Old House Gardens & Exteriors
Conservatories, Gazebos & Sheds | Exterior Lighting | Exterior Painting | Garden Design | Porches | Remuddling | Siding, Shingles & Roofing | Windows, Doors & Shutters
It's everything that's outside your old house; garden design, landscaping, exterior lighting, porches, siding, roofing, exterior paint schemes, gazebos, windows, doors, shutters & more.
Buy the Right Shutters
A primer on real, old-fashioned, appropriate exterior shutters, suitable for old houses, includes weather-resistant options.
Take-Aways From a Colonial Revival Garden
True Colonial-era gardens were practical, rarely ornamental, and relied on edible and medicinal plants.
The Inspiring Gardens of Blithewold
An eclectic informality is more Arts & Crafts than Gilded Age in the gardens of Blithewold developed between 1893 and 1913.
Glass House Conservatories
Glass house conservatories are different from greenhouses in that they are permanently attached to a building.
Building a New Porch Railing for a 1920s Home
When Bill Ticineto and Jill Chase added a period-appropriate verandah to their 1920s-era home, building a new porch railing for the steps to their side yard was a necessity. Here's how they did it.
How to Repair Old Porches
Tips and techniques for restoring and repairing old porches, including repairing porch posts, columns, flooring, skirting and more.
Old-House Hardscaping
A deep dive into landscape materials plus some do-able outdoor projects; a quarry visit; laying a walk; creating a pond.
Recommended Ways to Build a Strong Fence and Gate
Learn the best joinery techniques for a sag-free garden gate.
Modern Outdoor Spaces for Yard & Patio
The family backyard was born in mid-century suburbia. Play areas, patios, barbeques, and pools took the place of work areas and detached garages.
Best Bets for Exterior Building Materials
New old house designers and architects reveal their top picks for authentic exterior building materials.
Historic American Finery: Early Doors & Entries
Although construction, massing, and various elements help identify a house’s style, the entryway and doors often provide obvious clues.
A Traditional Landscape for a Philadelphia Main Line Estate
Doyle Herman Design Associates bring seamless modernity to a traditional landscape, preserving the viewshed and complementing a Philadelphia Main Line estate.
Energy-Efficient Windows for Old Houses
Looking to cut your energy costs and perhaps score a tax credit? Plenty of period-friendly windows and doors meet the new standards.
Lighting for Porch & Patio
Light the way—and your home’s architectural details—with well-placed landscape lighting.
Tovah Martin's Autumn Garden at Furthermore
Renowned garden writer Tovah Martin shares her personal garden in Connecticut.
Books for Old-House Gardeners
The OHJ editors and writer Tovah Martin share their favorite old-house gardening books.
Horizontal Siding Guide
A survey of basic millwork patterns and their installation.
Decorative Shingling Ideas
By getting creative with your shingling you can add flare and character to your house.
Designing a Historic Georgian Revival Garden
A soggy lawn gets a makeover to match an early 20th-century Georgian Revival home.
Antebellum Garden Design
Large southern plantation homes often lacked lavish outdoor spaces, but ones that did sport elaborate gardens tended to be designed in a geometric manner that complemented the classical and formal lines of the house.
Greek Revival Garden
Emerging out of mud and stumps, a pretty garden flourishes around an 1835 Greek Revival farmhouse.
A Do-It-Yourself Water Feature
A buried trough for water plants and soothing sound.
Ground Covers and Underplanting
In The Garden: Add texture, prevent weeds, do away with mulch.
Vintage Doors
Bring beauty and value your home with heirloom-quality REAL wood doors by Vintage Doors. Meticulously handmade by expert craftsmen in your exact size and style—to be loved and respected for generations, just like the olden days. Hand-crafted wood product line includes: screen doors, storm doors, Dutch doors, French doors, louver doors, pantry doors, interior doors, exterior doors, entrance units, three season porch enclosures, pet doors, arch top doors, round top doors, custom doors and more.
Nostalgic Warehouse
Classic-style door hardware, engineered for new construction or historic renovation, lacquer-coated, solid brass, patterned after original antique hardware, passage, privacy, mortise lock, or dummy sets and cabinet hardware and accessories.
Pewabic Pottery
Pewabic fabricates heirloom quality architectural tiles for public and private installations, gift and commemorative tiles, vessels, gardenware, ornaments and both reproductions and adaptations of its historic designs and offers classes, workshops, lectures, internships and residency programs for studio potters and other artists.
