Home Improvement Advice for Historical Buildings
10 Ways To Ruin An Old Building(cont) Do it Yourself Tips for Historical Buildings
6 Introduce mix-and-match 'period style' details
The addition of reproduction features such as 'carriage lamps' on either side of a front door, external shutters fixed to the walls serving no functional purpose, and 'bulls-eye' glass panes make old buildings look cheap and phoney
Poor 'period-style' features such as front doors with press-moulded panel mouldings, fanlights within the door itself and stuck-on strips in imitation of leaded lights look incongruous in a genuinely historic building.
7 Replace original components unnecessarily
Replacement windows are rarely necessary: decay is usually limited to the bottom few inches of the frame and new timber windows are liable to decay more quickly than the originals would if repaired (Replacement plastic windows always fail to match the appearance of old windows and even plastic will eventually need to be re-finished regularly to maintain its appearance)
The removal of all timber within one metre of any visible sign of dry rot (which is still advocated by many) is unnecessary as the reintroduction of dry, ventilated conditions alone will prevent its growth
Old and original structures which have distorted through old settlement and are now stable may need repair, but rarely need to be replaced.
8 Position modern services and equipment intrusively
Satellite dishes, air-conditioning units and extractor fans are alien features, which, where necessary, can usually be positioned discreetly
Electricity wires, phone cables, lightning conductors and other services should be installed tidily without snaking across walls and decorative features and modern interior fixtures such as radiators and smoke detectors can be painted to blend with the prevailing colour of the wall, and can often be hidden.
9 Use cleaning methods which damage original surfaces
Sand-blasting and even the most gentle air abrasive cleaning can remove the surface from stone or brick, particularly in the wrong hands and should never be used on timber. Chemical cleaning agents react with stone and brick as well as dirt layers, causing damage and leaving harmful residues
Water, even under low pressure, soaks masonry and can cause surface staining and efflorescence and may lead to masonry decay
Paint-stripping doors by immersion in a caustic bath damages the wood and removes glue from joints.
10 Overload an existing structure
Replacing roofing slates with concrete tiles can cause rafters to bow and even collapse under the increased weight unless the structure is reinforced
Underpinning part of a building can move loads onto other parts of the structure, exacerbating settlement damage
Removing low ties of a roof truss can cause the roof to spread and collapse and removing chimney breasts, walls and other structural features may damage the building´s structural integrity leading to a disaster.