Water is an insidious enemy for homeowners. It can find the smallest entry point and travel throughout your home’s interior to cause significant damage. Often, when the damage becomes visible, it is..
Read MoreDoes Tuckpointing Make a Mess?
Tuckpointing is an essential remedy for deteriorated, broken, or missing mortar. It’s a big job but only needs to be done every 25 - 50 years or so if done correctly. If the time has come for your..
Read MoreChoosing a Color Scheme for Your Old Brick House
Brick homes can be refreshed and beautifully transformed with the right paint job. Following a few helpful color scheme guidelines can assure a gratifying result.
Read MoreThe Damp Realities of Doglegs
In the DC area, homeowners likely know all about "doglegs" built into many historic two to three-story rowhouse homes, which share at least one wall side with their neighbor's house. Doglegs were..
Read MoreWhen It Rains It Pours: Water Penetration via Failing Brick and Mortar
Stately old homes are a thing of beauty. Historic neighborhoods, like those in Washington DC, boast many brick homes built in the 18th, 19th, and early 20th centuries. These homes require specialized..
Read MoreAre Tree Roots Wreaking Havoc in Your Urban Garden?
Have you ever encountered a troublesome hump in a patio or on a neighborhood sidewalk, especially when pushing a baby stroller or trying to navigate a wheelchair? If so, you know how tree roots can..
Read MoreWhat to Do with the Security Bars on Your Historic Home
A question that comes up for the owners of some historic homes in and around Washington, DC, is what to do with the old security bars - sometimes called burglar bars - on the windows. The purpose of..
Read MoreRepairing and Replacing Exterior Window Sills on Historic Brick Homes
Every owner of an old brick home knows that exterior window sills will show age and weathering, both of which significantly impact a building’s good looks over time. Even more critical than..
Read MoreWhat Are the Benefits of Historic Designation?
When you purchase on an old brick house in the Washington DC area, you have taken a step into history. Many neighborhoods, particularly those located in Historic Districts, are known for their..
Read MoreOld or Historic? Why Should it Matter to Homeowners?
When you purchase on an old brick house in the Washington DC area, you have taken a step into history. Many neighborhoods, particularly those located in Historic Districts, are known for their..
Read MoreHistoric Buildings
Don’t Take Care of Themselves
Maintaining centuries-old structures requires traditional methods and materials … and that means you may not know the right way to handle upkeep of your historic building’s masonry. There’s so much more to tuckpointing than replacing mortar.
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