The Historic District

I've been away for a few days but am now back. First, I want to thank everyone for their thoughtful replies. Chris, the idea of not being "that guy" who took off the slate was rattling around somewhere in the back of my mind, but I had not articulated it clearly. I agree that once it comes...

Basically, what is good for the home for the long term may not be good for your finances for the long term. Exactly so. From a strictly financial point of view, I should have nothing to do with using slate. I won't be in the house that long, in all probability. But I have put so much time, effort, ...

The structure under the slates is in good shape, as seen from inside the attic; no leaks yet. The tiles have begun to split and crack from the weather. My understanding (and those who know more about slate should feel free to correct me) is that once cracking begins at the edges, it tends to continu...

I'm fortunate to live in an area with enough old houses that there is a full-time slate roof guy. He comes every couple of years and fixes any tiles that are slipping or whatever. Last summer he told me that I have about 10 years left on the roof. It's at least 110 years old, maybe older, and the sl...

Thanks for the kind words, everybody. I did use a historic color consultant. He pointed out that the dark green would look better next to the gray slate, while I was assuming that the darker color should go on the bottom. He also suggested using a lighter color around the eves, as was often done bac...

I hired a painter. I'm closer to 60 than 50 and not as fond of ladders as I was 30 years ago. I am doing all the windows (stripping, reglazing, repainting sash plus adding spring bronze weatherstripping) myself, though. That's enough of a project

Here's a before picture. Sorry it's not the same angle -- I'm sure I have more somewhere but can't find them right now. Notice how the windows are sunk below the level of the siding. The wooden trim the architect designed into the house was totally hidden. before01.jpg I added a shot from the same a...

Thanks for the kind words, and I wish you all success with your house! My house is tall and when it was all white vinyl it looked like this huge vertical slab on a prominent streetcorner. The new paint job emphasizes the horizontal elements and makes the whole house look better proportioned (as well...

I was active on Old House Web a few years ago, then house projects got put aside while I worked on other things. Now I am back to working on the house and discovered that many folks had moved here due to the spamming problems on OHW. So here I am. I have a Queen Anne Victorian in upstate New York. T...