The 14th annual Car Raffle to benefit Children's Memorial Hospital will take place as the winning tickets are drawn at noon on July 30 at UBS Tower. The prize is $40,000 (pre-tax) cash or a luxury car. The winner need not be present to win. Tickets are $100 each and only 7,000 will be sold. Call

Publication: Libertyville Review (IL)

In a day and age when we could all use a break, it's good to know that Illinois offers homeowners a tax exemption program designed to take at least some of the sting out of property taxes. The individual exemptions relate solely to primary residences.The Illinois Homestead Exemption Program offers

Publication: Libertyville Review (IL)

See how This Old House general contractor Tom Silva tightens up and pares down a door swelled by summer's humidity

Homeownership in Decline? Photo from Eureka Heritage Association

I was thirty when I bought my first house. Growing up during the ’60s and ’70s, I was infused with the notion that we were all supposed to work to own our own homes; it was one of the steps to achieving success in life. The country was prosperous during the ’60s and every family I knew lived in homes they could call their own.  I believe the ’50s and ’60s were when people first started equating home ownership with living the American Dream. My parents bought their first home in 1956 and have owned a home ever since.

I rented before I bought my first house, and I was never happy with that concept; it always felt like I had no roots and was just passing through. I had grown up in an old house that my father was constantly improving, and I wasn’t comfortable living in a rented place I couldn’t work on. The third house I purchased is the old house I have lived in for the past twenty years, and during those twenty years this old house has become a part of who I am. I don’t think I could say that if I had rented all that time.

Home Ownership is Trending Downward

An article in USA Today reports that if all the foreclosures currently in the system happen, home ownership in this country will reach the lowest level since 1960. Considering how much our population has increased since 1960, I find that report to be almost unbelievable–and also very sad. I know that home ownership isn’t for everyone. Many families aren’t sure how long they are going to live in an area and some people just prefer that someone else worry about maintenance. Tougher lending standards are keeping some families from buying–or at least delaying the purchase–until they have saved enough money.  This can be a good thing, as home ownership takes a certain maturity level, and if you have to work to achieve the American Dream, I think you appreciate it more.

Home Ownership by the Numbers

Time Magazine had a recent article that used a financial formula to determine if renting or buying was the best decision in certain areas of the country. It was interesting reading and made good financial sense, but to me owning my old house isn’t about numbers or long term investments. I own a house because I want a place that I can call my own, a place that reflects who I am and contains the history of the old house owners who came before me. I want a place that I can work on in my spare time and turn into my own personal version of the American Dream.  I think it’s sad that many families are never going to experience that feeling.

Replacing oak-strip flooring requires a little ingenuity—and a really sharp chisel.

Matt's restored 110 year old windows with energy efficient weather stripping

Owners of old homes are led to believe that if they want to make their homes more energy efficient they need to replace their old windows.  This week we proved them wrong.  We were able to reduce the air leakage in our 110 year old, double hung, single pane windows by an astonishing 70%!

Surprisingly, about 1/3 of home heating and cooling costs come from energy loss, not energy use!  If you spend $1000 to heat your home, $330 of that is going out the window. Windows in old homes are among the biggest losers.  Add up those gaps in the sashes, the holes in the pulleys, and the tiny cracks in the glazing and it’s like leaving a window or door wide open all year long! When Kelly and I bought our house and launched Greenovation.TV, the windows were in pretty bad shape. None of them could be opened.  They had layers of paint, they were swelled into the tracks, most had cut sash cords, a few had old felt strips stuck in between the sashes, and some had broken or missing sash locks.  And they all leaked — A lot. Before we did any work to our windows, the non-profit Clean Energy Coalition helped us run a diagnostic blower door test to see how much air leakage we had in the house.  Our baseline was a very, very leaky 4400 cubic feet per minute (CFM at 50 pascals).  That is typical for an old house.

Silicone bulb weatherstripping inserted into a kerf cut into old window

Next, Lorri Sipes from Wood Window Repair Company, and some students from our window repair workshop helped us restore our windows.  During the restoration we put silicone bulb weather stripping in the sash top, bottom and meeting rail and tacked a bronze weatherstrip into the jambs.  Then, we added tightly sealed Trapp storm windows with low-E glass.  This gave us the benefit of modern glass and the effect of having double pane windows. Finally, it was time to do a follow up blower door test to see how well the windows perform.  Drum roll please . . . . 1300 CFM at 50 pascals - down from a pre-restoration of 4400 CFM.

Robertson's Screen & Storm Company Installing Trapp Storm Windows with Low-E Glass

Restoring your old windows as DIY project will cost about $400 in materials; if you hire a pro to restore the windows for you, it will cost about $400 per window.  New windows cost about double and will need to be replaced again in 25 years.

With continued care and maintenance, our restored windows should last us another hundred years, keep us cozy inside and help us meet our goal of net zero fossil fuel energy.
Watch a video about our windows here.

Hang kitchen cabinets to add storage, paint or reface old ones to refresh the look of your room, and more

Go from sticky to smooth in a few easy steps

I’m excited about a new trend in preservation I’ve been reading about recently–the restoration of old train stations and depots across the country. I don’t know if it can really be considered a new trend, as historic societies and preservation organizations have been working to save the stations and depots that have played such an important part in our county’s history for many years. I think the movement might just be getting more publicity now, but that’s fine, too.

I’m excited personally because I like trains; they are one of my favorite ways to travel. It wasn’t that long ago that railroads ruled in this country; if you needed to get from one place to another, it usually involved taking a train. Every city had at least one station such as Grand Central Station and Pennsylvania Station in New York, and small towns were often identified by their train depots.

Old Train Depots Are Often near Old Houses

I’m also excited because the railroad depot was normally located in the heart of a small town, in a place that was convenient for those arriving and departing by train. The depot was close to the homes and businesses that defined the town and was often used as a place for the community to gather. Unfortunately times have changed and what was once the thriving center of a town is very often now an area full of old houses in need of restoration and businesses that shut their doors years ago.

The Preservation Journey Starts with the First Step

Train depots that have been restored or are undergoing restoration may be able to start a preservation movement in some of those towns. I mentioned in an earlier post that I live in an old railroad town where many of the old houses that once belonged to railroad employees have been restored. Quite a few of those restorations are because the town has been building on its heritage as an old railroad town and making the railroad depot a popular attraction. Buildings that have been empty for many years are now the homes of a bakery, a coffee shop, and an ice cream parlor.

Sometimes all it takes is for one key historic building to undergo a restoration and before long an entire section of a town or city has been transformed by preservation enthusiasts. I am watching it happen in my town and it has happened in places like El Paso, Texas, Tamaqua, Pennsylvania, and Shepherdstown, West Virginia. Railroads played an important part in making this country what it is today, and who knows–maybe the preservation of their stations and depots can help lead the way in saving some of our history.

I’m in the process of buying an old house. A small old house.

How small?

The roof indicates the original size of this small old house: 648 square feet.

The house was originally built in 1905 and was 24 feet by 27 feet, for a grand total of 648 square feet. That included a kitchen, a living room, and a bedroom. No bathroom. Well, not an indoor one with plumbing, at least.

The outdoor root cellar was converted to a bathroom and my grandpa added an enclosed front porch in the 1950s, bringing my total square footage to 984.

When I was looking at homes in this and other rural communities, I was looking for a one- or two-bedroom house. Why? I’m a single gal with a dog and no kids. How much space do I really, truly need? Because I was looking for a smaller space, all the homes I looked at were old. Somehow I came to the conclusion that a lot of older homes were small, especially because of the historic trend of new homes getting bigger and bigger.

But that’s not true.

Of the single, detached houses built before the 1920s, only 3.2 percent of houses were the size of my house! By pre-1920s standards, I still had a small house. Here are the details, courtesy of the Census Bureau:

• Less that 500 sq. ft.: 1.2%
• 500-749: 3.2%
• 750-999: 5.8%
• 1,000-1,499: 22.9%
• 1,500-1,999: 23.4%
• 2,000-2,499: 17.7%
• 2,500-2,999: 9.5%
• 3,000-3,999: 9.5%
• 4,000+: 6.7%

The number of rooms in a house was also much higher than I expected. Almost 70 percent of homes built before 1920 had six or more rooms. My house? In the bottom two percent. While I’m surprised that so many old houses were and are bigger than mine, it doesn’t make me regret buying a space that meets my needs.

Personally, I have never had much interest in keeping up with the Joneses, despite the historical trend we’ve seen in the United States. In 1973, the average square footage of a home was 1,660 sq. ft. That trend continued to climb until it reached its peak in 2008 at 2,519 (side note: houses in metropolitan areas are on average 300 square feet bigger).

Recently, though that trend has reversed. Homes are getting smaller. Sociologists, economists and other-ists have their theories, some of which include the recession. Other theories include cultural shifts resulting from urban congestion or increasing environmental awareness and responsibility. How old is the old adage “less is more,” and is it finally applying to homes? Whatever the reason, new homes are shrinking.

In 2009, the average was 2,438 sq. ft., but the downsizing trend continues.

How small?

Architect Jay Shafer designs tiny houses. Like, really tiny. They range from 65 to 774 square feet. His own home is 96 sq. ft. He sleeps in a two-person loft and his entire bathroom is his shower. The reasons why he’s lived in three houses all less than 100 feet over the past 10 years include that he doesn’t like vacuuming or dusting, or taking care of a lot of stuff he’s not really using. He’s also not spewing extra gases into the environment or consuming resources just because of a need for wasted space.

Too small?

Whether you’re into small old houses or tiny new houses, there is something to be said for being aware of your personal need of space as it relates to both cost and the environment. How much space do you need?

Simple repairs for two of the most annoying kitchen and bath plumbing problems

Cole Emory of Mundelein cracks a big smile when asked about the opportunity to model for Men's Warehouse at a photo shoot in San Francisco."Honestly, I never expected to be invited to be a model," said Cole, an 18-year-old resident, who has autism.Cole and his family flew out to San Francisco on

Publication: Libertyville Review (IL)

It's prime summer season right now. Hiking trails across the country are teeming with people enjoying pleasant weather and beautiful scenery. In addition, bikers are out en masse, especially on weekends, using human energy instead of fossil fuel to tour the highways and byways.This often spurs

Publication: Libertyville Review (IL)

ANTIOCH1077 Neuhaven Drive, Scott Munkvold to Michelle M Holmes James G Holmes, $208,000, June 21931 Sterling Heights Drive, Ronald J Dulle to Kenneth J Johnston Karen A Johnston, $267,500, June 21GURNEE1490 Knottingham Drive, Linda Ryan to James A Silasiri Jennifer R Silasiri, $280,000, June

Publication: Libertyville Review (IL)

Dear Fixer: I have a place in Sarasota, Fla., that I rent out. When I have renters, I activate phone service through Verizon, so they can use the phone service while they stay.I cancel it when they leave, and I have a plan with Verizon where they won't charge me any cancellation fees as long as I

Publication: Libertyville Review (IL)

For nearly a month, Bennet Hoffman woke up at 4 a.m. to complete a day's worth of physical labor.The physical labor wasn't a punishment for the 14-year-old Libertyville resident; rather, it was the experience of a lifetime.Hoffman spent his days in the ancient port city of Ashkelon, located on the

Publication: Libertyville Review (IL)

Waukegan police and the Drug Enforcement Administration teamed up for the largest crystal meth seizure in Lake County history this week.Police seized 16.5 pounds of the drug, also known as "ice," valued at $1.5 million after meeting two men near the intersection of Washington Street and Green Bay

Publication: Libertyville Review (IL)

At a Greenlight Gathering on April 29 at Mars Gallery in Chicago, Evanston resident Joan Pikas and Stehanie Wernet, co-founders of the social enterprise Bright Endeavors, joined Audalee McLoughlin of Mount Prospect, CEO of New Moms, Inc., in announcing the merging of Bright Endeavors with the

Publication: Libertyville Review (IL)

The Vocal Gymnasium presented a Hope for Haiti benefit on June 17 at the Wilmette Theatre in Wilmette.Camp for womenSeventy guests raised $1,000 for JASS (justassociates.org) which funds a camp for women in Haiti.Contributions came from many local vendors such as Chalet, The Northern Trust, Stelle,

Publication: Libertyville Review (IL)

Find out what to do this week and beyond.Classes/Meetings/SeminarsBe a more mindful parent by joining the Brilliant Parenting Discussion Group at 7 p.m. on the fourth Wednesday of the month at Water's Edge Waldorf School, 150 W. Bonner Road, Wauconda. The group will discuss a variety of topics of

Publication: Libertyville Review (IL)