HPI: Old House Care
Old houses were generally built with high quality materials that last many years, and can repaired rather than replaced. However, many home owners and even contractors are not familiar with maintenance and repair methods. The following information has been gathered from several Old House Care workshops that HPI has offered, and can help home owners with DIY maintenance and repairs or even just have a more informed conversation with a contractor.
Masonry/Mortar Repair
Preservation Brief: Cleaning Masonry
Preservation Brief: Repointing
Lancaster Limeworks: Installation Guide for Lime Mortar Products
deGrunchy Limeworks: Lime Mortar Tutorial
deGrunchy Limeworks: product sheet for Course Ecologic Mortar
deGrunchy Limeworks: product sheet for Fine Ecologic Mortar
deGrunchy Limeworks: product sheet for Butter Joint Ecologic Mortar
Additional Resources
The National Park Service Preservation Briefs
Preservation Briefs provide information on preserving, rehabilitating, and restoring historic buildings. These publications help historic building owners recognize and resolve common problems prior to work. The briefs are especially useful to Historic Preservation Tax Incentives Program applicants because they recommend methods and approaches for rehabilitating historic buildings that are consistent with their historic character.
Although they sell the briefs as sets, individual briefs are available online for free.
