Historic and Older Homes /1860s to the 1960s Older and historic homes are unique, one of a kind, an antique, can never be replaced.  Quality of the materials used may no longer exist or be very difficult to find.  If you could find similar materials, they would be expensive. I wanted to compare the cost of materials back at the turn of the century to what the materials would cost today.  I went onto the net and began searching the New York Times archives.  Here is what I found: an ad for a 1910 mission oak rocker with crack leather cushions.  The advertised price was $6.24*.  I then searched the net to find a 2009 mission rocker; the price was $1,299.95.**  A good reason to maintain your older home. * -Newspaper archive, Library of Congress link http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83030272/1910-02-06/ed-1/seq-14/;words=saleS+SALE+Sale+sale - ** - Price quote from www.missionliving.com - What you should have inspected:   Exterior Grading Foundations Windows Doors Framing Brick/Masonry Roof Electrical Plumbing Paint Heating Appliances Ductwork Porches Drainage Gutters   Double Hung Windows: Are your double hung windows' sash ropes broken or are your windows painted shut?  The window industry wants you to replace your old windows with new ones.  Your old windows, frames and jambs have last for decades.  If you replace them with new, not only will you lose a special element and character found in your old house, the new windows may last only10 to 15 years. Your old windows are easy to fix.  When fixed they will work with ease.  they can be made green.  Save money, save your old windows.   Casement Windows: Are your casement windows sticking, latches broken, too many coats of paint?  Each sash can be adjusted, planed, stripped, and insulated.  Doors: Your original interior / exterior doors were chosen and installed to match your unique architecture.  Is the wood dry and needs to be refreshed or do you have too many layers of paint. Easy to fix.  Maybe your door is sticking or dragging on the floor, maybe you need veneer repaired, the jambs insulated; we can save your doors.  Exterior / Interior Woodwork: The original woodwork in your older home is vertical grain clear stock, no knots, no blemishes, milled from old lumber.  Vertical grain clear stock, if maintained, will last for ever.  kiln dried modern wood with immature grain structure, knots, and blemishes will never last as long. Your woodwork can be refreshed, refinished, and restored to last for another 100 years. Water based finishes may look shiny, but will not fix the problem.  Water based finishes can not stop the wood from splitting, cracking, or rotting.  The wood needs its natural oils.  Replacing the wood's natural oils will replenish, refresh,  and seal the wood.  Deep oil finishes are water resistant.  We custom make these oils.  To learn more about these custom oils  visit: http://www.monkeyjuiceoils.com Exterior Grading / Drainage: Over the years your exterior grade has shifted.  This is  due to rain, snow, watering your plants, and gutters.  Water that migrates towards your foundation walls,  into your basement, under your decks, porches, and into your crawlspaces will cause structural damage.  You can mudjack, but if drainage is not repaired, the mudjack will fail.  Water will find its way around the mudjacking.  Mudjacking  is a temporary and an expensive fix.  We have the experience to make the repairs permanent.   Roofing: We inspect you roof, vents, and flashing.  Electrical:*** Our master electrician will inspect your panel, grounds, loads, phase, and wiring.   Plumbing: Your original plumbing was galvanized steel water lines and cast iron drains pipes.  We check your sewer lines to see if they are compromised by roots.  We check your water lines to make they are in good condition.   Appliances / Ductwork:**** Over the years your exhaust ductwork from your dryer or cooktop will collect lint or grease.  This can cause a fire.  Let us inspect and clean your exhaust duct work. Brick / Stonework: Proper repointing is necessary for you older home.   We have the experience to mix the right mortar blends, soft enough to preserve your brick or stonework. ***  U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission    **** National Fire Protection Association 5,600 dryer fires occur each year resulting in property damage exceeding $75 million dollars. 20,000 people are treated in hospital emergency rooms for injuries related to garage doors.* 15,260 injuries and 2,660 deaths annually due to failure or problems with smoke alarms, sprinklers and fire extinguishers.* 38,300 reported home electrical fires including 120 deaths and 390 injuries associated with electrical wiring, circuit breakers, fuses and meters.* , ** 49,200 heating equipment related home fires.** 14,000 deaths occur from radon each year, as estimated by the EPA.

 

 

Newer Homes / 1970s to the present Modern homes were built using cheaper materials with quicker installation techniques. With few exceptions, modern methods and materials usually fail within a few years.  traditional construction techniques and craftsmanship were being replaced for speed and profit. When you compare traditional construction techniques against modern construction techniques,  traditional techniques have lasted a lifetime. With modern construction techniques, as labor and material costs continue to rise, it is more important then ever to maintain your home.  Maintaining your home  will save you money.  If left unchecked you will incur costly replacement costs.  What you should have inspected:   Foundations Caulking Windows Doors Framing Brick Roof Flashing Electrical  Plumbing Heating Appliances Ductwork Porches/Walkways Drainage Gutters Tile / Marble     Lumber was quickly kiln dried; tile was installed on drywall with latex mastics; particle board plywood was used to construct doors and cabinets.  Windows / Doors: Modern Kiln quick dried lumber used to frame your home will continue to dry in your walls.  Your house will continue to shrink.  Those forces will pull on the caulking around your windows and doors.  Gaps and separation will occur.  We can re-caulk around your windows and doors. Brick / Stonework: Within the first 4 years your house will continue to settle.  Your grout will separate and crack.  Your brick / Stonework will need to be repointed.  We have the expertise, we know what to look for. Porches / Decks / Walkways: Due to quick backfilling around your new house foundation, your porches, decks, and walkways have sunken or will eventually sink.  Water runoff from your roofs, gutters, sprinklers, will find its way into these voids, cause erosion and speed up the failure.  You can mudjack, but if your cracks, gaps, grade, and drainage are not repaired, the problem will reappear. Let us fix it right. Plumbing: It is common to see your copper water lines touching your duct work or other non copper metal surfaces. Dielectric breakdown causes leaks.  We know what to look for and how to permanently fix the problem. Roofing: We inspect you roof, vents, and flashing.  Tile / Marble: Your home may be still settling. Your tile installed in your bathrooms and kitchen maybe starting to pop.  The grout between the tile will starts to fall out.  Why? This is due to the way the tile or marble was installed.  Common modern techniques for tile installations on walls are latex mastic on green drywall.  For floors: diamond wire mesh stapled to the subfloor, thin set is applied.  These modern techniques are guaranteed to fail.  Let us do it right.  Appliance / Ductwork:**** Over the years your exhaust ductwork from your dryer and stove will collect lint and grease. This can cause a fire. Let us inspect and clean your exhaust duct work. 5,600 dryer fires occur each year resulting in property damage exceeding $75 million dollars. 20,000 people are treated in hospital emergency rooms for injuries related to garage doors.* 15,260 injuries and 2,660 deaths annually due to failure or problems with smoke alarms, sprinklers and fire extinguishers.* 38,300 reported home electrical fires including 120 deaths and 390 injuries associated with electrical wiring, circuit breakers, fuses and meters.* , ** 49,200 heating equipment related home fires.** 14,000 deaths occur from radon each year, as estimated by the EPA.             ***  Source: U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission;    ****Source: National Fire Protection Association

 

Brick skirt was removed, cleaned, and reinstalled