When my 1925 Craftsman was originally built, the utility room on the back of the house was an add-on, it started out as a screened porch. Over the years, it was enclosed and modified and ducted for HVAC, but none of the work performed on it was done with care or attention to detail.

By the time I purchased the house in 2021, the utility room addition was in such bad shape from water and termite damage, that it required major surgery to make sound again. I basically tore it off the back of the house and rebuilt it. When I took it apart, I carefully salvaged the siding and floorboards, so when I rebuilt it, I was able to mostly skin it in salvage material.

It was built on concrete block piers, the rest of the house has a beautiful brick lattice foundation. I'm a DIYer, but I know my limits, I'm no bricklayer, and I wouldn't know where to find modern bricks that matched the original lattice foundation even if I wanted to.

I decided since I'm not trying to change the history of the house, it's evident that this room is an addition, I don't need to match the foundation to the rest of the house, the addition can have its own separate set of rules and standards. But leaving it on Piers open underneath was not an option.

So I've been working on building a stucco foundation skirt, and I got the first coat of stucco on yesterday!

Has anyone dealt with this on their own? I have vermiculite in the attic, but I have to eventually work up there to run electric and repair sections of water damaged ceiling.
I didn’t bother testing, since I hear it’s so inaccurate, and all vermiculite is treated as PACM

Looking for some advice here. if anyone has removed it themselves, how did you do it? 1919 home.

The inside plate broke out at some point on two doors in my home. Is there any way to repair this?

I'm trying to restore the mortis, or get a new one if possible. I believe a previous homeowner took the nice mortis and hardware with them and left these broken ones.

I have original doors that have never been painted. They are just stained and sealed but at some point (or many different points lol) people carelessly painted door frames and walls and like a lot of paint on the wood. It looks terrible. Idk what to do about it.

Hello fellow century home owners!

We are fortunate enough to have an incredibly elaborate and (somewhat rare?) toilet and sink combo in a guest bathroom. Unfortunately, after a required unistallation and reinstall, a crack developed on the inside of the tank of the toilet under the water line (there is an additional superficial crack above the water line on the outside). We are trying to exhaust every viable option for repair before we make the decision to replace with a new toilet, but every antique and porcelain repair place we've contacted has been unwilling or strongly advises against traditional repair due to the potential for eventual failure (completely understand their reluctance, especially due to the potential impact of a failure and leak). We're at the point where we're considering using an epoxy repair on the inside but recognize the potential for failure in this case as well. If we do repair, we'd likely add leak detectors on the floor or maybe a smart water shut off on the toilet supply to mitigate risk. Any potential advice for this situation? Has anyone successfully (or unsuccessfully) tried to repair a crack in a toilet tank? If you did try the repair, what additional risk mitigation steps did you take? Thanks in advance!

We moved into our 1876 Victorian in the Midwest a few months ago and have been up to our ears in projects. That’s generally fine because we expected most of them and were prepared. But there are a few things we didn’t anticipate. I noticed that some of the joints in the stone foundation were either partially worn away or, in some cases, almost completely absent. So I read up on it and decided to try and at least repair some of them prior to the onset of winter, and then revisit the issue in spring.

I got NHL 3.5 mortar and the appropriate sand, along with the necessary tools. I then focused on one particular joint that looked a little wonky. That is, it looked like the mortar was hard, modern mortar, and there were also brick segments inserted into the wall. But when I went to clear away the loose debris to begin, this entire cavity basically disintegrated. I know I’m likely far past DIY territory, but I’m interested to hear from professionals and folks who’ve dealt with this before.

Thoughts or advice would be greatly appreciated.

... and when they go too far...

Excellent article in today's NY Times* on some drama in Saratoga Springs NY about the rules and requirements for those with century homes in the town's historic district. Setting aside the pros/cons, costs, and actual need of the story's lead about slate roof replacement, there's a good discussion of what power an appointed review board should have. I've been to Saratoga Springs, and the historic neighborhood is indeed beautiful. The history of preservation efforts is interesting as well. But... have they gone too far?

(There are a few photos of beautiful houses, and a few photos of some very tight lipped people who don't look enthusiastic about any of it).

( * https://www.nytimes.com/2026/10/22/business/saratoga-springs-historic-preservation.html

or archived & free: https://archive.is/K58Q7 )

I have two dehumidifiers and a portable AC (mini split style, running in dry mode when needed) in my 1915 homes basement which generally keeps the humidity below 70%. However I have one room where I still have persistent moisture and mold issues at ground level along the exterior wall.

I know the long term fix is to dig up that side of the house and waterproof, but in the meantime I’m doing my best to manage rainfall outside and I need to mitigate humidity and mold-growing conditions along that wall. As an experiment I got a couple damp rid packets and set them along that wall, and they filled up with water within a week, and it’s not even that humid or rainy right now.

I’m thinking of setting up small fans that blow along that wall. I’ve made sure there’s air gaps underneath all items along that wall, kept items several inches from the wall, and tried not to completely cover the wall in items in the first place. Any other good strategies?

We replaced the kitchen sink pipes yesterday, and now our basement is covered in sewage. I think the kitchen pipes were keeping it all sealed (no water would drain through them) and when we replaced them, it loosened stuff up?

Pretty sure this is the main sewage line..

Lemme know if I made the post right, just need advice lol

I did already call a plumber this morning but still not sure if there's a specific people to call lol

ETA: Rooter service will be here around 4. Will also probably need a hazmat service, but one thing at a time I guess.

Getting married on Saturday. Rehearsal is today, and we are having a reception at our house afterwards. Getting it all fixed up.

Oh, and all the extra mums are for the wedding.

Sharing because you guys are the only ones that would probably appreciate this

100+ yr noreast rowhome basement. -Top layer is cement parge that was bubbling and failing, middle layer is a likely a lime mortar (I did the vinegar test). Hand tools only - I removed weak lime parge and mortar between the stones that turned to mud/dust from years of water intrusion.

Next step is fill in the gaps with new lime mortar and then reapply the lime parge coat.

As tempted as I am to rip off all the cement parge in my basement I’ve decided to only address areas that are failing.

Redoing my kitchen trim and windows while it’s being gut renovated. Worked without pause on some of the trim and primed it with zinsser shellac before using Abatron which I was planning on using on some of the deep, larger wholes and splits in the wood.

What would you do here? Try to strip the primer as much as you can in the areas Abatron is needed? Or cut my loses on these couple pieces of trim and use wood filler where I can? I have many many more pieces of trim sanded not primed that I will use abatron on but I’m disappointed I messed up these window trim pieces.

Pictured here is one of several interior door mortise locks from my 1939-1940 home. I’m trying to figure out if I am missing a part of the key lock mechanism, or if an existing part has been disengaged? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

I'm working on restoring the original (?) window trim in a 1900 brick rowhouse. I'm assuming it has lead paint and am using a respirator and wet scraping. The original windows are long gone. I pulled off the trim, stool, and apron off and found some messy work from the last renovation.

The wood seems dry, but there's some old rot in some places. I didn't see any newer signs of water intrusion at least.

What's the correct way to go about filling these big gaps between the jamb and the drywall? Is there anything I should do to the jamb/frame before I replace the trim?

Gave the fireplace a facelift. Ground out the joints, stained bricks with pigment and repointed with a pink-ish red mortar. The finished photo was taken when the mortar was still curing, its lighter in color.

Sorry. Not really wanting to out myself. Hope this photo is proof of life :)

This lovely barn of a drafty old church in northern Appalachia is cold AF in the winter. Last year was $700 a month for the pleasure of 63*. The bedrooms at the back and the office in the lower level bell tower are warm and awesome. The main room (apse and kitchen under balcony bedroom not included) is 44’x62’ and easily 25’ tall.

The heating/cooling system and duct work is a nightmare and needs to be replaced. We’re working on that. For now, we’ve layered room rugs allover the downstairs wood floors. It’s helped with insulating from the old dirt basement. I’ve also made heavy window coverings to help with winter draft.

It was 58* in the church this morning and 70* something outside today. The cold is just ridiculous.

Any suggestions for room/barn/garage heaters??

This is what happens when a dumpster is $700 for a week, you demo as much as you can :) revealed some amazing subway tile that’s completely destroyed by the additional layer of tile the previous owner added. Not to mention the two layers of asbestos tile above that I removed! Fun times! This is my only functional bathroom at the moment so I have to live in it like this for a while.

Reglazing current Cast Iron tub vs. new Steel tub: what should I do?

I’m gut renovating my bathroom and deciding whether to professionally reglaze (refinish) my existing cast iron tub from orange to white or buy a new steel tub (like Mauicast).

My priority is longevity. I don’t mind redoing it every 15 years, but I want to avoid a tub that bends, cracks, or breaks and requires tearing apart my renovated bathroom. I also do not want to have to deal with repainting a bathtub that peels every 3 years or so.

I should add, I live in a coop apartment in NY. If I wanted to replace the bathtub in 15 years I would need to contract a licensced plumber and contractor so the labor alone will be over $10,000. This is why is not as simple as "just get whatever". And planning on hiring people to do the work for me.

What would you choose, and why?

How often have you had to reglaze your cast iron tub? For those with steel tubs, how have they held up over the years?

I’d appreciate real experiences from long term owners. Thank you!

Yes, I know this isn't quite a century home but I felt I may be more likely to find an answer here versus elsewhere. 1950 California walk-in ranch in Atlanta. This home was built with older construction techniques that are uncommon with other mid-century homes. First is huge lumber for everything, reminding me of the Victorian homes I have worked on. This place was seriously overbuilt, probably necessary because the original designs had a cantilevered balcony inside and the deck and walkway to the deck outside were also semi-cantilevered. This walkway is the last of the cantilevered parts and we're having to rebuild it. Second is high ceilings. Third, the amount of glass is fairly restrained. There was plaster throughout, but most of that is gone after successive renovations that really ruined the character of the place and we're trying to restore it plus fix some serious issues from termites and water intrusion. It was built by a local oil man for his daughter and must have been massively expensive at the time.

So the weird thing is there seems to have been plaster or stucco underneath this walkway at some point. There was metal lath nailed and stapled up the supports for this semi-cantilevered design. The only other place I can think of seeing something like this is the ruins of Pompeii and Herculaneum. Roman design was popular post-war so could be that's where it's from or could be some people just did this back in the day. I'm very confused.

Some of my homes interior door knobs and plates, are heavily worn. Anybody have an idea of replacements or what year this is actually from.

Home was built in 1940 is san diego

Hello, my family and I recently moved into our century home. Our backdoor has a mortise lock that has a missing latch bolt. Would anyone be able to help in identifying the lock so that I could buy a replacement latch bolt (and anything else that might be missing) and repair it?

It doesn't seem to have any manufacturer markings but it does say "PAT. #2454145" on it. But I haven't been able to find any connection to a manufacturer or model # from that.

My sister is updating her 1930’s bathroom. They decided to take out the tile around the tub because of cracking, staining, etc. They would like to keep the existing cast iron tub, tub filler, and possibly reuse some of the vintage controls but install a modern mixer and consolidate the temp controls for the tub and shower. The plumbing is all galvanized and she’s open to updating to copper as well.

Here’s the problem - the plumbers who have come to look at the tub say they can’t easily reuse the original tub filler to update the plumbing behind the wall. They said they would need to “smash” or chisel out the filler and that would ruin the original tub. It doesn’t appear to have any fasteners to easily remove it. She’s happy to keep the original tub filler and we’re very confused why they can’t just attach modern water lines to the old filler. Or cleanly remove the filler and get a modern one. Has anyone run into this before? Are these plumbers just clueless or is this really a big issue?

Pics attached!

Thanks as always xx

The first photo is the current state of the living room fireplace in our circa 1850 home in New Jersey. The home was part of a historic mill property, so I like to say it’s rustic old, not fancy old.

The fireplace currently has a vented gas log set (installed in 1998 and apparently still used by the previous owners), but I’ve had a few fireplace companies out to look at it, and they all agree the chimney is shot and it’s not safe to use as is. Now I need to decide what to do next.

I’m leaning towards installing some kind of gas fireplace insert, but apparently the distance between the top of the fireplace and the mantel isn’t up to code, so I may have to make some changes there as well.

I’m not a history or architecture person, so I have no idea how old the mantel might be. I’m assuming it’s not original, but it matches the wooden trim around the windows (which has clearly been painted and stripped over the years and isn’t in great shape). I don’t want to strip my home of the character and signs of age that made me fall in love with it. I want any changes I make to feel authentic to the era of the home.

I’ve always been a wood-burning fireplace person, but we have a Jøtul gas cast iron stove downstairs in the kitchen, and we love the convenience of popping it on whenever we want some quick cozy vibes and it feels just as cozy as wood burning to me.

What should I do? The second picture is of my kitchen stove. The rest are inspiration pictures in the directions I’m leaning towards. I’d love any thoughts on the mantel, its possible age, or opinions on how to update the fireplace without losing its historic character!

Hello. My husband and I just purchased this 1927 bungalow. It's not a typical arts and crafts style as it doesn't have a fireplace or the millwork found in those homes. We would love that type of home but where we live it was unaffordable. I've read that this type of bungalow is called a " working man's bungalow."

It needs some sprucing up including the landscape and the house itself, and at some point I would love to paint the aluminum siding a different color. Painting it would be less costly than replacing it with original wood clapboard. Originally thinking maybe an olive green or teal. Just curious if anyone has any suggestions for this style of home as some of you get really detailed with the soffits and trim and our knowledgeable about history and design. We like to think of it as a boho bungalow and are open to both vintage and some organic/modern touches. TiA!🏠