I received this email from Jim, in Richmond, VA:

Mason - just caught your blog. What a great idea. This question may or may not rank on your list.

Many older (pre-WWII) homes in the Fan and West End areas of Richmond were constructed and finished with high-quality materials of the time, such as millwork made from old-growth hardwoods. Obviously, not all of our homes are on the historic landmarks registry, but these homes have a certain charm and scale not often found in more modern homes. In remodeling or adding-on to such a home, how do you balance the need to preserve original

In the course of some reading recently, I happened across this:  According to the sages of ancient India, there are three fundamental processes at work in the universe:  creation, preservation, and transformation.

 

Interesting.  Those processes are at the core of what we do in the design and building / renovation business.  Unknowingly following the tenets of the ancient

I recall when I was a kid, picking-up a booklet on bicycle repair at a local bike shop in my hometown of Fredericksburg.  I inquired of the shop owner, the apparent conflict of interest that may lead to less repair business for him.  “We have plenty of repair business… if you want to do the repairs yourself, I’d like to help you”, he said.

 

I am sure that I was back to his shop later, buying parts with my grass-mowing dollars and seeking his expert and readily-available advice. 

 

Funny what memories one can dredge up from 30 years ago, when I sometimes cannot immediately recall my home

Something everyone should know about new or old bathrooms - ventilate!

As I see it, there are two reasons to have proper ventilation in a bath or powder room.  The first, to protect your home from excessive airborne moisture that will accumulate in the air during a tub bath or shower.  Moisture creates mold and deterioration of finishes and underlying structure.  Secondly, and even applicable to washrooms without showers, is the desire to exhaust (uhhh... how to politely say this?) unsavory odors which may occur from toilet use.

Bathrooms without windows are required by Code to have

Somewhere during early conversations with almost every client, we are asked something to the effect of “Do you think we’ll build value with our proposed renovation?”

 

Naturally, I have had plenty of opportunity to build (what I think is) the proper response, which asks the homeowner to dig deeper regarding his or her definition of value.

 

From my perspective, there are essentially two types of value which one might consider, as one thinks about home improvements.  First, and obviously, is the increased potential real estate resale value as a result of improvements.  Second, is the intrinsic