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Historic Archived Catalogs & Brochures

This is one of the greatest resources you can possibly have!  There are catalogs of builders materials like doors and light bulb fixtures, house styles and house plans popular during that year, interior decoration and wallpaper, plumbing supplies, fashionable clothing, etc. etc. If you want to see what your house looked like when it was [...]

The Metal Porch Roof

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Do you have a metal porch roof or asphalt? Is your porch roof the original design? You may have a very authentic vintage home but there is a good chance that your porch roof has been not only replaced but changed over the years. What looks original may not be. Some porch roofs were not [...]

Adding Victorian Decoration – Good or Bad?

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Victorian decoration - gingerbread ornamentation and fretwork are features that make people stop and admire a house. It is these features that give a house that extra charm and character. The more ornamentation the better sometimes making the Victorian building look like it was on steroids. Victorian decoration. Victorian decoration is admired so that today [...]

Mistakes Using Fancy Cut Decorative Shingles

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The use of fancy cut decorative shingles exploded with Queen Anne Victorian architecture. Although used in many locations, one of the most popular areas of use for these shingles was in the gable. The house to the right looks really great with these fancy cut decorative shingles in a colorful pattern but as nice as [...]