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By Jessica Thuston

Buying and Restoring Old Houses

Assistant homes editor Jessica Thuston studies the ins and outs of historic gems at a weekend workshop in scenic Vermont.

It's ironic that history interests me because the world in which I grew up is relatively new. My home state of Oklahoma joined the union in 1907. The house of my childhood was built in 1958, and the oldest ivy-covered building on my college campus dates only to 1911. I'd never even been in a structure that predated the 20th century until my teens. I wouldn't know a historic building if it fell on top of me.

Nevertheless, I'm passionate about preserving old homes. My husband listens to me rant every time I see a beautiful old house razed for something new, and, best of all, he shares my dream of one day restoring an old treasure of our own. So when a colleague told me about a weekend workshop in the mountains of Vermont for people interested in buying a historic home, I jumped at the chance to go.

photography: Buff Strickland

I flew into Burlington and made the scenic hourlong drive to Warren, a small town that's home to The Yestermorrow Design/Build School. I was nervous that I'd be the only novice, but the school promised that no experience was needed. I could tell they were right when I met my diverse classmates: We had one thing in common, though—our love of history and desire to preserve it. There was Etienne, a newly married engineer looking to buy his first home; Jocelyn, a student from Boston pursuing city planning; and Jamie, a contractor specializing in masonry on historic buildings. Our instructor, Doug Porter, a woodworker by trade, also is a field service representative with the Preservation Trust of Vermont. He began by announcing he scrapped the course outline of classroom lectures and slideshows. Instead, we'd visit historic properties and learn to assess the age, significance, and condition of each structure. Much better.

photography: Buff Strickland
The class meets in front of Brookfield, Vermont's old Town Hall, which dates to 1852 and is currently being preserved by local citizens.

Over the next two days, I scoured the basements, attics, crawl spaces, and rickety staircases of six historic homes, churches, and buildings. We drove to Quechee, Vermont, to see the Theron Boyd House, a Federal-style home built in 1786 that has been virtually untouched since then. Although the floorboards are weak and plaster walls are cracking, the exterior clapboards remarkably still have traces of 18th-century paint. For a girl who considered the Beatles old, this Colonial house was exhilarating.

And while Colonial jewels don't often come up for sale, Doug talked on problems and pitfalls when buying any older home and some basic inspection tips. I returned restored—pardon the pun—with a commitment to historic preservation and, thankfully, a little more perspective on history itself.