Jean and Paul Bedner didn’t buy their 1905 Colonial Revival home in Elgin’s historic Gifford Park neighborhood because they were eager to restore an old house.
“To be honest, we bought here because of the price,” Jean admits. “But we fell in love with the house’s stained-glass windows, third-floor ballroom and maid’s staircase.”
Seven years into their home renovation, which she describes as “a way of life,” Jean says they have become “passionate preservationists who like to read antique hardware catalogs and hang out at flea markets.”
While the Bedners and other rehabbers say their best resource is the unofficial old-house network (other homeowners with dirty fingernails), an abundance of advice awaits those who buy vintage homes, then ask themselves, “Now what do we do?”
Your first job as the proud owner of a fixer-upper is to educate yourself, says Mark VanKerkhoff, Kane County Preservation Commission’s old-house guru, architect and owner of an 1846 Federal-style home.
“There’s a huge network of old-house experts with a wealth of information just for the asking. Before you start working on your house, you can learn the history of your home and neighborhood. And you can learn enough about your subcontractors’ trades to ask intelligent questions before you hire them,” he says. Or, you can learn enough to cut your costs with sweat equity.
Gail Drabant, member of McHenry County’s Historic Preservation Commission and owner of a 1900 Queen Anne, urges you to explore the historical significance of your house before you begin ripping and repairing.
“There’s more than one type of Victorian, for example. Once you know your substyle, you won’t put Queen Anne details on a Greek Revival house,” she says.
Who ya gonna call? Following are some resources recommended by Chicago-area old-house-busters.
1) Local government offices
First stop: your county government offices. If you live in Kane County, call VanKerkhoff, 708-232-3451. If you live in McHenry County, your answer-man is Jim Hogue, 815-334-4560. Will County’s crackerjack preservationist is Steve Lazzara, 815-727-8430.
If you live in Cook, Lake or DuPage County, you have no county preservation staffer; your next best bet is the nearest municipality with a “preservation commission” or “landmark commission.” Most large municipalities, such as Chicago and Oak Park, have them, plus a growing number of small and mid-sized suburbs.
Here at the commissions, you’ll find the highest concentration of die-hard preservationists in your area. These volunteer groups, often linked to county or city planning/development departments, consist of people who are architects and local businesspeople by day. Many have restored their own homes; now they dispense advice to rookies and maintain libraries/archives.
Some of these commissions offer free publications and workshops, too. Chicago’s Commission on Chicago Landmarks publishes “Your House has a History,” a free primer for Chicago homeowners researching their homes’ roots. Oak Park’s Preservation Commission publishes “Architectural Review Guidelines” that walk you through your rehabbing options–maintaining, repairing, restoring, replacing. The Kane County Historic Preservation Commission, in conjunction with the non-profit Preservation Partners, hosts a preservation conference each March.
Another valuable government resource is your County Recorder of Deeds. Here, you can trace the ownership of your home.
2) Springfield
At our state capital, a swarm of specialists stands by at the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency. Ask Mike Jackson (217-785-5031) to recommend old-house suppliers, architects and contractors. Ask Mike Ward (217-785-5042) about getting property tax freezes or for the number of your local preservation commission. Call David Newton (217-785-4324) for information about listing your home on the National Register of Historic Places.
Call the agency’s publications office (217-524-6045) for copies of the “Illinois Preservations Series” how-to pamphlets ($1.25 each). Sample titles: “Researching Your Illinois Home: Compiling a History of Your 1820 to 1920 Home” and “Masonry Repointing of 20th Century Buildings.” Or, get the series free when you subscribe to the agency’s bi-monthly magazine, Historic Illinois, for $10 a year.
3) Public library
A great, free resource is the reference desk at your public library. The reference librarian can help you track down videos such as the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s “Maintaining Your Old House” series and U.S. government publications such as the “The Secretary of the Interior’s Standard for Historic Preservation Projects” or the National Park Service’s practical “Preservation Briefs.”
Peruse the newspaper clippings, personal journals and memorabilia in the library’s “local history” file for local color pertaining to your home.
VanKerkhoff suggests you check your public library for detailed Sanborn maps of your area. These colorful gems, hand-drawn by the Sanborn Map Co. for fire insurance companies, date back to the 1860s. (Or, call Sanborn, 914-738-1649.)
You’ll find no shortage of new books about home restoration; dozens have been published in the last few years. A favorite among novices is the heavily illustrated “The Complete Home Restoration Manual” by Albert Jackson and David Day. A must-read for owners of Sears catalog houses (1908 to 1940) is “Houses by Mail: A Guide to Houses from Sears, Roebuck and Company” by Katherine Cole Stevenson and H. Ward Jandl.
The rehabbers’ bible, say the Bedners, is the Old-House Journal magazine. Other magazines worth browsing are Traditional Building, Victorian Homes and Historic Preservation. For technical how-tos, read trade journals–Masonry, Tile World or Remodeling. Some, including Architecture, publish special issues on preservation
Annual buyers’ guides include the Victorian Homes’ Sourcebook and the Old-House Journal’s Restoration Directory. Traditional Building publishes separate vendor lists for specific areas, such as mantels or fountains.
4) Historical societies, museums
Check your city or county historical society or historical museum (often connected) for a treasure-trove of local history. This is where you may find old photographs, diaries, postcards, signs, ledgers or family scrapbooks from the original owners of your home or of neighboring homes. Understanding their lives and backgrounds helps you determine why they chose certain architectural styles, designs and decor.
5) Non-profit organizations
The National Trust for Historic Preservation has a regional office in Chicago (312-939-5547) that provides technical advice and preservation tips to homeowners, beginning with its “Old House Starter Kit” ($17.95). Subscribe to its newsletter, “Historic Preservation News”; its magazine, Historic Preservation; or choose from its catalog of books and brochures (800-766-6847). Call the Chicago office for more information about its spring preservation conference.
The Landmarks Preservation Council of Illinois (312-922-1742) is a statewide organization that gives homeowners technical tips and contractor/architect referrals. Its conference in June will include how-to workshops and an “insider’s tour” of historic Oak Park homes. Members ($25 a year) are privy to special events via its newsletter. Check out its “Easements” program, which protects your home from misguided renovations after you sell it.
To obtain financing for your project, tap into the network of neighborhood improvement associations that pepper the Chicago area, especially in older communities. One such organization is the Neighborhood Housing Services, based in Washington, D.C., with affiliates in Chicago (312-738-2227), Aurora (708-851-8737), Elgin (708-695-0399), Waukegan (708-662-2300) and Kankakee (815-939-9700).
The American Institute of Architects (Chicago chapter: 312-670-7770) can refer you to an architect who specializes in restoration. It also conducts “Working with Architects” seminars and publishes free booklets including “You and Your Architect.”
6) Community colleges
Call your community college’s continuing education department for courses geared toward old-house renovators. Waubonsee Community College in Sugar Grove, for example, offers “Get the Lead Out” for owners of homes plagued with lead-based paint and lead pipes. Palatine’s William Rainey Harper College offers “Home Remodeling and Rehabilitation.”
At Triton College in River Grove, attend annual seminars on interior design and interior decorating, where instructors focus on older homes, or learn a trade–plumbing, electricity, masonry–by taking one of the credit courses in the college’s two-year construction program.
“Most of the community college courses are practical and hands-on, taught by local craftspeople or contractors,” says Waubonsee’s Dorothy Gaines.
7) Support groups
The Bedners say they owe their sanity to their old-house support group–the Gifford Park Association. Named for a small, public park in Elgin’s historic district, the 16-year-old group was formed to encourage remodeling and discourage remuddling of Elgin’s older homes. Members meet monthly to cheer each other on and swap contractors’ names. When a member masters a project, he demonstrates his newfound skills to the others.
The McHenry County Old House Support Group meets bi-monthly to hear educational speakers. On the alternate months, they tour members’ homes.
The Preservation Partners of the Fox Valley’s Old House Support Group mixes entertainment with education at its free programs. There was standing room only when it recently hosted Elizabeth Pomada and Michael Larsen of “Painted Ladies” fame. Those attending an upcoming program will hear a “moving story” about the relocation of a local Victorian home.
8) Neighborhood organizations
When researching the history of your home and neighborhood, don’t overlook informal old-timers’ clubs. The best way to track down these folks is via local retirement residences or service clubs’ and park districts’ senior clubs.
Some Chicago neighborhoods have more than a coffee klatsch; they have official non-profit organizations or historical societies of their own. Examples: Historic Pullman Foundation (312-785-8181), Norwood Park Historical Society (312-631-4633) and Rogers Park Historical Society (312-764-2401).
9) The Internet
Surf the net for home-improvement forums and bulletin boards such as America OnLine’s (800-827-6364) Homeowners’ Forum. If you need a glass doorknob supplier or crave the comaraderie of others who know a header from a hopper, join OnLine’s Homeowners’ Connection chatroom. Use CompuServe’s (800-848-8199) Dwellings Forum or Home Forum to reach other old-house enthusiasts or access their helpful hints.
Armed with your newfound knowledge, you can begin your remodeling rendezvous. But take it one step at a time, warn the veterans.
“Our mottos at Gifford Park are, `Never start a second project until you finish the first one.’ And, `Start with something simple–like painting a room–to boost your confidence,’ ” says Bedner. “If you try to do too much at once, we’ll see your `For Sale’ sign up in a year.”
