Part of the appeal of owning a historic brick home is brick's resilience through weather and years. That said, it does require attentive care and maintenance. Keeping it in good shape is essential..

Brick and mortar as building materials have been around for centuries. Mortar is a mixture of sand, cement, and water and is the binding agent that keeps brickwork together. Brick and mortar as..

Ever since you saw that gorgeous old two-story brick home, you’ve been anxious to buy it. It’s a charming historic Washington DC row house in a beautiful, walkable neighborhood. But now you've..

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..

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.

If you own a rowhouse or other historic home in DC, there's a good chance your home has a retaining wall along at least one border of the property. At some point, that retaining wall will likely..

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..

Even contractors sometimes use the terms remodel, renovate, and restore interchangeably, though these terms have entirely different meanings. When working on a home in a historic district, it’s..

If you've got a brick home, you are undoubtedly aware that brick is not only beautiful but one of the most durable and long-lasting materials for outside structures and facades. Still, over time,..

“Why do today what can be put off until tomorrow?” This tongue-in-cheek adage describes many homeowners’ attitudes toward dealing with home maintenance and repairs. Maintenance costs money, and..