Kate Wood, guest author

Summer is the season of open windows and outdoor projects. Some people wilt in the heat. I thrive—-one benefit of my Texas childhood? Or maybe because it’s such a great time to give old houses some love. Longer days and (generally) drier weather create ideal conditions for maintaining your house’s envelope (all the parts that distinguish and protect the outside from inside), especially one of its...

Ready to start researching your historic house? Thanks to municipal archives, libraries, and historical societies, so much information has been preserved. And more and more of these records have been digitized and made publicly available online. But hunting down all of the bits and pieces can feel like searching for so many needles in a haystack. Here are some tips to help make the search easier....

Want to Save Money on Your Old House? Here’s HowImage Above: One of Bisbee's MOST MAJESTIC Historic MANSIONS Designed by Henry Trost - CIRCA Old Houses- A key selling point is this property’s potential as an AirBnB or wedding venue, both eligible income-producing uses for both federal and Arizona state historic tax credits.Yes, the federal government (and some states) will pay you to sensitively...

Rome wasn't built in a day...and good stewardship takes time, too. So, we're back with more seasonal maintenance tasks (make sure to read Part 1 as well!).1. Invest in a smart thermostat. Even when you’re not at home, the interior of your house should remain above 50 degrees Fahrenheit to avoid problems like frozen pipes. A smart thermostat will alert you if temperatures get too low, signaling a problem...

A Distinctive Home in the Storied "Playground on the Potomac" - Lester Cottage - CIRCA Old HousesNewsflash! Regardless of what the vinyl window and siding sales force would have us believe, there’s no such thing as maintenance-free. ALL homes require steady, ongoing care. The beauty of OLD homes (I mean, beyond the obvious…) is how gracefully they accept attention and love. But we have to keep at it....

CIRCA founders, Ethan and Elizabeth Finkelstein, have partnered with NYS Clean Heat as they look to make energy-efficient choices for their own cheap old farmhouse renovation. Learn fom their journey as we show you how best to tackle energy-focused upgrades in any old home.

Are you curious about how to control unwanted moisture in historic buildings? Repair stained and leaded glass? Preserve and reuse historic gas stations??Then you are in luck! “Preservation Briefs” is a series of 51 guides that address these questions, and hundreds of others, in expert technical detail. And they are available online from the National Park Service.I rely on Preservation Briefs for every...

You know those people who love getting up in the morning because their jobs feel like play? I used to be intensely jealous of them…until I became one nearly a decade ago. This isn’t a post on deep meditation or how to “get rich quick” (sorry!). It’s a topic that makes me a little giddy (clearly): historic rehabilitation strategy.  Circa 1920...

Almost nothing makes my heart sing more than someone telling me they’re interested in old houses. Maybe they live in one, grew up in one, want to buy and rescue one, or turn one into their dream coffee/book/thrift shop with podcast studio and artist workspace. A question I often get is, how do I become a preservationist? Well, my friend, there are many paths. The place to start is in your own, deep...

What is it that moves so many of us to take up these shells of past lives, put them on our backs and carry them into the future?As I celebrate nearly one year! of writing for The Magazine at CIRCA, this is a question I continue to ponder.  Registered and Part of THE Oldest Estate and Home in Manhattan – CIRCA Old Houses Old houses make...