Historic Renovation

For property owners looking to permanently protect their historic properties, one of the most effective legal tools available is the preservation easement a private legal interest conveyed by a property owner to a preservation organization or to a government entity.

Some Simple Guidelines to Follow when Restoring or Renovating Your House:

1. Try to retain the original character of the house – don’t “over-restore” the building.
2. Pay attention to details.
   • Try to stick to materials that were used when your house was built.
   • Keep elements like color, flooring, within the same historical period as your house.
   • Understand and respect as far as possible the original uses of rooms.
   • If fencing your property, look at genuine old fences, observe the way they are designed and constructed.
   • Garden design will best complement your work on the building if you keep it in period with the house. Use plants and garden layouts of the time.
   • Additions and alterations should be in the manner and materials of the period in which your house was built.
3. Remember that it’s a house, not a museum. Live in it and enjoy it and, at the right time, pass it on to someone else.