Reclaiming Old Houses 
BY Charles Edward Hooper 
I’hotographs by the Author 
Editor s ^ote. So maiiy people are seeking the old house as the ideal country home that the subject bears much more than a cursory treatment. Mr. Hooper's unde 
cxpencnce in dealing with the problems of remodeling old homes makes him especially fitted to give the practical instruction necessary to make the undertaking the delightful 
success that it tn so few cases. For the first Hme the whole subject will be fully developed. This article deals with the choice of a house, and tells what one should know 
before purchasing— zchat is good and bad and the tests for determining a satisfactory site and building. The next issue will treat of just what to do with a practical example. 
F or one who has an atom 
of poetry in his soul, 
there is a tremendous fascina¬ 
tion in the antique. With 
some it may be but a passing 
interest, as when one is 
brought in contact with some 
interesting specimen of the 
handicraft of earlier days. 
Others become worshipers at 
the shrine — purposely seeking 
and even collecting from sim¬ 
ple pleasure. At all events, 
for a number of years past 
there are many who have 
taken up old places and made 
homes of them. For the most 
part this experiment has de¬ 
stroyed the character of the 
subject, at times even border¬ 
ing on the criminal. Few have kept the feeling of the old thing, 
though the failures have not always been from want of inclina¬ 
tion or lack of trying. With these last it simply is a question of 
not understanding the subject — of groping in the dark for some¬ 
thing which is plain enough if one looks in the right direction. 
Ten to one, the first thing that the average person thinks of upon 
becoming the owner of an old house is the addition of a piazza, 
and, ten to one, this feature 
is not a part of the style to 
which he would tack it. It is 
simply a clash between two 
demands and conditions of 
living — the result is unavoid¬ 
able. 
Now let us take up the sub¬ 
ject at the beginning in -a 
matter-of-fact way and pro¬ 
ceed through the natural 
channels to a definite conclu¬ 
sion : First catch your fish. 
One knows in a general way 
from the history just about 
what he may expect to find in 
various parts of the country. 
Naturally one does not look 
for relics of 1650 in a coun¬ 
try that was a howling wil¬ 
derness at that time — this is 
a thing to be remembered. 
We are, unfortunately, slaves 
to a certain mistaken notion that everything that may be called 
old, dates from “The Fanding of the Pilgrims and Sixteen 
Twenty.” Of all our helpless pioneers, they have been saddled 
with the most of the impossibles. There is enough of household 
furniture and utensils purported to have come over in the May¬ 
flower to have sunk several modern navies, while they who have 
pinned their ancestry to this little band would make it imperative 
to have adopted all the foundlings in England in bearing out such 
facts. Having been rational¬ 
ized in the knowledge of con¬ 
ditions, one may cease to ex¬ 
pect impossibilities and accept 
things as they are. Really they 
are sufficient as they stand. 
Among the best things to con¬ 
sult after your history are the 
government charts which are 
drawn on a scale of an inch to 
the mile and are quite reliable 
and complete. These show con¬ 
tours of the land, giving eleva¬ 
tions, roads and even houses 
when it is possible. Of course 
these charts as yet do not cover 
the whole of the country, but 
there is much that is covered, 
and in such cases the chart is 
valuable. Then there are the 
newspaper advertisements and the catalogues of several agents 
that make a specialty of farm property. But whatever selection 
you may make, be sure that it is practical — that is, does it cover 
your requirements as to accessibility in its nearness to public 
conveyance and in elapsed time from your business to and from 
it? Even if it be a summer problem, which is more than likely, 
it must be understood that week-end trips are tiresome at the 
best, and one does not care to 
spend all his time on the road. 
Then there is the locality it¬ 
self. Is it healthy? What are 
its inhabitants? Has it any 
public nuisance or insect pests ? 
What of supplies and their 
prices? — the local store prob¬ 
ably offers some minor articles, 
or it may be good to be abso¬ 
lutely relied on. Very likely, 
however, one must get things 
from the outside — can such be 
gotten with ease? Your pos¬ 
tal service — what of that? 
Then there is fuel, an all-im¬ 
portant problem. Also the 
taxes: is it a high or low rate, 
and if it be high, is it offset by 
the valuation? Is there any 
sane appeal in case of unfair 
valuation and taxation ? What 
of climatic conditions, of jDre- 
vailing winds ; do you get any benefit from the latter? The roads 
are rather important factors — you should understand what you 
are getting in this direction. 
What is the immediate neighborhood and what its neighbors — 
are they desirable or otherwise — will they respect your property 
when you are away? It might be well to know. At all events 
get what elbow room you can — you will need it. At the same 
time consider that the care of several acres, other than woodland. 
A view on the Connecticut River that shows a desirable distance from 
the highway 
(27) 
