Restoration Tip ~ A Big Impact with a Little Paint.
This lovely Italianate style house in Portland, Maine, is in wonderful condition and remains very close to its original appearance. The one detail missing, as seen in the photo on the left, is the arched window tops in the bay windows. As frequently happens, the arched tops were filled with wood panels to allow standard rectangular storm windows to be installed. In an ideal world, custom made storm windows that matched the shape of the original openings would have been used.
On the right, I’ve used photoshop to show the effect of simply painting the arched wood panels to match the dark brown of the storm window frames – bringing back a sense of the character-defining arched top windows typical of the Italianate style.
Note how the arched window openings relate to the arches between the columns on the entry portico. A quart of paint, a ladder, and a couple hours of time could restore the architect’s intended effect of a series of arches marching across the first story of the facade.
Sometimes it isn’t possible to do exactly the “right thing” when restoring a house. The budget might not allow custom storm windows, for instance. When it is necessary to compromise on the “right thing,” it is worthwhile to consider whether there is a simple way to disguise the issue to better retain the historic character of the house. This is an example of that.
“Restoring Your Historic House, The Comprehensive Guide for Homeowners” tells you how to do the “right thing” and has suggestions for how to minimize the consequences when the “right thing” isn’t possible.
Signed and personalized copies of the award-winning and bestselling 720-page hardcover book are available directly from the author in our online shop at YourHistoricHouse.com/shop/.
Select restoration and preservation titles by other authors are also available.
© Scott T. Hanson 2024.
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