• ask an expert: caring for hardwood floors

    The Cleveland Plain Dealer‘s always-useful Ask an Expert column dealt this past week with something we all need to be concerned about but often overlook: caring for our hardwood floors.

    Q: I have a beautiful 1925 Craftsman bungalow. The house is blessed with wood floors. I have noticed a black spot near the doorway to the kitchen (a heavy-traffic area) and also in the corner of the family room (a not-so-heavy-traffic area). What are my options in dealing with theses spots? And, more importantly, where do they come from so I can stop them from coming back? There are no leaks anywhere near the spots, and the floor is always dry (except when I mop). Do you have any suggestions on types of cleaners I can use to keep the floors looking shiny and new? I’ve been using Murphy’s Oil Soap. – D.W., Bedford

    A: From Roger Somogyi of Lamb Floor Fashion Center (30840 Lake Shore Blvd., Willowick, 440-943-6722):

    As you know, hardwood floors are natural, beautiful and timeless. Caring and consistent proper cleaning and maintenance will ensure that they remain that way.

    As for the black spots, I would have to assume that it is some type of moisture-related problem, possibly pet urine or mold. With your home being a 1925 vintage, it is likely that whatever has caused the black spots has penetrated the surface, and a plank replacement is the best way to permanently solve the problem. The wood planks that show the spots can be removed, new, unfinished planks can be installed, and the new planks can be custom stained to match the color and finish of your existing floor. A reputable wood repair and refinishing company should be able to help.

    Cleaning techniques vary depending on the type of finish that is on the uppermost layer of the floor, which is called the wear layer. Knowing the type of finish is important to properly clean a wood floor.

    read the entire column with information on caring for a variety of finishes

  • McMansions bring tensions to old neighborhoods

    A good article by Kytja Weir in last week’s Charlotte Observer, on the constant butting of heads between historic preservationists who look at a neighborhood as an organic whole and selfish me-firsters who want the freedom to do whatever they want with their own property, damn the neighbors and everyone else. Gee, can you tell which camp I fit into? An excerpt:

    Tim Griffin, the association president, had invited builders,
    architects and others, trying to inspire his neighbors about how to
    renovate their homes without changing the feel of the newly popular
    neighborhood.

    "I’m just so adamant about no more McMansions," he said.

    But
    he knows his neighborhood has no power to restrict renovations. "We’re
    not a homeowners’ association. We’re not a historic district. So the
    next best thing is to educate."

    The neighborhood of small homes,
    many dating from the 1930s, is starting to feel a tension already
    experienced in Charlotte’s older neighborhoods around uptown such as
    Dilworth, Myers Park, Elizabeth, Plaza-Midwood and Wesley Heights as
    people with bigger tastes move in.

    Today Americans seek more space than their parents. In new developments bigger homes can be built without hindrances.

    But
    the desire for more space creates a tension in some older
    neighborhoods, built for the needs of the past. Neighbors there find
    themselves walking a line between preserving the past and maintaining
    property rights, promoting growth yet controlling how it takes shape.

  • “like watching Ann Coulter debate Al Franken”

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    Neighbors in the Decatur, Georgia neighborhood of Oakhurst are definitely not agreeing to disagree about a proposal to turn their area into an official historic district. Scott Henry fills us in on the story, something that may not be all that hard to imagine for many of you who live in historic districts, whether recognized or not:

    Threats. Intimidation. Yard signs. Snotty e-mails. Yes, the knives
    are out in Oakhurst, where the proposed creation of what would be
    Decatur’s largest historic district has resulted in a nasty
    neighborhood-wide squabble in which many homeowners have been forced to
    choose sides.

    Terry Michel, a real estate agent who says she supports voluntary
    design guidelines rather than city imposed building restrictions, says
    she’s stopped discussing the issue with neighbors because the rhetoric
    on both sides has become too overheated.

    “The vitriol is off-putting to me,” Michel explains. “It’s like watching Ann Coulter debate Al Frankin (sic).”

    So what is it about a historic district that has so many peoples’ knickers in a wad?

    Mainly, the argument comes down to control over one’s own property.
    If a house is included in the district, then the owner would need to
    get a “certificate of appropriateness” to tear it down, build an
    addition or make significant exterior changes. Construction plans that
    aren’t seen as keeping within the historic character of the
    neighborhood – say, replacing a 1920s Craftsman bungalow with a
    modernist stucco triplex – may not be allowed.

  • saving historic Seattle bungalow a “no-brainer”

    reader Keith Harrison forwards this article about a fellow preserving some of his own neighborhood’s character by saving an historic 1917 Craftsman home that was slated for demolition. Nicole Tsong has the full story at the Seattle Times; here’s a short excerpt:

    Frank-Michael Rebhan was not looking for a new house when he walked his dog past 6317 Phinney Ave. N. in late January.

    He already owned a small house a few blocks away. But this
    sandy-gray beauty was a 1917 Craftsman-style home with leaded
    stained-glass windows, dark wood built-ins and box-beam ceilings. And a
    notice said it was slated for demolition.

    Rebhan had an outlandish idea: What if he saved the home by moving it to his own lot?

    Rebhan hadn’t even been inside yet, but the 37-year-old quickly did some intense calculations. He added up costs for moving the house, demolition of his own home, excavation and the other issues involved in moving a house.

    He figured out how much it would add to his current mortgage and realized: "It’s a no-brainer."

  • Rest & Restoration: Volunteer Vacations at Historic Sites in Need of Some TLC

    Jamie Donahoe at the Heritage Conservation Network sends us the following note on their hands-on building conservation workshops. A number of photographs from recent workshops are available in a special Flickr set. Thanks, Jamie!

    If you had driven by the Francis Mill in Waynesville, North Carolina in July 2003, you might have stopped to take a photo of the picturesque but dilapidated structure nestled in Francis Cove. If you were to pass by the mill this summer, you would see a structure that’s neat and square, strong and weathertight. The difference: volunteers who joined a series of summertime hands-on building conservation workshops organized by Heritage Conservation Network in partnership with the Francis Mill Preservation Society.

    HCN, a Boulder, Colorado-based non-profit dedicated to the conservation of the world’s architectural heritage, specializes in recruiting volunteers to assist with hands-on preservation projects in association with local preservation partners. Volunteers spend a week or more at the site, working under the guidance of a technical expert.

    Back in 2003, with the mill in danger of imminent collapse, Tanna Timbes, great granddaughter of the man who built it and founder of the FMPS, contacted HCN and asked for assistance in saving it. Over the course of three workshops at Francis Mill, a total of 48 volunteers contributed more than 3,700 hours of labor, and that made all the difference.

    HCN volunteers are not necessarily experienced preservationists, with only half having experience in the field. Instruction and supervision are provided by the technical expert leading the hands-on work, and participants – of all ages – quickly find themselves replastering walls,
    documenting decorative paintings, shaping adobe bricks, chiseling mortises and tenons, or chipping out old cement mortar to replace it with lime mortar. The focus is on the use of traditional techniques and materials – the prescription for keeping historic buildings sound for many generations to use and appreciate.

    HCN has organized workshops at more than a dozen historic sites in the past four years. In Oplotnica, Slovenia, last year, volunteers worked painstakingly to discover the original decorative paint scheme of a 17th century chapel. The workshop, led by one of Slovenia’s foremost conservators, brought nationwide attention not only to the project but also to the need to safeguard Slovenia’s cultural heritage.

    HCN will return to Slovenia in 2008, when volunteers will help restore the oldest known vintner’s cottage in the Šmarško-Virštanj wine district; it dates to the 16th century and is in poor condition, much like the Francis Mill was four years ago.

    Volunteer opportunities this year include work at a Queen Anne style parsonage in Jonesboro, Illinois; the Old West town of Virginia City, Montana; and colonial and traditional buildings in Ghana. All still have space available and can also accommodate groups looking for a meaningful way to volunteer. Information about these and other opportunities to help build a future for the past can be found on HCN’s website or by calling HCN at +1 303 444 0128.

  • foreclosures mounting in Detroit, Michigan

    our friend David forwards us this sad news about the possible upcoming loss of many fine bungalows in Detroit:

    There is a current meltdown of foreclosures in Detroit, Michigan. Some bungalows are selling for $20,000 or less; here is the auctioneers website.

    I’m afraid at these bargain-basement prices and the exodus of renters who can’t find jobs, many out-of-state buyers might chose to tear down the houses and sell the salvaged materials. Or whole neighborhoods could be bought cheap and torn down for future development.