If we believe that this is the goal of historic preservation, why are we repeatedly making and implementing design decisions which turn out to be detrimental to the very fabric of the buildings we are setting out to preserve? 

It has been widely acknowledged the deterioration of historic structures is largely the result of deferred maintance due to inadequate funds, and professionals poorly prepared to deal with the problems inherent in maintaining historic structures. Although many professionals are dedicated, most of these workers have little background in detecting incipient problems in historic structures and almost no training in carrying out maintance in the particular crafts unique to historic structures. 

Despite advances in materials conservation and a growing number of practitioners who advocate repair of historic structures- lenders, contractors and building suppliers as well as most architects, city governments and clients, still have a bias toward wholesale replacement of materials and finishes when working with historic buildings. The art of replicating historic features, materials, and finishes has been  so successful over the past 30 years that, at times, it inhibits the conservation of real historic fabric. 

Today the material integrity of historic buildings is too often being lost due to rehabilitation work. As historic buildings are being rehabilitated for the second time in twenty years., they often end up, literally, as"shells" of their former past. Replacing the roof, siding, and the windows on a  building quickly takes its toll on historic fabric. This is particularly true since the interiors of buildings typically suffer even more extensive loss during rehabilitation. As a result the building may look historic, but its material integrity has been greatly diminished. Alternately, replacing historic materials only when necessary results in more gradual change over time. If sensitively undertaken and with skill , this approach usually results in the changes acquiring significance in their own right. The historic building retains sufficient material integrity at any point in time, and the historic character is preserved. 

In principle, the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Rehabilitations emphasizes repair over replacement (even-in kind) of significant historic fabric. Unfortunately, as commonly practiced today, rehabilitation usually means that the visual quality's of a historic building are preserved while the extensive loss of  historic fabric occurs. Certainly there are many historic buildings where levels of deterioration justify substantial fabric replacement, but the threshold for replacing historic material in many other projects is set far too low. Ironically, when the economy is weak, retention of historic material seemingly increases in restorations as budgets are more constrained, and fewer drastic changes occur. Admittedly, needed work often is deferred, but so is the needless replacement of historic materials and systems that still have useful life.

Keeping your property good looking for decades is not easy, but can be simple. Follow the collective advice of generations before us. Download PDF

The maintenance contract itself does not cost anything. Any additional labor and materials contracted for that are above and beyond what is covered in the guaranteed portion of the work is always additional.

The secret to the longevity of a Quality Painting & Carpentry paint job or carpentry job is our labor intensive preparation, and the yearly inspection and maintenance that we provide to our customers and their homes afterwards.

Maintenance means that you will not have to do another total paint job or have a carpentry issue show up unexpectedly for a long time!

If you are willing to inspect your paint job and new carpentry in the spring, and give us a call whenever you notice anything, we can get out there and fix the problem while it is still small and barely noticeable. That way we can keep your historical home looking practically brand new for many years to come. Take a walk around, and if you notice any bubbling, peeling, or flaking paint in the first two years from the date of invoice, call us, it is our problem!

If any of our new carpentry shows sign of rot or warping...same thing...call us.

Our guarantees are predicated on your involvement. If you choose not to follow thru and take advantage of our offer, then the guarantee is void from that year's Spring going on forward.

But if you are diligent, and allow us to provide the upkeep on your building, there is no reason for any failures to ever get ahead of us and cause any but the most minor of issues.