What you need to know to get an old house rewired properly, with minimal damage to the building. Old-House Journal February/March 2011
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Editor’s Note
Since we last met, I have successfully purchased—and moved into—a beautiful 1929 Colonial Revival house in southeastern Michigan. While this state has taken a hard economic hit over the past two decades, I’m impressed with the rich array of housing stock that remains in places like Detroit and Flint, which blossomed during the early years of the automobile industry. Just down my street, for example, are fantastic Tudor, French Eclectic, Dutch Colonial Revival, and Neoclassical houses. The elaborate detailing on these finely crafted buildings reminds me of why OHJ’s mission is so important—these houses need to be preserved for future generations. I wish I could adopt them all, but it’s clear that the one I’ve got is going to keep me plenty busy. I can’t wait to start unearthing the beneath-the-surface stories of my house, my neighborhood, and my new town, because I know there are some remarkable tales to be found here, as is usually the case where old houses are involved.
The home in this issue’s Old-House Living is a good example. It was hiding plenty of secrets about its original kitchen and exterior appearance. Those mysteries began revealing themselves through the present owners’ clever detective work and unexpected finds, and their story is one you won’t want to miss. A mystery of a different sort greeted author Tony Seideman the first time he turned on the dining room light in his transitional Victorian home and experienced a scary electrical arcing. His journey toward up-to-speed wiring, and the pitfalls he’s encountered along the way, can help guide you to sound electrical choices that won’t sacrifice the historic fabric of your home.
Preserving original materials while updating is hugely important, of course. In my own new place, an irksome detail is that previous owners screwed wooden curtain rod brackets directly into the original 6″-wide casing of nearly every window. I hope you’ll find a less damaging way to install window coverings in your own home—see our roundup of five classic window treatments suitable for a variety of house styles. This issue also marks our annual tribute to the ongoing revival of interest in the Arts & Crafts movement, bringing you stories that explore the evolution of Arts & Crafts wallpaper patterns and iconic furnishings no bungalow should be without. Though I don’t own an Arts & Crafts house, I still love reading about them. Of course, there really isn’t an old-house style that I don’t enjoy reading up on…
Demetra Aposporos, Editor-in-Chief of Old-House Journal
