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and I pointed out the concrete pad was
pulling moisture out of the ground and
conveying it to the terra-cotta block. The
stucco wasn’t failing — the terra-cotta
block under it was rotting and falling
to pieces. This condition was created
in the name of “maintenance-free” and
will cost a considerable sum to rectify.
Postscript: Two years later, the “friends”
of this historic house called me to come
and fi x the stucco, as they had just
raised the funds necessary to “restore”
it. My fi rst question to them was, “Did
you undertake the moisture remediation
recommendations I gave you two years
previously?” Their answer was no, so
I suggested they take the funds and
do the moisture remediation as part of
their maintenance plan. Then I would
be happy to come and fi x their stucco
so it would stay fi xed. I haven’t heard
from them.
Whether an incorrect choice of
materials or a situation of deferred
maintenance, the cost for these choices
continues for years beyond when the
initial choice was made. Both of these
choices increase the cost of keeping a
building usable.
This is a hard way to “save money”
and points to the importance of having
trained craftspeople who know the
building and the material it’s made from
design a maintenance program.
Modern-building knowledge does
not translate directly into knowledge
about historic buildings, and in many
cases, as was illustrated by these
examples, it is detrimental to a building
that for most of us represents our largest
equity stake in the world.
This illustrates the need for
adequate training programs in the
modern-building trades that stress the
importance of having people trained
in developing maintenance plans for
historic buildings.
When well-intentioned previous
owners do not maintain their building,
the next owner is stuck with all those
years of wrong material and installation
choices, as well as maintenance items
that are coming due during his or her
custodianship of the home. These
are the things that drive the price of
“restoration” up.
Maintenance is using the proper
materials and techniques to achieve the
longest-lasting repair, and in the long
run, it results in the least expensive
option for owners of older homes. ◆
Rory Brennan has spent the last 27 years focusing
on the repair of pre-1940 plaster, both fl at and
ornamental. He is a pioneer in the use of adhesives
to stabilize existing plaster and the use of traditional
materials in repair. Rory’s current endeavor is Big
Wally’s Plaster Magic, www.plastermagic.com. He can
be reached at rbrennan@plastermagic.com.
Spring 2008 ◆ www.Hawk-n-Trowel.com ◆ 7