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Making the most of our "green" Historic Houses
! – [If vml!] -> We have become so dependent on air conditioning heating and sometimes forget to take advantage of the good inherent in the design of our historic houses. As the weather gets nice in the fall, consider take some steps to operate the power of your historic house more efficiently and save some money in the process. Here are some ideas:
1. Peel the windows are locked. It is almost a universal feature of old houses that have at least one window that does not move, but when more than half do not work time to act. A web search for "windows locked" leads to countless websites with step by step to loosen the stuck windows, including HGTV and This Old House (featuring a video). The launch of a stuck window is not rocket science, but usually requires some muscle and patience. Professional help is call, especially if you need to replace the counterweights, just beware of anyone telling you to change the wooden windows. There are good contractors in the area reparable windows, preserving the character and integrity of your home and keeping dollars in your pocket.
2. Install target = "_blank" title = "Images of Wood Window"> wood-frame screens on the windows if they are lost. More likely to open windows unstuck if you do not care mosquito welts. As a bonus, the wooden window screens to add the historic character and an accent additional color on the outside of the building.
3. Install target = "_blank" title = "The wooden doors of the screen"> Doors wood screen all exterior doors. Wooden doors of the screen should be of high resistance, and that open and close as often as the front door, if the model you see is made with thin, finger-jointed wood and comes with a diagonal wire, do not expect it to work properly for more than a season or two. Choose self-closing spring hinges instead of ugly empty bars for a more authentic design of their historic home.
4. Install awnings, shutters operable or shades of openings in the south and west elevations. When appropriate for the style of the house, add a touch of pleasing design, as well as function as a shading. Close blinds and shades during the hottest parts of the day.
5. Install ceiling fans and use in conjunction with open windows and doors.
6. Install a ventilation fan in the attic solar energy to help remove excess heat. Activated by a temperature sensor, this project relatively inexpensive help reduce your cooling load next summer.
7. Caulk or foam seal penetrations in your home (where the cable enters lines water penetration, etc) and install weather stripping around windows and doors. Air infiltration is good when you can control by opening doors and windows, but not bad when the air you paid to heat or cool escapes.
8. The insulation in your attic, most heat loss and increase comes through your roof. If you expose part of the outer wall during the renovation, insulation and installation of the project. Do not remove the plaster walls only to isolate, though the cast is surprisingly good insulation and reduces noise transmission from one room to another.
9. Plant some shade trees on south and west sides the house. Trees are a long-term investment in the environment by providing cleaner air, wildlife habitat, reducing erosion soil and shelter from the sun. His historic house has shown that appeals to several generations already, so even though the trees planted today do not have much effect on energy bills for a while, the next owners will appreciate it.
10. Sit on your front porch instead of watching TV in the afternoon a couple of nights a week. We tend to decorate our inviting terraces with rocking chairs and potted flowers beautiful, but rarely take advantage of the tranquility offer. Besides the pleasure of a cold night, relax, you can find one of the other benefits of living in a historic house: a friendly conversation with their neighbors.
About the Author
Ms. Peck is a Historic Preservation Consultant with over 12 years experience working with historic Florida homes. She is President of Preservation Resource, Inc., which has recently introduced a specialized product line for historic homes at www.HistoricShed.com.
02B – Scriver Building, Part 2 – Northfield History Podcasts