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Posts tagged ‘exterior renovations’

Jun 30

Historic Curb Apeal: Taking Care of Your Tudor

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Tall gabled roofs, charming round top doors, leaded and beveled glass windows…. a Tudor style home is just bursting with inviting charm and curb appeal. The eclectic asymmetrical facades often feature brick or stucco and have winding approaches to their front doors that evoke the English country homes that inspire the style.

What does a Tudor home need to keep looking its best?

Here are 5 tips from Arciform Senior Designer Anne De Wolf for sprucing up your Tudor.

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1. Safeguard your Stucco. The shallow overhangs and stucco exterior of many Tudors can lead to opportunities for the northwest’s rain to seep behind your facade. Keep a close eye out for weather damage on the stucco portions of your exterior and tackle any problems quickly before they get out of hand.

The good news: stucco can be repaired in small sections without needing to resurface your entire facade, making regular maintenance more affordable on Tudor homes.

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2.  Mix in Some Metal. Updating the entryway of a Tudor can be tricky- the style tends towards very small entry spaces with unusually shaped doors and very little covering from the elements. In order to add a bit of shelter without marring the traditional style, consider adding copper awnings over your doors and ground floor windows.

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Wrought iron railings, sconces, lamp posts and edging can add additional design elements that will fit with the gothic inspirations of the Tudor style.

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3. Dormer Delights. The high gabled roof of a Tudor home was originally designed to encourage the snow to slide off in northern climates. In the temperate northwest they have another advantage: plenty of space to add a dormer bedroom or office.

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Just two things to be aware of before you contemplate a dormer addition:

  • Your floor joists may be twisted. Because Tudors are often built as a series of small compartmentalized spaces, you may discover that the orientation of the floor joists can change from from floor to floor. The direction of the joists has a big impact on how the house will carry the weight of a new addition, so it is important to be sure you know which direction they run before your dormer addition is designed.
  • Framing designed for a ceiling may not be strong enough for a floor. Many Tudors have tall vaulted ceilings in their living rooms, with plenty of attic space above. However, ceiling joists are usually not built to withstand the same load as a floor, so creating a dormer above that vaulted living room may require more structural updates than your budget will allow.

Your designer will work with a structural engineer to be sure that the design of your new addition will take these important structural considerations into account.

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4. Many Lites Make Lovely Windows. Thin, unusually shaped windows with many small panes of glass (called lites) are a hallmark feature of Tudor style. Beveled or leaded glass and diamond patterns are common.

What should you do when one of these iconic windows starts to leak or fail?

Our colleagues at Versatile Wood Products, a company that specializes in the restoration and historically accurate replacement of traditional windows and doors, recommend that you have a window expert do a site evaluation before you make any decisions about restoration or replacement. Options for restoration can include repairing broken lead elements, replacing rotting wood sash elements with new sash, or replacing the entire window with an exact replica. In some cases, adding an exterior custom storm window can lengthen the life of the window and increase its insulation value.

Be sure to explore all your options before you decide to rip out and replace with a modern window. A Tudor’s unusual window shapes can be a major factor in its curb appeal and resale value.

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4. Instead of a Porch, Consider a Pavilion.

The shallow overhangs and high roof lines of a Tudor home don’t create many opportunities for integrated indoor/outdoor spaces like porches. Instead, consider creating a detached carport or pavilion that can double as an entertaining space when the weather is nice. A detached pavilion allows you a bit of flexibility on design to coordinate with the home without needing to exactly match design details. Just keep the framing simple and rustic to fit with the english country style of the home.

Want more good ideas for making your classic home the envy of the neighborhood?

Join us July 16th for a Historic Home How To Workshop at Old Portland and Architectural. Get the details and RSVP here.

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Apr 29

Is Your Home a Historic Place? Understanding Portland’s Historic Designations

Did you know that Portland has 15 areas that are designated historic districts? That there are 1900 homes and buildings in Oregon that are listed on the National Register of Historic Places (and if you include homes listed in a historic district that total is over 12,000)? There are also 6 neighborhoods in North and Northeast Portland that are listed as “conservation districts.”

What does it mean for your home to have one of these designations? How will it impact your ability to maintain your home over time?

Every city handles review differently, but here are  a few benefits and costs of each designation to consider:

 

National Register of Historic Places

Quarum_1913_Exterior_Kozawa_A_3(The Barnes Mansion, a home on the National Register of Historic Places in the Beaumont-Wilshire neighborhood, received a respectful kitchen renovation by Arciform. Although the majority of the renovation was interior and not subject to Historic Review, a small range hood vent  needed to pierce the exterior fabric of the building, triggering a submission of the project for Historic Review to ensure the vent cover would meet historic preservation guidelines.)

The National Register of Historic Places is an honorary designation awarded by the National Park Service. Often the structure will have a plaque announcing its designation though these are not mandatory.

Benefits: Owners of listed properties can enjoy up to a 20% tax investment credit and straight-line depreciation period of 27.5 years on properties that qualify. There are federal and state grant programs that can be applied for to mitigate the costs of restoring and maintaining the property. Owner occupied properties can qualify for a special assessment of Historic Property that will yield 10 years property tax free.There are also some exceptions and alternatives to the International Building Code that are allowed during renovation of National Register properties.

Costs: Being listed on the National Register does not directly protect the building from demolition or alterations, unless federal or state grant funding is received. Once listed, your city can stop demolition or review changes to the property if they have a local preservation ordinance.

If federal or state grants are received for restoration and rehabilitation, specific rules will be enforced for what kinds of restoration activity can be undertaken with those funds, which can add to the cost of that work. These restrictions will typically be aimed at preserving the existing wood, metal and other historic materials as well as the architectural details relevant to the period of the building.

 Did you know? Though most Portland National Register residences are large historic homes in Irvington, the Alphabet District and select inner Portland neighborhoods (like the Barnes Mansion shown above), over a dozen apartment and condo buildings in NW Portland are listed on the National Register as well. Irvington is the largest historic district in Oregon.

Historic District

Dickason_1925_Exterior_A_1_P(This Irvington project by Arciform included a kitchen renovation and the creation of an attic master suite. Because this project was completed prior to the district’s designation as historic, the attic egress window that was replaced in the project did not need to undergo the Historic Review process. Any future renovations that include the home’s exterior will be subject to review.)

If you live in Ladd’s Addition, Irvington, Buckman or one of the 12 other protected neighborhoods in Portland, your home is designated part of a Historic District. This is a local designation recognized by the City of Portland. All of Portland’s historic districts also happen to be listed as National Register districts. To be designated a “historic district” in Portland, every homeowner in the affected area has to support the designation in writing at the time the designation is awarded, and for good reason: once enacted, the historic district comes with very specific restrictions on how the homes can be maintained and modified. To be designated a Historic District on the National Register, more than 50% of owners in the district need to support the designation.

It has huge benefits and some important costs.

Benefits: The most important benefit is that home values in historic districts tend to stay stable and increase over time and infill development is prevented, preserving the character of the neighborhood and the property values of homes and structures within that neighborhood.

Costs: Any renovation that will affect exterior elements of the home visible by neighbors or from the street must pass a thorough Historic Review process designed to prevent alterations of the home’s historic material and design. This particularly includes alterations to the home’s facade, doors, windows and roof, but can affect any area of the home’s exterior that is visible to people living and traveling through the district.

Did you know? Even replacing your front door in a historic district requires approval through the formal Historic Review process. This process requires formal plans and specific fees and typically requires 6 to 8 weeks to complete.

But don’t worry! We can help you figure out how to phase your projects to make the most efficient use of the historic review process.

 Conservation District

Miller_1899House_Exterior_A_ (4)(This house in the Mississippi Conservation District suffered a house fire. Arciform was able to restore and renovate the structure while the owners were out of the country.)

6 neighborhoods in North and Northeast Portland were designated Conservation Districts by the City of Portland as part of the Albina Community Plan in 1992. The only difference between a Conservation and a Historic district is that a Conservation District is considered to have local historic significance where a Historic District is deemed to have national significance. The rules for a conservation district are a little more flexible for demolition, new construction and solar integration compared to historic districts.

Benefits: Similar to a Historic District, Conservation District neighborhoods are protected from large multi-residential, industrial or commercial redevelopment through the requirements of the historic review process. This protects property values and maintains the architectural details that define character of the neighborhood.

Costs: Homes and buildings that are considered to be contributing to the historic character of the neighborhood must go through the same historic review process as a historic district if they want to modify any aspect of the exterior of their homes.

Did you know? In historic preservation terms, not all buildings in a district are considered contributing to the character of the neighborhood, based on the period they were built and the history of the structure.

It is also true that not all sides of a home or structure are considered to be equally  “contributing.” Often a back wall or a portion of a structure that was added after the historic period and before the district designation will be considered non-contributing and will have more flexible rules about how it can be modified as a result.

Want to know more about how the historic review process might affect your renovation plans?

Join us July 16th at Old Portland Hardware and Architectural for a Historic How To Workshop.

Get the details and RSVP here.

 

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