Web tour: Saving old wood windows rather than replacing them

At last weekend’s symposium: “The Greenest Building is Already Built” I learned about a number of online resources which describe the unheralded benefits of restoring old, wood windows, weather-stripping them, and outfitting them with appropriate storm units instead of replacing them.

I’ve written here before about improving the performance of old, wood windows, which can be a “greener” and more aesthetic alternative to replacement windows.  But don’t just take my word for it.  The National Trust for Historic Preservation has a great tip sheet on the topic.  The U.S. Department of the Interior offers an informative Preservation Brief about it.  Apparently, this is a favorite topic of Old-House Journal's too.  They have articles here and here about it.

I was hoping to link to a graphic Old-House Journal published in their September/October 2007 issue, which illustrates four different window “tune-up” strategies and their associated annual energy savings in BTU’s, dollar savings per window (assuming gas heat at a 2007 rate), and the payback period.  I couldn’t find the graphic online, but suffice it to say that that the repaired, weather-stripped, old, wood window outfitted with a quality, storm window gives the Low-e glass, double-pane thermal, replacement window a run for its money.

Frank Shirley, of Frank Shirley Architects was awarded a 2010 BSA Research Grant in Architecture to study this issue and will release his findings sometime next month.  I’ll be sure to link to his study here when it’s available.

by Katie Hutchison for House Enthusiast

Design snapshot: An entry door with a touch of mystery

The design, material, and color of this detail within an antique entry door readily draw my attention. The v-groove planks, along with the beaded, arched-top, peak-a-boo window, and leaded lites punctuated with a ring-shaped, iron knocker are at once simple, elegant and intriguing design elements. The combination of deep-purple paint, gray metalwork and reflective, black glass enhance the door’s enticing, yet mildly foreboding, vibe – a captivating mix, especially in October. 

You can’t help but wonder what similarly beguiling architectural details might be found on the other side of this door. If only I could wrangle an invitation to find out. Perhaps I’m not too old for trick-or-treating… O.K., I am.

by Katie Hutchison for House Enthusiast

Free symposium: "The Greenest Building is Already Built"

Saturday, October 16, 2010 9:00 a.m.–12:30 p.m. 
Boston Architectural College, 320 Newbury Street, Boston, MA

Joseph Story House c. 1811, Salem, MASome times the obvious is worth repeating: rehabilitating, reusing, and renovating older homes can be inherently "greener" than building new from scratch. I wrote about this in one of my early posts Common Sense Green. In fact, it's a recurring theme of mine. Here it is in a post about the internal neighborhood of my antique condominium. And here it is again in a post about the LEED for Homes Silver Certification of the Joseph Story House, which was part of the 2009 Christmas in Salem House Tour.

Fortunately, for me (and you) there's an upcoming half-day symposium on the topic, to be moderated by New England Home’s Kyle Hoepner. Speakers will include Mark Price, Frank Shirley AIA, Jeff Stein AIA, Charles Sullivan and Rebecca Williams, who (according to the NEH event blurb) represent "perspectives from a variety of professions and organizations—architecture, architectural education, sustainability engineering, preservation and historical commissions".

Not your typical Saturday activity, but it could prove worth it.

by Katie Hutchison for House Enthusiast

New Canaan Library Exhibit: Light and space in the artwork of Alanna Fagan

On exhibit through October 10, 2010

Upstairs At Margaret's, oil on canvas 32" x 42". Image courtesy of Alanna Fagan's website.Last week I had the pleasure of attending a small show of paintings titled Interior Space(s) by Alanna Fagan exhibited at the H. Pelham Curtis Gallery in the New Canaan Library in Connecticut. 

I joined my mother on her second or third tour through the show. She has yet another visit there planned this week. She can't get enough of Alanna's paintings, and I can understand why.

Many of them, like "Upstairs At Margaret's", draw the viewer through somewhat muted, spare, layered space toward something reflective and colorful or more detailed, as if through a memory to the heart of the scene.  Alanna's controlled attention to the architecture, hardware, and furnishings gently guides the viewer's journey through the painting and the recollections it evokes.

Her work reminded me of paintings by Edward Hopper, Vilhelm Hammershoi, and Carl Larsson, all of whom had an eye for quiet, layered, familiar and evocative interiors. (All of whom I've referenced, at least tangentially, in House Enthusiast here, here, and here.) Those of you with ties to coastal New England homes will readily recognize in Alanna's paintings the domestic setting of youthful summers or of more recent escapes or even daily life.

If you can get to the show, and you're at all like my mom and me, allow for multiple visits.

by Katie Hutchison for House Enthusiast

Design snapshot: Winning-egg color palette

When my friend Stephen saw these prize-winning eggs at the Truro Ag Fair, he remarked that they could inspire a beautiful paint palette. Of course, he’s not the first to have found inspiration in Araucanas eggs. Martha Stewart had her Picnic Boat hull painted to match one such egg.

I know this because once when my husband, a boating enthusiast, was stretching out for a run in front of the living room T.V., he stumbled upon a show about the making of a Hinckley Picnic Boat in which the experts explained the process. I overheard the show from the kitchen and recognized a familiar voice. I paused and listened longer to be sure, and then entered the living room.

“Are you watching Martha Stewart?” I asked, very amused. (He’s not a Martha enthusiast.)

“Oh, I wondered what was going on when they started talking about the color matching some egg,” he said. The boat builders sounded about as dumbfounded by the color selection as my husband was. None-the-less, it was a dreamy color -- just beautiful with the boat’s dash of brightwork.

Finding color inspiration in nature is only, well, natural. Take a look around your local farmers’ market for inspiration. A friend found an exquisite, red-tinted-blue, spicy pepper which she matched on her kitchen cabinets. Another colleague found a deep purple-black eggplant worth emulating for an exterior house color. What will you find?

by Katie Hutchison for House Enthusiast