamazoo, Michigan
Vine Neighborhood Association
The Vine’s status as a local historic district allows buyers to take advantage of incentives that save thousands on property taxes.

The Central Residential Historic District, Brookings, South Dakota
Since families tend to stay here for good, most of the houses are extremely well-maintained. Seeing as the neighborhood is on the National Register, unattractive updates and alterations of its housing stock are unlikely.

You’ll see that several communities highlight the fact that their state provides rehabilitation tax credits. Know what? We have this available to us as well. Not all states do. More about this elsewhere.

On a personal note… Congratulations again to Elgin IL. We’ve good friends there and we’ve had a chance to see up close what is possible.

Detroit’s Tiger Stadium – gone forever

Its not neighborhood news but just saw this…

I can appreciate that projects need to make financial sense and certainly Detroit needs to take care of dire economic priorities. That said its confounding to me that Detroit has so little regard for it’s heritage.

Could they not find a way to either employ adaptive reuse if near term use is shovel ready or secure it for valid public safety concerns until viable reuse could be found once economic conditions change?

I’m not much of a baseball fan but I’d think Tiger Stadium is a significant part of Detroit’s identity and contributes to why people would want to visit. It’s an icon, unique and special. I’ll be willing to bet an entire dollar that what gets put in its place is generic, forgettable and could have been located elsewhere.

Flexible wood epoxy, window repair & restoration contractors

You can tell where my heads been of late. Saw this…

There are tradesmen who are sensitive to and knowledgeable of period sensitive repair techniques for quality old houses rather then simple rip-n-replace. And believe it or not it can save you money too. A guy down at Renaissance Restoration Inc (Galena IL & Davenport IA) talks about ‘flexible’ wood epoxy from Advanced Repair Technology for window repair.

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Steam Paint Removal?

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From John Leeke’s website Historic Home Works.

This method has significant advantages over mechanical scraping and shaving, chemical stripping and the dry-heat of torch, hot-air gun and infra-red lamp methods:

• Significantly reduces the risk of starting a building fire compared to dry heat methods.
• Helps control the lead-health risk issue because it is an inherently damp process and eliminates the lead-fume risk.
• No fumes from heat decomposition of binders in the old paint as with dry heat methods.
• Relatively low setup cost compared to dry heat and shaver methods.
• Lower operating and supply costs than chemical paint removal.
• Lower residue disposal costs than chemical paint removal.

I’d not seen steam used for paint removal before. This looks like a great option. Looks somewhat slower but being able to do this without the fumes and lead risk… that’s a good trade-off IMO.

Perhaps another idea for a workshop / demonstration?  A trial of each of the wood stripping methods with discussion of trade-offs.

• Nasty but fast caustic chemical stripper
• Safer but slower chemical strippers
• Paint scrapers & power shavers
• Heat Guns / plates
• Infrared heat lamp
• Steam heat

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