Comfort in Old Houses: Learn More at the Old House & Barn Expo
The experts at the Old House and Barn Expo can offer you suggestions for finding comfort and convenience in old homes.
Old Design Features Help Meet Today’s Needs
Porches not only provide a place to cool off on a hot summer day, but are part of homes that owners often feel connect them to their homes and communities. UVM preservation professor Thomas Visser, author of “Porches of North America”, will speak on this topic at the Expo.
Old house owners and enthusiasts are using old fashioned strategies as well as technology to find comfort and convenience in their old homes. Southern exposure makes certain rooms extra cozy. Your floor plan may offer separation of space for privacy. Pantries and build-in cabinetry provide storage space. Perhaps you can close doors to heat less of the house, and use the “stack effect” to cool your house in warmer seasons With the boomerang generation to accommodate, old houses also provide lots of space and flexibility. Old buildings can be divided up, offering “micro” home possibilities that are popular in cities like Portsmouth and Concord as well as in rural areas.
Come hear Steve Bedard, of Bedard Preservation and Restoration, talk about the recent restoration of New Hampshire’s iconic, Castle in the Clouds, during his “Your Home is Your Castle” session at the Expo.
Blend Old with New Technology Aids
You can record measurements or test colors using your own photos and free or low-cost apps. Programmable thermostats and home management systems with remote features can lower energy costs and stress. Steve Bedard of Bedard Preservation and Restoration notes that he is encouraging people, especially second home owners, to consider systems that monitor water breaks and interior low temperature during the winter months. Bedard’s “Your Home is Your Castle” talk at the Expo will profile the Castle in the Clouds restoration and its relevance to any old house project, and his “21st Century Living in Your Old House” session will cover many issues related to comfort and convenience in older structures.
Psychological Health Effects for Old House and Barn Owners
Many old home owners feel attached to the social and architectural history of their place, and welcome the chance to be a steward of it for the future. Others are proud of the craftsmanship embodied in the structure, and are pleased to “go local” with materials and help for repairs. Research also reinforces what most of you know innately: beautiful places – along with social offerings and community openness – attaches people to communities and boosts their psychological health.
Former feral cat, Touchstone, basking in the a sunny window in his barn
Beyond the Humans
Horses, sheep and chickens enjoy the comfort of old barns, right? Live and Let Live Farm’s Rescue and Sanctuary (Chichester, NH) will be at the Expo to inform attendees about animals that can find a home in your old barn; even those you may not think of such as feral cats. Live and Let Live works with a network of animal advocates throughout the country to find homes for dogs, cats, horses, goats, and any other barnyard critter you can think of. Giving a feral cat a home in your old barn not only gives the animal a a place to live, but also cuts down on the pest population. The Preservation Alliance’s members who are barn and barn cat owners report that their daily routine of barn cat care helps them keep track of barn maintenance issues!
Share ideas about how you find comfort or convenience with old homes and other buildings at the Expo or with a note to projects@nhpreservation.org.