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Renovation of an older house offers challenges and rewards. It's natural for an
owner to want modern convenience combined with the character of an historic home. Fortunately,
with a little forethought, the two goals can be accomplished at the same time. These hints focus on design issues that are commonly addressed by
Boulder County's Historic Preservation Advisory Board (HPAB). If you'd like more detailed
information, please feel free to contact the Land Use Department at 441-3930. Our staff can
often answer your questions. If not, we'll try to put you in contact with an HPAB member or
other resource who can answer your questions or give advice. Scale
Rural houses, whether farm houses or mountain cabins, were usually small compared to
the houses in the 1990s. The most common change to historic buildings in Boulder County is to
add more space. Unfortunately, additions to your historic building will look out of place if
they overwhelm the original structure. Here are a few ideas to help with this design
challenge:
- Place the addition at the rear of the structure and try to use an
intermediate building height to "step-up" from a one-story house to a two-story
addition.
- Attach a larger addition to the house through a breezeway or corridor.
- Vary the roof shape using dormers or other techniques. The variety
breaks up a larger expanse of roof and helps blend the old with the new.
Patterns
Look at your house and determine if there is a reoccurring feature. If you notice that
there is a window every four feet or there is a sunburst pattern in the woodwork over each
doorway, these are the types of patterns that you would want to preserve on the original
structure. Take the idea of the pattern one step further - if you are planning an addition,
use the same patterns in the new portion of the house.
Windows
One of the most important features that defines the time period of your house is
the size and shape of the windows. If you're trying to retain the charm of your
house, keeping the windows is one of the easiest methods. The materials
of the window frames is less important than the size and shape. However, wood frames work
best. Staff can help direct you to sources who can repair existing windows and
make them more energy efficient.
Roofing Materials
Historically, the most common roofing material in Boulder
County was wood shakes or shingles. Metal was also used, more frequently in the
mountains. Today, we know that wood roofing materials conflict with the goals of
mitigating fire hazards. If you are replacing a wood shake roof, you may want to
consider a roofing product that has the same color as wood but is less
flammable.
Siding
Similar to window size and shape, the
orientation and size of the siding on your historic house is an
important feature that helps define the period of time in which
it was constructed. If your house has wood lap siding, it would
be ideal if you could retain the siding and repaint when needed.
The wider, horizontal boards are more common on houses built
from the 1950s and 1960s. Narrower, horizontal boards were
common during the late 1800s and early 1900s.
If your houses has vertical boards,
stucco, or some other type of siding, you may want to continue
with the same type of material.
Sometimes additions to historic houses
look best if the material used to side the addition contrasts
with the original. This gives the addition its own sense of
time. For example, a stucco addition with wood frame accents
could look very attractive with a lap-sided house.
Dealing With the Building Code
The primary purpose of the building code
is to help people build structures that are safe. Of course,
what we consider safe today is different from what was
considered safe 100 years ago. Instead of requiring that all
historic buildings be retrofitted to today's standards, the
County can arrive at a compromise in some situations.
Buildings that are officially designated
as historic landmarks qualify for exemptions from the building
code in some circumstances. Retaining an historic staircase that
is too steep to meet today's standards is just one example of a
commonly requested exemption from the building code. Of course,
the goal of historic preservation cannot be more important than
the goal of creating safe living environments, but with some
creativity, a solution that meets both goals can be formulated.
If you have questions about exemptions from the building code
for your specific project, please contact our office and ask to
speak with the historic preservation staff person. |
