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.

The ineffable tug of the past • I’m ceding the editor’s page, in this issue, to Sue Daley and Steve Gross, a photography team who also write the texts of their books. Those of us who bought an old house “on purpose” understand that its past is the point. Who among us hasn’t been moved by an old place left to fade away?

Old House Journal • VOLUME XLIX, ISSUE 2

For Kitchen and Bath • Lighting true to era and style, or with a twist.

Right from the Old Country • Easy buying from far-flung places.

Oh, the Romance! • Exotic and graceful, Spanish Colonial and Mediterranean Revival houses were especially popular in the 1920s and ’30s.

OUR CENTENNIAL BUNGALOW • In 2015, we began a meticulous renovation of our 1917 Craftsman home with a view of completing it for its 100th birthday

INTRODUCING A WORLD OF TILE • BACKSPLASH, FLOOR, FIREPLACE OR FOUNTAIN; VICTORIAN, ARTS & CRAFTS & MODERN.

designing in TILE • It’s a big world out there! Production tile from the building store, art tile from small studios, decos and relief tiles, subway tile and mosaics, glazes matte and iridescent, encaustics and California revivals: whatever your choice might be, proportion, color and shade variance, and even the grout become part of the design decision. Here’s an introduction to provide inspiration for unique installations.

GLOSSARY OF TERMS

TILE makers • Here and on page 87, we’ve compiled a list of makers whose unique offerings are specific to time, place, or style. Add these possibilities to the familiar, often budget-friendly if predictable brands sold at home-improvement stores, such as Daltile and its subsidiary American Olean.

House Beautiful, January 1936 • From the magazine’s advertisement for PPG’s Carrara structural glass.

SPARKLE LAMINATE

THE SCIENCE OF INSPECTION • BORESCOPES, MOISTURE METERS, AND INFRARED CAMERAS are some of the tools used to analyze physical evidence in older buildings: forensics more available than ever. page 34

“FORENSIC” TOOLBOX • Innovations in non-destructive testing can put a toolbox of prying eyes to work identifying the elusive conditions of old houses.

STUD FINDERS ($10–$50; $150)

LASER levels ($30–$500) • A good adjunct to forensic home-inspection tools, these can measure long distances—up to 100 meters or so—with a degree of accuracy impossible with a hand-held device.

Borescopes $30–$130+ • You don’t have to be a doctor to benefit from tools that see where the sun don’t shine. Borescopes are mandatory for inspecting the insides of jet engines, turbines, and other machinery without disassembly, but they are also put to work in all kinds of buildings, from peering into cavity walls to examining inside pipe welds.

MOISTURE meters $15–$460+

Moisture Mapping

THERMAL imaging (infrared) CAMERA$1,000+

DRONES

Cleaning Marble or Limestone

The New Downsizing • Mini-split technology is changing the way we heat and cool our homes.

the essentials • Mini-split systems are powered by a compressor, also known as a heat pump. Ducted systems require an air handler, similar to a furnace but about one-third smaller. The entire system can be controlled with a handheld device such as a smartphone, or by a wireless controller.

Fence Boards to a Shed • A rustic potting shed is made of weathered boards from a cedar fence, along with salvaged windows.

BONSAI BASICS • Caring for a bonsai is not...