This lovely ovoid window is located in the tower of a Queen Anne style house that has been neglected for many years and is rapidly headed for a sad end. While still standing, the house is almost gone past the point of reasonable rescue. The asphalt siding applied over the original shaped wood shingles in the mid-20th century is holding up okay, but not the roofing. With the asphalt shingle roofing failing and windows losing their glazing, the interior will soon become sodden with water.
If allowed to continue long enough, the water will penetrate the surfaces and allow fungi and insects to begin consuming wood structural elements and finishes. Once the rot begins, saving the house becomes more challenging and expensive.
It takes courage, vision, and knowledge (not to mention money) to take on the restoration of a house when it has reached this state of neglect. It can be done, as the gorgeously restored Hench House on the cover of Restoring Your Historic House demonstrates. Its condition was as bad as this house or worse prior to being saved.
Restoring Your Historic House, The Comprehensive Guide for Homeowners was written to provide knowledge to people with courage and vision. Based on more than 40 year’s experience in the preservation field, the 720-page award-winning and best-selling hardcover book is available in bookstores and from online retailers (it is currently 34% off on Amazon! http://ow.ly/Uumq50zRjJ5).
Signed and personalized copies are available directly from the author at YourHistoricHouse.com.
Bookstores can order copies from W.W. Norton.
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