Historic Preservation

Frequently Asked Technical Questions

How do I...? Answers to Frequently Asked Technical Preservation Questions.

The Internet is a great resource for all kinds of information, including information on preserving, restoring or rehabilitating your historic building. This page provides you with links to Web sites that answer some of the questions we get most often at the Division of Historic Preservation. We've limited questions here to those directed to the actual repair and restoration work itself, but look elsewhere on our Web site for other program information, including funding, the legal protection of historic properties, and listing your property in the State and National Registers.

How can I find a contractor or architect to work on my historic building?

• PreservationWeb: provides the "Preservation Sourcebook," a guide to historic preservation services and products.
• The Contractors Resource Center. This is a general contractor Web site that provides a guide to homeowners.
• American Institute of Architects. The AIA provides a listing of member by region and specialty, including preservation.
• Contractor Guide is a free service to help you find contractors, suppliers and manufacturers on the Internet.
• Traditional Building Magazine's Web site offers the "Restoration Services Catalog" containing industry information about building artisans, contractors, designers and more on historic building preservation.

Where can I find sources for suppliers of all those hard to find products I need to restore my historic house?

• Traditional Building Magazine provides this Web site of sources for products and services directed at the restoration and traditional building market.
• PreservationWeb: "Preservation Sourcebook," a guide to historic preservation services and products

A historic building in our community is going to be demolished for a parking lot. We can save it if we can move it. How do I find a building mover?

• BuildingMovers.com offers an up-to-date list of movers organized by state.
• National Trust for Historic Preservation: Moving Historic Buildings

How do I know what elements are historic and important to save when I rehabilitate my old building?

• National Park Service's "Preservation Brief #17. Architectural Character: Identifying the Visual Aspects of Historic Buildings and an Aid to Preserving the Character."

We need additional space in our historic building. Can we add onto it without harming its historic character?

• National Park Service's "Preservation Brief #14. New Exterior Additions to Historic Buildings: Preservation Concerns."

My brick building is so dirty. How do I clean it?

• National Park Service's "Preservation Brief #1. Assessing Cleaning and Water-Repellent Treatments for Historic Masonry Buildings."
• U.S. Heritage Group specializes in matching and custom blending of mortars. They offer mortar testing, mortar production and training (for information only - this is not an endorsement.)
  
• National Park Services "Preservation Brief #6. Dangers of Abrasive Cleaning to Historic Buildings."

When having tuckpointing done, are there any special considerations I should bear in mind because my building is historic?

• National Park Service's "Preservation Brief #2. Repointing Mortar Joints in Historic Masonry Buildings."

We have to re-roof our historic house soon. How do we determine what roofing material is appropriate?

• National Park Service's "Preservation Brief #4. Roofing for Historic Buildings."
• The National Park Service Web site has a special "exhibit" on historic roofing.

My windows are drafty and hard to use. Can I repair them or should I just replace them?

• National Park Service's "Preservation Brief #9. The Repair of Historic Wooden Windows."
• National Park Service's "Preservation Brief #13. The Repair and Thermal Upgrading of Historic Steel Windows."
• The Old House Web: Replacing windows in older and historic houses.
• Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission(PDF), a window survey strategy and replacement guide.
• Home Energy Magazine "What Should I Do About My Windows?"
• The "Old House Guy" out of Freehold, New Jersey, compares new wondows to old.

My old house is so expensive to heat! How can I make it more energy efficient without harming its historic character?

• National Park Service's "Preservation Brief #3. Conserving Energy in Historic Buildings."

The storefront on my historic commercial building is missing and boarded up. How do I build a new storefront that is appropriate to the design of the rest the building?

• National Park Service's "Preservation Brief #11. Rehabilitating Historic Storefronts."
• Louisville Landmark Commission Guidelines: Storefronts.(PDF)
• National Park Service's Heritage Preservation Services"Fast Track #3", on uncovering historic storefronts.

I have an old log cabin on my property. Where can I find information on how to restore it?

• National Park Service's "Preservation Brief #26. The Preservation and Repair of Historic Log Buildings."

Our barn is very old and needs a lot of work. How can I find help?

• The Wisconsin Historical Society has a Web site devoted to old barns with links to comprehensive information on barn preservation.

My old wood siding just won't hold paint - I'm about ready to put on vinyl. How can I make a paint job last?

• National Park Service's "Preservation Brief #10. Exterior Paint Problems on Historic Woodwork."
• National Park Service's "Preservation Brief #8. Aluminum and Vinyl Siding on Historic Buildings
• Forest Products Laboratory. "Why House Paints Fail." (PDF)

What colors would be historically appropriate to paint my old house?

• The Cambridge, Massachusetts Historical Commissionhas developed a guide to help owners achieve appropriate exterior paint color schemes for buildings of different periods and styles. An excerpt is published on this Web site.
• Old House Journal article on historic paint color "Colorful Issues in Choosing Exterior Paint" by Gordon Bock.

How do I clean graffiti off my brick building?

• National Park Service's "Preservation Brief #38. Removing Graffiti from Historic Masonry."
• National Park Service's "Preservation Brief #6: Dangers of Abrasive Cleaning to Historic Buildings."

I think the paint on my house has lead in it! What do I do?

• National Park Service's "Preservation Brief #37. Appropriate Methods for Reducing Lead-Paint Hazards in Historic Housing."
• The Wisconsin Division of Energy, in cooperation with the Wisconsin Division of Health has initiated the Wisconsin Lead Hazard Reduction Program.
• National Center for Healthy Housing promotes practical methods to protect children from residential environmental hazards.

My store is in a historic building. Do I have to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act if it will harm the character of the building?

• National Park Service's "Preservation Brief #32. Making Historic Properties Accessible."
• The Access Board is an independent Federal agency devoted to accessibility for people with disabilities.
• U.S. Department of Justice, Americans with Disabilities Act ADA home page

My local building inspector says my historic building doesn't meet code. How can I meet code and still maintain my building's historic charcter?

The Wisconsin Historical Society can verify the historic status of your property to allow you to use the Wisconsin Historic Building code as an alternate to regular code.

The complete Wisconsin Building Code (Chapter 70 of the Department of Commerce's Administrative code) is available on the Web.

Do you have your own technical preservation question? Or maybe you know a good source for additional information on a topic noted above. If so, please share it with us.