Plaster walls are some of the most misunderstood parts of an old home. And many homeowners are quick to tear them down and put up drywall. But replacing plaster walls with drywall is not only a major mess and expense, but it also destroys the character of your home. Each plaster wall is unique. You [...] Read on →
Drywall is dead. Long live drywall. I can’t say that I’ll miss him (I’m assuming drywall is a him), but he seemed nice enough. Faster than a three-coat old-fashioned plaster job and less expensive to boot. But there has always been something about him I just couldn’t put my finger on. Something about drywall that [...] Read on →
I recently took the opportunity to travel up to the Mad River Valley in Vermont to attend a weekend workshop at Yestermorrow Design/Build School. Yestermorrow is anything but a traditional design/build school. They offer classes in some trades that are hard to find these days. Classes like plastering, straw-bale construction, tiny house design/build, woodworking, and [...] Read on →
Personality types are a fantastic way to learn a bit about yourself. There are countless tests like the DISC or Myers/Briggs. And there is one test you’ve probably not heard of. The reason you may have missed it is because . . . well . . . I just invented it. The “SPA” test is [...] Read on →
Defining Characteristics 1890 – 1940 Steeply pitched roof with prominent front gable Half-timbering present on about half of examples Massive chimneys typical with decorative chimney pots Tall, narrow, multi-pane windows The Tudor style is one of the American Eclectic architectural styles that, like other American house styles, borrows heavily from the original Tudor style of [...] Read on →
The walls of any pre-war house are most likely wood lath like in this picture covered with 3 coats of plaster. The work took a long time and was very labor intensive. Not to mention it required a skilled plasterer to make sure the plaster was properly applied and the wall was smooth and level. [...] Read on →
One of the easiest mistakes to make when renovating a historic home is to tear down the old plaster walls and replace them with modern drywall and joint compound. This not only destroys the historic architecture and features that make a historic home great, but it also adds to the overall costs of the project [...] Read on →
Common architectural design features Steeply pitched roof of irregular shape Usually with a dominate front-facing gable Patterned shingles Cutaway bay windows and other devices to avoid a smooth-walled look Asymmetrical facade with partial or full-width porch Ornate detailing and spindle work Usually 2 1/2 stories tall 1880-1910 This was the dominate style of domestic building [...] Read on →