Welcome to the Landmark Services Old House Renovation Blog

Passive House Builder for High Performance Homes, Boston, MA

mark@landmarkservices.com (Mark Landry) — Thu, 18 Jun 2020 16:44:33 GMT

I recently took a 2 day course given by the Passive House Institute US (PHIUS). The course covered the theory and practice behind the passive house certification. Following the course, I successfully took the exam and I am now a Certified Passive House Builder (CPHB).

As many of you know, I started Landmark Services in order to focus on saving and restoring historic houses. Over the past three decades we have had several hundred successful projects. In the past decade, though, we also began to work on some new construction projects. Many of these were so-called "high performance" homes" in which the components - windows, insulation, air barriers, etc. - were of significantly higher quality than was required by the building code. The goal of these projects is for the home to use far less energy, and therefore, be far more friendly to the planet.

Our experience and our interest in this type of construction has grown exponentially. As we learned more about the field, the passive house standard of construction became more appealing. We worked on a passive house project in Maine. We hope to work on many more. Becoming a CPHB will help us toward that aim.

Featured 19th Century Home Renovation Projects, Cambridge, MA

mark@landmarkservices.com (Mark Landry) — Tue, 12 May 2020 17:27:12 GMT

Two of our renovation projects, both in Cambridge, were recently featured in local magazines. The first, a renovation of a late 19th century home, was featured in New England Living Magazine.

Passive House Building Materials and Methods, Structural Details

mark@landmarkservices.com (Mark Landry) — Mon, 11 May 2020 18:43:08 GMT

Our previous post introduced a Passive House project that we designed and carried out in Maine. This post will describe the building materials and methods used.

Foundation:

We didn't need or want a basement, so one of the first decisions was to sit the house on a slab on grade. Our local builder, Jesper Kruse, had experience with an approach called shallow frost-protected foundations, so he ordered a system of custom molded foam blocks that fit together like Legos. The foam provides an insulation value of r-50 beneath the slab, which is 5 or 10 times more insulation than normally installed beneath slabs. Without a well insulated slab, the house would not perform well, nor would it meet Passive House standards. And since the concrete also serves as the finished floor material for the first floor, it was important to make it comfortable under foot. A heavy duty vapor barrier was placed on the foam prior to pouring the concrete.

Passive House Construction Standards, Energy Efficient Homes New England

mark@landmarkservices.com (Mark Landry) — Mon, 11 May 2020 17:45:33 GMT

My wife and I, both avid skiers, took the plunge a few years ago and bought some land in Bethel, Maine just a few miles from the slopes at Sunday River. In the course of designing the home that we wanted to build, a few things were important to us. First, we wanted a fairly simple and low maintenance home. Second, we wanted it to be as energy efficient as possible. These goals eventually led us to the Passive House (or Passivehaus) standard.

Fixed-Price vs Cost-Plus Fee in Home Construction

brian@landmarkservices.com (Brian Roberts) — Thu, 13 Nov 2014 14:23:00 GMT

My dear friend David reached out recently on the eve of starting a construction project on his home. He said that he’d received two quotes from reputable builders and that one of them wanted to work Fixed-Price and the other offered a Cost-Plus Fee model, and he wanted to know which I thought was better.

In full disclosure, I told him that we work *almost* exclusively in the cost-plus model, but that both models had their plusses and minuses. I then asked him a few questions to try to get a feel for which would be better in his case.

“So let me ask you this,” I said. “When you are analyzing information do you tend to prefer simplicity or detail?”

“Simplicity” he answered. And then he thought about it further... he spends his days working with very complex organizational problems and said, “No, if I’m being honest I prefer more detail. I want to know what’s under the hood”. “Pretty much always,” he added.

“Okay next question, if you have to choose between transparency and opacity, which do you prefer... in other words are you a ‘hire and trust’ buyer or ‘trust and verify’ type?”

“Easy, transparency,” he said. “Does anyone give a different answer to that one!?,” he laughed. “Shockingly, yes,” I offered. “Not often but some folks just don’t want to know. Usually though there’s a pretty deep sense of trust established in those cases, but most people will say they favor transparency.”

“Last question, and this is a tough one,” I said. “When you negotiate an agreement with a new vendor... deep down are you looking for a win/win or a win/lose outcome... presumably where you are on the “win” side,” I said smiling. “And, for the record, everyone says ‘win win’ at first so as not to seem selfish, but let’s face it... there are entire industries predicated on the win-lose paradigm... so you have to be really honest with yourself on this one.”

He had to think about that one for a second...

I’ll tell you what he said in a minute, but at this point I peeled back the curtain a bit and told him the most basic truth that I have discovered about construction in the last 15 years, and that is: There is NO SUCH THING as a Fixed Price. Never has been, and never will be.

At the most basic level, the difference between the Fixed Price (FP) and a Cost-Plus (CP) approaches is simply this: Take any set of Plans and Specifications for a given project, divide that set of plans into the various construction divisions (Sitework, Concrete, Framing etc), estimate the cost for each division of work, then add the cost of project administration and profit (aka the Builder Fee). Combine them and you’ll get a Total Projected Cost, or Estimate.

That Estimate represents the total amount you -- as the client -- will pay for the work represented by the plans and specs. When you sign a Fixed Price service agreement, in theory you are buying exactly what is represented by whatever documentation you’ve agreed comprises the Scope of Work, and that amount should be -- as the name implies -- fixed.

In a Cost-Plus arrangement, these same basic assumptions apply with one key difference, and that resides squarely in how each one of these approaches relates to everyone’s least favorite subject: Unknowns.

To my knowledge there has never been, and will never be, a perfect set of plans. We’ve worked with some incredibly gifted architects over the years, and even the best of them will acknowledge this to be true. Whether you’re talking about what resides beneath the topsoil, what lies in wait behind your plaster walls, or what Mother Nature might dole out during the time your project is underway... there is never a shortage of factors that can impact the amount of time, energy and resources required to reach your final outcome.

Add to this the fact that there is usually a finite amount of time and money devoted to the design and planning process, and what you end up with is not a map so much as a beautifully rendered set of GOALS, with an implicit understanding that your Build Team will marshall all of their resources and experience to help you achieve them.

Which is, frankly, just fine. Projects have been built thusly for as long as humans have been seeking shelter, so the point isn’t that the process is imperfect. Of course it is! The point is that unknowns are as much a part of your project as 2x4s and screws and the Cost Plus and Fixed Price models each have different relationships to this very real part of the job.

In either model, by the time a set of plans/goals has been established, the Builder’s job is to identify what is known and unknown about a given project. We seek cost-feedback from subs and vendors for the defined elements (SF of drywall, linear feet of gutter) and make educated guesses about the unknowns, which can range from the obvious items like “what is under the ground or behind the walls” to things that just haven’t been decided yet such as the kind of tile, type of flooring, or complexity of the crown moulding.

I can tell you friends that we’ve worked from 45 page plan sets with detailed elevations for everything from the crown moulding to the HVAC locations, and we’ve built from plans sketched on one 8 1/2 x 11 inch sheet of white paper. The range is remarkable. Almost anyone who makes their living this way can say the same thing. So what’s a Builder to do about all those pesky unknowns when giving an Estimate? Furthermore, considering the unknowns embedded in every project, how can one possibly give a Fixed Price?

Well we can’t. But we do. And this is where things get interesting.

When a Builder (or any service provider) agrees to work on a Fixed Price what they are basically saying is, “Look... there’s stuff we don’t know here. I’ve taken your goals/plans and I’ve put hard costs to the items I can safely predict. Windows, doors, the cost of defined materials... these costs are truly fixed barring major market shifts and they are what they are.”

“How long it’s going to take to frame or finish your project? The number of labor-hours needed to trouble shoot the endless list of challenges that will surely surface from the weather, or illness, or client decision making? No idea. So I’m going to use a multiplier by taking my known costs and adding a ‘risk factor’ for the unknowns to arrive at your estimated cost. And in return for absorbing that risk I’m going to keep any savings that I make over and above the actual costs. Likewise, if I underestimated the amount of time it takes to frame your building, or finish the job, I’ll absorb those costs.”

Sounds fair, right? And it is. When it’s true.

The reason I asked David about his feelings on the win/win v. win/lose approach is because whether we want to acknowledge it or not, the truth is the Fixed Price approach resides squarely in the realm of the latter. In every Fixed Price agreement someone comes out financially ahead of where they would have in a Cost-Plus Fee arrangement. Either the Builder underestimates the cost of the work, eats it, and the client ‘wins’. Or conversely the Builder successfully covers his costs, gets it right on the risk-multiplier, and comes out ahead (sometimes way ahead). Everyone who works Fixed Price in our industry knows that there is more money to be made on these contracts if you win more than you lose, and they also know that the industry is littered with the charred remains of the folks who don’t.

It so happens that I know David is one of the loveliest people you’ll ever meet. Successful, crazy smart, kind, and collaborative in all his dealings, so I knew this wouldn’t appeal to him. Once we arrived at this point in the conversation I said, “David be honest with yourself. Even assuming you weren’t the kind of person who wanted the other guy to win in equal measure to yourself, you’re doing this one project. What are the odds, do you think, that when the dust settles at the end of the job that the guy who’s been doing this for 20+ years is going to come out on the losing end of the equation? Nobody wins 100% of the time, but just play the odds... what do you think?”

“Duh,” he replied.

“Right,” I said. “Furthermore, let’s say that by some quirk of fate the guy was sloppy in his estimating on the “knowns”, and it looks like you’ve got him dead-to-rights and you’re going to win. How do you think that guy feels about being on your project? How much of his best stuff are you going to get? Let’s even assume that, like 95% of Builders that I’ve met over the years, the builder in question is a true and honest soul, doing the work for the right reasons. Where do you think your job slots into his priorities when the hard choices come up -- as they always do -- about what to spend time on that day. Which problems to tackle...?”

“Okay, Okay,” he conceded. “But I don’t get it, we signed a contract that said the price is fixed, surely that gives me some protection?” And it does. But don’t forget what we said about unknowns being present in every set of plans. Since the perfect set of plans has never been produced there are usually dozens of places where a builder can legitimately say... “this wasn’t in the plans,” and submit a Change Order. Since there is no transparency in the Fixed Price model, how do you know that the Builder’s losses in framing aren’t being covered by the Cabinet Change order? I did a postmortem for a friend on a 2.5mm dollar project a few months back and a blind man (who knew our business) could see that this was precisely what happened. He was none the wiser.

Anyway, I don’t want to make it sound like Fixed-Price Builders are sitting there twirling their mustaches looking for ways to game their clients! No way. Like I said, 95% of the Builders I know are good, honest people. Most of them are just trying to make a living and are -- frankly -- pretty bad at the estimating and administrative side of the work we do. The point is, there is no such thing as a Fixed Price, so at a minimum it’s worth looking at the dynamics in play honestly so you can make an informed choice about what will work best for your project.

Fixed Price is great for small jobs where all the variables can be defined, and where the duration of the project is short enough that human and non-human factors (like weather and client decision making) aren’t likely to move the needle as much. When projects get larger, or more complex, there are much better ways to assign and price the unknowns, and that’s where the Cost Plus Fee model becomes advantageous to -- in my opinion -- both parties.

In the Cost Plus approach we assume that there are both knowns and unknowns in every project. Our job, as your Builder, is to take whatever set of Plans/Goals you give us, and do our level best to give you a Good Faith Estimate of what that goal will cost. We all know that the price isn’t fixed, that things can change, and so our mindset in your service goes from “covering our butts” on a Fixed Price, to trying hard to set realistic expectations about what you should reasonably plan to spend on your project... unknowns and all.

This aspect of the approach makes ‘competitive bidding’ very challenging, to be honest, because let’s face it... In the Cost Plus model it benefits both parties if our estimates are wrong... in the HIGH direction! It’s better for everyone if we say “we all hope we can do the Scope of Work for x, but it’s possible based on our experience that it could be as much as y.”

In the Cost Plus model our entire process... Rates, Fees, Overhead, Costs, Invoices... the whole thing is 100% transparent and shared with the client. There are no sacred cows. Cost Plus clients trust their builder, of course, or they wouldn’t have hired them. But they get a chance to see for themselves how their resources were used, ask questions about how time and money were spent, and hold the team accountable to the shared goal. Trust and verify.

If you’ve had employees working on your team, or managed a budget for a complex project in your work, you quickly realize it’s basically the same paradigm. You ask your employee to set a Budget for your stated goal. You check in often to see how it’s going. If costs are changing in either direction, your employee (hopefully!) comes to you to say “this is what’s changing, and this is why,” and you get a chance to decide again if the person is continuing to earn your trust.

In the Cost Plus model the Builder spends more of their time solving problems on your project because they’re not *as* concerned about whether or not they covered their actual costs. There are finite hours in the day, and for my part I’d much rather my Builder have all their time and attention focused on getting my project done to the highest quality standard, in the most efficient way possible. Do I really want them worried about whether or not they’re going to make enough to feed their family?

In a Cost Plus model, saving money and being under budget are a win for everyone. There are *always* real savings to be had on any project. Whether it’s sourcing materials more effectively, running a schedule more efficiently or negotiating subcontracts successfully, we know that keeping clients happy means exceeding expectations... and you don’t need an MBA to know that means coming in under budget!

The fees Cost-Plus builders charge (usually between 10-25% depending on the size of the project and the size of the company) are a straight line function of your Builder’s Annual Construction volume, NOT a function of just your project. So even though we “make less” if a work item like framing costs less, it doesn’t matter to us because we know that as long as we are building X amount of work per year, at Y% average fee, we’ll have enough left over at year-end to keep the lights on and warranty the work we’ve already built.

At the end of my diatribe, David asked: “So where’s your risk in this approach? Sounds to me like I’m the one taking all the risk.” At that point I gave him my first puzzled, slightly abashed look and said, “My friend, we’re not writing code here. I work in construction. There is more risk in my profession than most others you can name. Come with me next time I meet my insurance agent and listen to the lectures we get. My risk is that one of my guys gets hurt; that something burns down; that the wind, rain, snow inflicts damage that destroys property and delays our schedules; that I make a legitimate mistake that I have to correct at my cost. I promise you, there are risks in my work far greater than whether or not the estimate was right!”

Your risk, as the client, is that the project will cost more than anyone thinks to complete. That’s about it. And there’s no clever spreadsheet, renaming of the fee or other contractual gamesmanship that can change that simple fact.

But here’s the good news:

If the process is transparent, communication is timely and accurate, and the team works well together even that risk can be largely managed and mitigated.

Want to hear something funny? After all that, in the end, my friend ended up hiring the Fixed Price builder!! And this is the most important take away from the whole discussion:

Of the two options he had, the person he actually trusted the most worked that way, and *that* is where the rubber meets the road. He made the right choice for the right reasons. He knows he might pay a little more. And he’s not going to be surprised when he sees the change orders come, or put up a fight as long as the information is fair and delivered in an open, honest manner. But now he knows what he’s looking at, and hopefully you do too.

I’ve said countless times to my friends who ask, you’ve got to see your Builder in the same light as your Doctor, Lawyer or Accountant. We solve problems in a critical area of your life that you’re either not trained for or don’t have the time to solve because you’re making your living elsewhere. In the end, choose the most competent person you can find, hire someone you really trust, and stick with them.

Happy building! Do great work.

Brian Roberts is a co-owner at Landmark Services, Inc. A high-end residential builder specializing in historic renovations, traditional building and property care for old homes and estates in the Greater Boston Area. Prior to joining Landmark, Brian was the VP of Client Service for Construction Recruiters, and served many of New England’s most reputable builders; helping them recruit, hire and retain the best players in the industry. He worked with a range of companies from small 1.5mm residential firms, to large national players like Shawmut Design and Construction and Suffolk. His primary focus was on serving high-end builders like Landmark, and that is how he began working with Mark Landry, Landmark’s founder and President. He lives in the Boston area with his wife and two young sons. Email him directly at: brian at landmarkservices dot com

Energy Efficiency for Historic Homes, Problems & Solutions

mark@landmarkservices.com (Mark Landry) — Tue, 14 Aug 2012 17:17:00 GMT

A historic home has numerous perks for its owners; original hardwood floors, high ceilings, intricate detail, and the fact that you have, and are living in, your very own piece of history. However, with the good also comes the bad; poorly insulated walls, air leaks in windows and around doors, and less than perfect water pressure.

Maintaining an energy efficient home not only saves electricity, gas, and water, which in turn saves you money on your utility bills, it also increases the value of your home and makes it safer and healthier to live in. What can you do to maximize the positives and minimize the negatives? For starters, it is important to know that there are many things that you can do on your own, without the help of a professional. However, it is a good idea to get an instrumented energy audit done by a professional energy auditor before getting started, just so you get an idea of what you are in for!

Here are 4 of the most common problems with historic houses and the (sometimes) easy solutions to fix them:

-Problem: Poor Heat Distribution, High Gas Bill

-Solution: Try a combination of a few techniques such as air sealing, adding attic and wall insulation, and adjusting your equipment controls manually. These different improvements will be sure to keep your family thoroughly warm and your wallet happy. One client of ours saved enough in heating bills in just one winter to cover the cost of insulating their attic with spray foam. A one year payback! Many states now have very attractive rebate programs available too. For more information on the right way to insulate your old house, download our eBook on the topic.

-Problem: Drafty Windows, High Electric/Gas Bill

-Solution: We almost always recommend repairing and weatherstripping original windows instead of replacing them. By adding the right weatherstripping, installing storm shutters and using them when it is appropriate, and hanging interior blinds, curtains, and shades, your drafty windows may no longer be an issue. This will seal in the heat in the winter and the A/C in the summer, thereby saving you money in your utility bills every season.

-Problem: Weak Water Pressure, High Water Bill

-Solution: Try replacing low quality shower heads with low-flow, high efficient models. Also, to ensure there are no leaks in the pipes, have them inspected annually after the coldest winter months or replace them all together if you do not feel comfortable with their quality. Not only will this rest your nerves, it will save you money in the long haul if a pipe is to burst! By the way, we're available to do annual inspections on plumbing, electrical and HVAC systems- as well as roofing, gutters, and many other parts of your house.

-Problem: Poor Lighting, High Electric Bill

-Solution: It makes sense, in some cases, to replace incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent lights (or CFLs for short!). But some of them are slow to turn on and don't provide a great deal of light, in my opinion. Fortunately, newer technology is on the scene. LED lighting has come a long way in the past few years. I replaced the recessed lights in my own kitchen with LED inserts and have been very happy with them. They use a fraction of the energy that incandescents use.

Of course, these are the micro- steps you can take to save some energy costs. Most utilities over free energy audits. If you're in Massachusetts we can point you in the right direction. Quick tip though: most of these consultants will recommend replacing your old windows. Don't believe them!

Historic Carriage House Renovation, Brookline, MA

mark@landmarkservices.com (Mark Landry) — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 15:50:00 GMT

As renovation contractors, we love it when we have the opportunity to take a neglected old building and - with the help of dedicated clients and a good designer- give it a new life.

When I first visited this carriage house in Brookline, MA, I was intrigued by its beautiful exterior but quite taken back by the unpleasant interior. Prior owners had converted it into a rental unit, but by the time our clients bought the property, the interior was in disrepair. It was dark, cramped, and felt quite damp and musty.

exterior prior to construction

The project architects, Meyer & Meyer Architects, had a great vision: they determined that creating a large opening between the first and second floors would bring much more light into the living areas and result in a more spacious feeling.

The main challenge was the calendar; our clients needed to be living in the carriage house just 10 weeks after the start of construction. When the interior demolition was carried out, the engineering was quickly done and the re-construction began immediately. Because time was short the project team- architects, homeowners, and us - met on a regular basis to review any new issues and to put the finishing touches on details (cabinetry, fixtures, etc). Good communication is the key to any successful renovation, but it becomes even more critical when the schedule is tight. This was a "fast track" project, meaning that construction began before all of the design work was completed. So while we were doing the interior framing, key elements such as the kitchen cabinetry and the spiral staircase were being drawn.

Prior to construction....

During the framing phase.... the opening between floors has been created.

The building had some serious structural defects and the desire to create the large opening between floors only added to its structural needs. But by the fifth week we had completed the structural work, the rough wiring, HVAC, and plumbing had been installed, and we had all of our rough inspections. Halfway there! Another week or so and the spray foam insulation and board and plaster were done.

During the spray foam installation....

Cabinets, counters, wood floors, tile, interior trim and painting were all done in the final month of the project. The project came to a crescendo on the day that the spiral stairs arrived. Ideally they would have been installed much earlier in the project, but because of the compressed schedule, the stairs didn't show up until the final week. Our friends at Deathwish Piano Movers quickly lifted them in through the second floor French door opening and we dropped them into place. Phew!

Here's the completed project... what do you think?

The interior is flooded with light now. The light walls show off the new white oak floors, the dark beams, and the spiral stairs.

We painted one bedroom wall with chalkboard paint.

New Barn Construction, Masonry, Wood Floors, Weston, MA

mark@landmarkservices.com (Mark Landry) — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 15:41:00 GMT

I posted a few months back about a new barn that we've been building in Weston, MA. Well, apart from the landscaping and a final coat of paint on the exterior, this project was wrapped up this week.

As you can see below, there was a LOT of stone work involved. Our masons did a fantastic job of installing the fieldstone veneer over the concrete walls. They also built the stone chimney and fireplace. The timber frame and the wall and roof panels were installed by Bensonwood, the superb timber framers and housewrights from New Hampshire. They also designed the barn. This is our second collaboration with Bensonwood (we built a new house with them in Harvard, MA) and it was just as enjoyable as the first.

Let us know what you think!

The roofing is standing seam prepainted aluminum. It will be a no maintenance, trouble free roof for many, many years. The glass doors in the porch fold, accordian style, so that the porch can be completely open to the outdoors. The siding was prefinished pine tongue and groove boards, installed vertically.

The wood floors are reclaimed heart pine.

The landscape construction will begin in a few weeks. When that work is done, the temporary stairs will be replaced with a permanent set.

If you have a barn - or house - project on your mind, we're always happy to talk. At Landmark Services, we like to say that we bring new life to old buildings and, on projects like this, old life to new ones.

Another barn restoration by Landmark Services

Prefab Timberframe Barn, New Construction, Harvard, MA

mark@landmarkservices.com (Mark Landry) — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 18:53:00 GMT

We're known primarily as Old House Renovation guys. Maybe that's why we have so much fun when we get an opportunity to do some new construction from the ground up. A year or so ago we teamed up with the timber frame company Bensonwood to build a new house out in Harvard, MA. Right now we're teaming up with them again to build a new barn in Weston, MA.

Bensonwood has an incredible high-tech factory in Walpole, NH. Their architects send CAD files to huge shaping machines. The CAD files are translated into instructions to cutting heads that precisely cut the timbers to the sizes and shapes needed to produce the posts, beams, and other components that comprise the timber frame. They also build floor, wall, and roof sections in the factory. While they're making the frame in their shop, our people are on site doing the excavation and concrete work required to get the foundation ready. In this particular case we had to blast through some tough ledge before the foundation walls could be formed.

As you can see from the photo below, the concrete foundation on this project will be concealed by a beautiful stone veneer.

With the foundation ready, the timber frame and prefab panels were shipped to the site. Late last week the floor panels were installed onto the foundation. This week a team of timber framers - comprised partly of BensonWood guys and partly our own carpenters - pegged the timbers together and a crane lifted the sections into place. Wall and roof panels also get installed with the assistance of the crane. When the shell is in place, the crane will leave and we will carry out the rest of the work: exterior trim and siding, mechanical systems, plaster, interior trim, etc.

Here's a shot of the timber frame lying flat on the floor prior to being lifted in place.

The main sections of framing (called "bents") were lifted into place by the end of the first day of framing, as seen below.

By the second day, the barn is really beginning to take shape. I'll do a couple of follow up posts in coming weeks and months so you can see how this barn turns out.

So, hey, maybe we should be known as the new and old house or the new-old house guys or old new house guys or- well you get my drift. Be sure to come back in a few weeks to check out the progress on this project!

Imperfections in Historic Houses, Preserving Original Features

mark@landmarkservices.com (Mark Landry) — Sun, 30 Oct 2011 13:19:00 GMT

Several times a year I am asked to look at old houses for potential buyers. I'll walk through the house and give them my opinion on the condition of the house, the feasibility of renovations and additions, ballpark costs, etc.

I'll never forget when I made such a visit to a late 18th century Cape that a young couple was considering. The home still had many of its original features, including the wide pine floors, door, interior trim, etc. One beautiful feature was a large raised panel situated over the parlor fireplace. It was crafted from a single board that was probably 26-28 inches wide. The carpenter had hand-planed the surface and had used molding planes to make the raised panel edge detail. It was a great example of period carpentry.

"Can you sand that down to get it smooth?" asked the potential buyer.

"Excuse me?" I said, startled.

"Yeah, it's kind of wavy. Shouldn't it be flat and smooth?"

So I explained how the piece was a product of the available tools of its time period and that to sand it smooth would be to desecrate a valuable architectural element.

"Yeah, but its not flat!"

The point is, the beauty and character that we love about old houses is largely a result of the "imperfections", if you will, of the visible surfaces. There is an honesty to this work. The 18th carpenter had hand tools at his disposal and shaped every piece of wood in the house by hand. Surfaces that would be hidden (sheathing boards, the underside of floor boards, etc) were left rough. Prominent surfaces (door panels, window and door casings, etc) were hand planed to a finish that was, indeed, slightly wavy (the "waves" caused by the blade of the plane). But each plane mark is a witness to the hand that built the house and, to me, this work stands up with equal elegance to the finest machine produced finish carpentry of our time.

Similarly, sometimes people want to achieve perfectly flat walls and ceilings in their old houses despite the fact that 18th and 19th century plaster work was typically not perfectly flat. Old plaster was built up in several layers over wooden lathe and the ripples of the lathe and the slight skip of the trowel give these old surfaces a pleasing texture. When possible, we urge our clients to have us repair, rather than replace, historic plaster work.

If you live in an old house, take a moment to look around. What examples can you identify that exhibit "imperfections" that you have come to love?