Old-House Journal May/June 2009

Editor’s Note
Spring is in the air, and with that first burst of warm weather, I always get a renewed zest for tackling home improvement projects. When the temperature finally evens out, my husband and I grab our tools and, full of ambition, start trying to tick things off of our list one project at a time. Our repairs always seem to move a little slower than we’ve planned, though, due largely to the mushroom factor. If you can relate, then you’ll share my appreciation for a couple of home projects in this issue that we follow from beginning to end. For starters, we look at a terrific project that made a leaning, twisted, water-damaged 50′-tall tower on an Italianate house in Massachusetts structurally sound again. In a second job, also handled with professional help, we follow one couple’s effort to rebuild an elaborate Victorian-era wood screen based on clues left behind from the original installation.

Now is a good time to tune up your double-hung windows. We check in with a window expert in the largest historic district in Texas for tips on tackling this project. If your doors need some decorative finessing, two articles can help you whip them into shape. First, learn how to rebuild Federal-style door casings using stock parts available at most lumberyards. Next, discover some highlights of Victorian-era doorknobs from an expert collector.

Our house calls this month include visits to two very different (architecturally speaking) homes. In Old-House Living, we look at a well-known Art Deco residence in Tulsa, Oklahoma. In Style, we learn about the rural building type known as an I house. And on a general house note, I’ll take a wild guess that many of you enjoy going on historic neighborhood house tours as much as I do. I love immersing myself in other folks’ restored gems, and find inspiration (and maybe even hope) for my own endless list of projects.

Demetra Aposporos, Editor-in-Chief of Old-House Journal

In This Issue: