Old House Journal

The Original Restoration Magazine for people who are passionate about old houses to repair, rehabilitate, update, and decorate their homes; covering all classic American architectural styles,—from the earliest Colonial-era buildings to grand Victorians of every variety to Arts & Crafts bungalows and mid-century ranches.

Looking forward & back

SIDE NOTES

Old House Journal

Silver & White • Winter is the time for softly lit colors.

Modern Gothic • Introduce a little mid-Victorian English into your home.

Stars & Stripes • Classic long-time favorites are for any time of year.

Houses 1955–1980 • Contemporary, Mid-century Modern, or Rustic, these newer old houses are hot sellers.

LIVING YESTERDAY’S AMERICAN DREAM • Our 1964 house has hardly changed, right down to how we live. We like it that way.

10 BUDGET-SAVVY TIPS Plan ahead to save money.

BRASS & IRON BEDS

“Cosy Corner” Watercolor, 1894 • A painting by the Swedish artist Carl Larsson, from his At Home series.

Estate Style for a Mansion • An important 1874 house gets an estate kitchen.

Hotel Amenities in the Country • New baths in a renovated Shingle Style house are clean and crisp yet warmly inviting.

STRIPPING woodwork Advice from Two Projects • Stripping paint from woodwork is on the list of most-hated restoration jobs. It’s among the most hazardous, too. Fortunately, you no longer have to strip door casings or painted balusters with such hazardous chemicals as methylene chloride, nor should you blast them with high heat. Recent years have brought gentler methods that are just as effective, safer for DIYers, and easier on the wood itself.

Strip Like a Pro • Better stuff for removing paint from wood.

Rescue of a Tudor Door • The arch-top entry door, a signature piece of the century-old Tudor Revival house, was in bad shape. A local carpenter made expert repairs.

Terra-Cotta Bits • Demolition leftovers become sculptural art for use indoors, not only in the garden.

When Drawboring Joints • Typically, traditional joinery relied on wooden fasteners in the form of dowels or trunnels (tree nails) instead of glues and screws. From window sashes to timber framing, joints relied on the squared section of one element fitting into the appropriately sized squared opening of its mate: the common mortise-and-tenon joint. An open-mortise version, used in constructing door and window jambs as well as in framing, is called a bridle joint. The goal is a tight fit that functions well even in the face of the drying and subsequent shrinking of its wooden elements. Drawboring is a technique that strengthens a mortiseand-tenon joint with a mechanical interlock.

Insulate & Ventilate • Retrofitting insulation is an efficient, cost-effective method for improving comfort and reducing energy costs in an old house.

My Victorian fantasy • The author, an OHJ editor, has written 23 books on design—a career that began when he transformed this house into a high-style Queen Anne dreamscape utterly of the period and fancifully landscaped.g

INSPIRATION FOR A FANTASY • A VISIT TO A WELSH CASTLE CHANGED MY HOUSE—AND MY LIFE.

The Mott House • AN ARTIST’S COTTAGE THEN AND NOW: Long home to artist–owners, the vernacular beach house sits on the shore at Far Rockaway, a half-forgotten part of Queens in New York. Now it’s safe from the tide.

VISIONS IN STAINED GLASS • CONSERVATION, RESTORATION, NEW WORK.

Resources

Remuddling!