Be a Pal to Your Porch.

Porches on porches in this post.

One of the most characteristic features a house can boast is an architecturally interesting front porch.  Much as the eyes are the window to the soul, the porch is the window to the house.  Well, that’s a bad metaphor, since the porch is the porch to the house and the windows are the windows to the house, but you get it.  The historic quality of your porch deeply affects the perceived historic quality of the rest of the property.  Removing or enclosing a historic porch can irretrievably alter a house’s visual character.

A Diamond in the Roof: Common Roof Types.

As we’ve noted before, houses come in infinite styles, plans, and configurations.  It can be hard to keep track of the different types of housing stock out there.  The American domestic architectural gods have given us one reprieve, though: generally speaking, there are just a few major roof types found on a wide range of house styles across the country.  Lucky us.

It’s All in the Pipes.

Some radiators are sculptural works of art.

So you bought an old house and those old radiators are clanging, hot, and everyone tells you they are inefficient. Everyone’s got an opinion – right or wrong.

Don’t Discriminate Old Windows. It’s Not Fair.

Your older home has leaky, drafty, inefficient wood windows that need to be replaced to save you money and be energy efficient, right?