Honoring New England’s History by Reviving Its Grand Colonials – Mansion Global

Investing in Historic Preservation

Homes that have stood for hundreds of years lend themselves to a slow process of restoring one feature at a time.

The previous owners of the Costas Andover home did most of the restoration work on the farmhouse in the 1990s, rewiring, plumbing and insulating the house before restoring the plaster walls. The Costas expanded the living space in the barn, restored the exterior and increased the energy efficiency of the house. The couple spent $600,000 to $700,000 on their projects.

We added a tavern room in the barn with paneling that a woodworker found and installed for us from the interior of a 1780s house, Mrs. Costa said. The original floor of the attic in the principal house was in good condition, so we removed that and installed it in the tavern room, too.

The exterior of the property needed work, so the couple hired painters to slowly remove peeling lead paint to preserve the old growth wood underneath, Mr. Costa said.

We installed a geothermal heating system because the house had used 4,000 gallons of oil a year for heat, Mr. Costa said. Now we burn zero oil, and the house is completely comfortable year-round. We add steam humidification for the winter.

Owners of historic homes rely heavily on the expertise of contractors who specialize in antique properties, said Steven White, a real estate agent with William Raveis Real Estate in Marblehead.

Experienced restoration experts do their best to retain what they can of the original structures and materials, Mr. White said. If they cant retain something, theyre usually able to replicate it, often by using salvaged materials.

At Mr. Danes Marblehead home, contractors were able to match windows and find roof shingles to complement the existing architectural shingles and meet the requirements of the historic preservation commission. The Danes replicated the plants in the garden to match historical records, replaced and stained the clapboard exterior, and reconfigured the kitchen and den for easier flow when entertaining. Mr. Dane said they spent approximately $700,000 over many years on renovations.

Our biggest project was the third floor of the house, which needed major structural repair, Mr. Dane said. It took us four years to renovate and reconfigure the space and repair the 18-inch-wide pine floors. We exposed the wood beams that support the roof and were allowed to add skylights because they arent visible from the street.

Thirty years ago, the Steines invested about $150,000 on an addition for their Connecticut home and replaced their roof twice during their ownership.

Weve invested as much or more money than we expect to retrieve when we sell the property, said Mr. Steines.

Their first project was to replace their asphalt roof with a cedar roof and to replicate the original 12-over-12 windows for a unified exterior.

We researched the pieces that we wanted to look authentic and found people who could make items that look as close as possible as the original items, said Mrs. Steines. When we added the addition, we used new materials rather than faux antique, but we wanted it to match the original design features, so we made sure to have the wide plank floors the same width as the planks in the original part of the house.

The Steines also found original moldings from the same period as their home to replace the interior trim around the windows and doors.

The beamed ceilings had been painted and stained, so we had those cleaned up, Mr. Steines said. We have three working fireplaces and the center chimney had to be taken down and rebuilt brick by brick.

The investment of time and money into preserving a historic home has a value that can be hard to quantify, Mr. Steines said.

When you own a house like this, you get the sense youre just passing through, Mrs. Costa said. Its a privilege to live here but its also a responsibility to respect the property and its past.

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Honoring New England's History by Reviving Its Grand Colonials - Mansion Global