Heritage Restoration, Inc. is pleased to announce a new division called Rhode Island Found, which are objects from projects we are working on, or found scraps we discover in historic buildings. Reclaimed timbers, doors, hardware, and other historic objects are…
An old house can be there by accident but most of the time it’s because someone cared. It could have been the craftsperson from 200 years ago. Or it could have been the handyman that cleaned the gutters. Or it…
Repairability: to restore to a good or sound condition after decay or damage; mend; to renew by any process of making good, strengthening. Fixing stuff has been replaced by buying new stuff. But it’s not because we don’t want to…
We live in a culture of impatience and instant gratification. But for the first European American settlers, nothing was instant. When the Pilgrims finally landed in Plymouth of December 1620, they were hungry, weary, and desperate. They arrived without a…
The winter break is a great time to get grounded with family, sleep a bit more, and complete some home projects. While the recent weather makes us think there is still outside work to do, don’t be fooled, the cold…
We are told old windows are drafty, do not function well, and lose energy through the single panes. Window replacements are pitched as giving us better energy efficiency and longevity. But is it true? And with claims replacement windows can…
There can be consequences for changing a building and its behavior towards its environment. As time passes, the natural environment matures and a building wears. We manipulate and upgrade buildings for energy efficiency, ourselves, and because we have to. We…
Lead poisoning is a concern for good reason. A small amount of pure lead dust can create substantial health risks. For example, if you take the same quantity of lead as a 1-gram packet of sugar, it can over 100…
My 1914 shingle-style house on the Providence River/Upper Narragansett Bay was reshingled with white cedar in 1996 and recoated in 2005 with bleaching oil. The house was repainted Sept. 2010 with a different acrylic house solid stain. Within 2 -1/2…