Landmark Services- Historic Renovation Contractors

New protection for old stone walls

New Hampshire has passed a tough new law designed to protect historic stone walls from being plundered. People caught stealing stones from old walls will be subject to treble damages, which will include the cost of rebuilding these walls.  Alas, most states, including Massachusetts provide very little protection so old walls are constantly being removed from our landscape.  Most of Europe, on the other hand, goes to great lengths to preserve historic landscapes. Years ago, when I was in England on an internship, I was surprised to learn that even individual trees- of sufficient age- were listed as protected assets and could not be removed. It's difficult to overstate the important contribution to our landscape, our heritage, and even our economy made by historic stone walls, bridges, open space, and wooded areas.  

We're Landmark Services, the Old House Experts in Massachusetts. If you're interested in the renovation of historic homes, barns, or churches, take a look at our website. Also, please note that our blog has moved and is now located within our website here: www.landmarkservices.com/blog . All new posts will be located there. Thanks!

Eco friendly drywall

A company called Serious Materials has introduced a more environmentally friendly drywall called EcoRock. The product is made from waste products from the steel and concrete industries.  Apparently the process of making traditional gypsum-based drywall releases a tremendous amount of CO2 into the atmosphere.  

In fact, the construction and operation of homes and buildings accounts for over 50% of the CO2 released each year, compared to 9% for passenger cars.  It will be very important over the next several decades to do all we can as a society to reduce these emissions.  

Here at Landmark Services we have been teaching our clients (and sometimes learning from them!) about the importance of energy efficient homes for almost 20 years.  Readers of this blog know that we do not use fiberglass insulation, for example, because there are better alternatives for making homes energy efficient (namely cellulose and sprayed foam insulations). We know that even historic buildings can be made to be energy efficient.

It's encouraging to see the host of new products on the market made from recycled materials.  For a first hand look, I encourage Boston area readers to visit the Nexus Green Building Resource Center in downtown Boston. They have product samples, literature, and classes on materials and methods being used to reduce the carbon footprint of buildings.

We're Landmark Services, the Old House Experts in Massachusetts. If you're interested in the renovation of historic homes, barns, or churches, take a look at our website. Also, please note that our blog has moved and is now located within our website here: www.landmarkservices.com/blog . All new posts will be located there. Thanks!

Upcoming talk

On Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2007 I'll be giving a talk at the Walpole Historical Society entitled "Artful Updates: Renovating and enlarging your historic home while maintaining its character". If you plan to come, bring pictures of your house and questions related to any aspect of renovations, restorations, or additions. All are welcome.

We're Landmark Services, the Old House Experts in Massachusetts. If you're interested in the renovation of historic homes, barns, or churches, take a look at our website, www.landmarkservices.com. Also, please note that our blog has moved and is now located within our website here: www.landmarkservices.com/blog . All new posts will be located there. Have an addition, renovation or repair project in mind? We offer free consultations, so please contact us to set up an appointment.

Moving old houses rolling along

Take It Away - New York Times. Moving historic houses to save them is becoming a more common occurance around the country. Unfortunately, most developers place no value on these houses and they either get moved or torn down.