Old House Gardens & Exteriors

Old House Gardens & Exteriors

Books for Old-House Gardeners

The OHJ editors and writer Tovah Martin share their favorite old-house gardening books.

Old House Gardens & Exteriors

Historic Roof Types

In its massing, pitch, and material, a roof indicates house style.

Old House Gardens & Exteriors

Cutting Miters for Window Trim

Shop craftsman at Woodsmith Magazine Marc Hopkins demonstrates how to trim out a window with window casing.

Old House Gardens & Exteriors

Fence Options for Every House Style

Building a fence for an old house is seldom an inexpensive proposition. Nonetheless, first investing a little thought into the best fence design can pay big dividends in an attractive feature that unites the building and landscape while enhancing privacy, establishing property boundaries, and protecting children and pets.

Old House Gardens & Exteriors

Cape Cod Exterior Colors

Twentieth-century Capes sometimes stray from tradition.

Old House Gardens & Exteriors

A Landscape Designer’s Own Gardens

An award-winning landscape designer’s own extensive gardens reflect two decades of cultivation and care.

Old House Gardens & Exteriors

Patterned Brickwork

Decorative masonry in early houses on the Eastern Seaboard.

Old House Gardens & Exteriors

Musing on Brick Houses, 1929–1955

What are we to make of these fanciful brick houses?

Old House Gardens & Exteriors

What’s a Moon Gate?

The Moon Gate at Blithewold in Rhode Island was built at the turn of the 20th century, but the form goes back to ancient Chinese gardens and remains popular today.

Old House Gardens & Exteriors

Buy the Right Shutters

A primer on real, old-fashioned, appropriate exterior shutters, suitable for old houses, includes weather-resistant options.

Old House Gardens & Exteriors

Take-Aways From a Colonial Revival Garden

True Colonial-era gardens were practical, rarely ornamental, and relied on edible and medicinal plants.

Old House Gardens & Exteriors

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.

Old House Gardens & Exteriors

Glass House Conservatories

Glass house conservatories are different from greenhouses in that they are permanently attached to a building.

Old House Gardens & Exteriors

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.