James C. Massey & Shirley Maxwell

Products of the Week

Coppa Woodworking, Inc. is America's leading manufacturer of custom made, handcrafted, Wood Screen Doors and Wood Storm Doors.

HVAC & Retrofit Systems

A central heating and cooling system using "aspiration" technology to warm and cool homes evenly and quietly with flexible small ducts that weave through ceilings, walls, and even floors.

Painting, Stripping & Finishing

Rubio® Monocoat Oil Plus 2C is a revolutionary, plant-based, hardwax oil wood finish. One layer colors (if desired) and protects your wood. The unique technology forms a molecular bond with the wood fibers resulting in a durable, water-resistant finish, that keeps the natural look and feel of the wood. Available in 50+ standard colors.

The ideal addition solution is a wing that is subordinate to the main house and positioned behind it. Emulating details on the original house like roof pitch and siding (but keeping them clearly later) helps integrate the new work.

Construction & Additions

Understanding some basics about residential design and historic preservation can provide useful guidelines for creating sensitive additions to old houses.

Strasburg is a small Virginia town in the Shenandoah River Valley, just west of the Blue Ridge.

Historic Neighborhoods

The picturesque downtown is packed with artists and craftsmen, antiques shops, and restaurants, occupying spaces once claimed by millers, tanners, and blacksmiths.

Historic Neighborhoods

Visit colonial-era homes in the Old South of Shepherdstown, West Virginia.

Victorian buildings in Georgetown, Colorado.

Historic Neighborhoods

This former mining town boasts an impressive array of Victorian finery.

A centrally located floor register is one way to diffuse heat, and some were quite decorative. This reproduction is from Reggio Registers.

Interiors & Decor

Old houses have many options when it comes to heating. help make your vintage heating system more efficient.

The LeVines devised a system that would allow them to keep the house's original radiators.

Plumbing, Electrical & HVAC

When adding on to their 1912 house, Don and Lana LeVine chose a mix of heating systems for ease and efficiency.

Digital

E-newsletters

“Haddonfield is so community-centered,” says resident Angie Cheatham. “Parades, library book sales, and walking tours are things that bring people together.”

Historic Neighborhoods

The War Between the States turned peaceful Strasburg into a bitterly contested battleground. This memorial obelisk, erected by Confederate veterans in 1896, sits in the Presbyterian cemetery in Strasburg.

Historic Neighborhoods

Siding, Shingles & Roofing

A variegated tile roof adds character to a building at the Moravian settlement in Old Salem, North Carolina.

Siding, Shingles & Roofing

The right roof can be your home's crowning architectural statement.

Exuberant metal sunbursts and sprays guard doors in Collier Heights, but they also welcome visitors and bring light and air to the interiors.

Historic Neighborhoods

“I call Bottle Hill an ‘intentional neighborhood,’" says resident Kathy Sulo. "It’s not always easy to meet neighbors, but shared interests like the Friends of Bottle Hill bring us together, and bi-weekly meetings keep us connected.”

Historic Neighborhoods

“We have a multi-generational neighborhood," say residents John and Candace Volz. "Young folks who grew up here come back to raise their families near their parents’ homes.”

Historic Neighborhoods

The richly ornamented 1873 Kemper House displays a notable High Victorian front porch with paired columns and fancy gingerbread.

Historic Neighborhoods

Bold, sweeping butterfly roofs were used in the 1959 Racquet Club Road Estates, designed by William Krisel.

Mid-Century Modern Houses

The desert oasis of Palm Springs, California, offers a deep well of mid-century modern architecture.

Strong geometric forms with a typical carved-wood door mark the 1923 Edward Brooks House.

Old House Styles

A mix of old and new architectural traditions creates a remarkable landscape in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

This early Sears house in Williamsburg, Virginia, not only predates the catalog name system, but also still carries many vestiges of the Victorian era, from bay windows to "horseshoe" gable ornament.

Old House Styles

For more than 30 years, the Chicago-based retailer was the king of catalog Sears houses.

Old House Styles

A look at the variety of Spanish Revival architecture styles, including Mission (or Mission Revival), Spanish Colonial Revival, Pueblo Revival, Territorial, and Monterey styles.