Old House Journal

Find guidance on buying, renovating, budgeting, and decorating. It’s all about keeping the character while upgrading for modern comfort and your own style. For prospective and recent homebuyers -- whether your house is Victorian or Mid-century Modern. Inside: • Kitchen/bath renos • When to DIY (and not!) • Inspiring house tours • Using vintage lighting • Pantry ideas • Modern farmhouses • Curb appeal upgrades • Choosing paint colors • Picket fence styles • Repairing floorboards • How to wallpaper … and lots more

Old House Journal

Take lots of “before” pictures!

color cues

light up the night • Wall bracket or ceiling mount, porch lights see you to the door.

Do It Yourself? Maybe yes, maybe no. • Contractors tell stories about jobs that involved redoing the client homeowner’s DIY work—often at greater expense than if the pros had been called in at the start. Be realistic about your skills and patience. Don’t forget safety!

TIPS FROM a bona-fide HOME INSPECTOR • Inspection is critical prior to purchase: the report helps you budget for repairs, and may nullify an offer if significant problems are discovered. Later, continue to do your own walk-throughs.

for new owners • Whether you are still pulling out thorny thistles and looking up the chimney, or ready to paint, these are keepers.

what style is my house? • That’s the single most-asked question by those who just bought an old house. Why does it matter? Style and date of construction offer important cues for restoration and any renovations. Knowing the original design intention keeps us from removing key surviving elements, and from erring with incompatible add-ons and changes that will have the house talking architectural gibberish. Plus: it’s fun to find out that you have an Italianate or a Foursquare, and to learn more about what that means.

whole house energy retrofits

Researching Your House • Look to oral history, documentary sources, inferred data, and physical evidence. Oral history means talking to everyone who might know about the house: former owners or their descendants, elderly neighbors, retired contractors, the local historian.

handson • Know your limits but realize that many homeowners began as novices who became adept at plaster patching and carpentry.

wallpapering 101 • A project summary with tips on stripping old paper and using specialty wallpapers.

Floors GET THE ROYAL TREATMENT • A DIY SUCCESS STORY

Restoring vintage lighting • Found an antique chandelier or wall sconce you can’t wait to install? Hold on a sec and take a good look. Does it have the original wiring? A welcome patina on the finish? Delicate paint, enameling, or gilding?

Deep-clean stainless steel • Use a little cleanser and lots of elbow grease to deep-clean and polish an old steel sink that’s seen better days. Work with the grain of the steel in smooth, long strokes and you’ll be surprised at how quickly you’ll get it to shine.

found items, reuse, rescue

renovating KITCHEN & BATH

What Will Kitchen Reno Cost? • According to Remodeling’s 2022 Cost vs. Value Report, even a minor kitchen redo will set you back about $28,000 on average. For a mid-range full remodel, expect to pay $80,000 and up to $160,000 depending on size, finish and appliance choices, and where you live. Those prices don’t include making the kitchen bigger.

Bridge faucets: A CLASSIC CHOICE

COUNTERTOP OPTIONS for Kitchen or Bath • Natural & manmade materials

modern CRAFTSMAN FOR A NEW KITCHEN

THE RETURN OF the Pantry • In recent surveys of homebuyers, having a pantry regularly rates #1 as an essential or desirable kitchen feature. Pantries are part of the modern focus on the kitchen as heart of the home. A well-stocked pantry is ready for dinner parties....