Do you hear the words rehabilitation, renovation, restoration, and preservation used almost interchangeably and wonder, what do they really mean? Yes, the common thread is that they all move towards some kind of “improvement.” However, understanding the distinctions can completely change how you approach your own old-house project. Personally, I lean into historic rehabilitation because, […]

Sharing our expertise on preserving the original character in an old house.

And, more importantly, why old-house stewards like you matter. If you own or care for an old house, you are already part of something larger than yourself. Long before historic preservation became a formal movement, ordinary people made deliberate choices to repair rather than replace, to understand rather than erase. We don’t just live in […]

A great Mansard Roof catches our eye *every* time. This stately Second Empire residence in Nyack, NY is so regal! It’s within walking distance of everything the adorable village by the Hudson has to offer AND just a 40 minute drive into the city. Now that’s living! It’s also on sale for a steal when […]

When people hear the word “historic”, they often picture the obvious places: a handsome Main Street lined with 19th-century storefronts, a house museum with a gloved guide and a velvet rope, a battlefield marked by interpretive signs. I spent most of my childhood visiting places like these on summer vacation. As a culture, we label […]

Scott Hanson’s book, Restoring Your Historic House: The Comprehensive Guide for Homeowners, hooked me with just one sentence: I have not found a single [home renovation book] that prioritizes the identification and preservation of a historic house’s character-defining features as a starting point in the process. The bold emphasis is mine. I literally swooned. And […]

Another year draws to a close. The days are shorter, the nights seem darker. But look, listen…each old house glows with the light of all its stories. It’s up to us to keep those lights shining. Scrolling back through this year’s CIRCA Old Houses Magazine, here are some favorite lessons: Old houses are a relationship, […]

Old houses can be a lot. They creak, they sigh, they shed paint chips like confetti, and they tend to surprise us in all the wrong ways (usually involving water). And yet, we see that abandoned 150-year-old Italianate with the collapsing plaster and ca-1974 kitchen, and instead of running away, a voice inside our head […]

You bought an old house because it spoke to you. Maybe it was the glow of sunlight through wavy-glass windows, the heft of an old brass doorknob, or the way the staircase feels worn smooth by generations of hands. But when it comes to planning updates or renovations, you might be asking yourself: what exactly […]

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 […]

Walk around any historic neighborhood and look up. Just under the rooflines, delicate scrolls, sturdy supports, bits of carved or jigsaw-cut wood that seem to float beneath the eaves. These are brackets. And while they may be small, they are anything but insignificant. Like so many details in old houses, brackets—and their siblings corbels, consoles […]

Impressive Italianate Mansion with 7 Marble Fireplaces! – CIRCA Old Houses When it comes to 19th-century American architecture, few styles flirt as shamelessly with the dramatic as the Italianate. With its towering proportions, bracketed cornices, and flourish-for-flourish’s-sake ornamentation, this style is the architectural equivalent of a romantic period novel—part poetry, part posturing, and thoroughly irresistible. […]

Historic Mount Mourne: National Register Landmark – CIRCA Old Houses Have you made it through the six Spring maintenance tasks assigned in our last post? Don’t worry, just keep putting one foot in front of the other. Old houses (and life!) sometimes throw us curve balls. A big part of home stewardship is accepting the […]

      Victorian in the Heart of the Fitzgerald, GA Historic District – CIRCA Old Houses.      Can you feel it? Spring is in the air! For those of us who love and care for old houses, it’s the perfect time to inspect, repair, and prepare our homes for the months ahead. Tackling […]

What’s special about this house? At a glance, do you see anything worth preserving? Handsome red brick, original windows, lovely paneled doors and carved mantels inside… But is this relatively modest, essentially abandoned, rather quirky house that sits right up against a road and has been altered over time worthy of the hundreds of thousands […]

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 […]

Want to Save Money on Your Old House? Here’s How Image 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, […]

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 […]

A Distinctive Home in the Storied “Playground on the Potomac” – Lester Cottage – CIRCA Old Houses Newsflash! 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 […]

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.