Historic Renovations
Keep the Character. Fix Everything Else.
Hand-hewn beams, antique plank floors, original moldings, a gunstock post in the corner. We keep what gives your old home its character, make the structure behind it sound, and bring the kitchen, the baths and the comfort up to date.
Preserve What Adds Character. Replace What Puts Your Home at Risk.
In an old house the craft is in making the repair disappear. Some of the ways we have done it:
- An antique hand-hewn oak beam from an upstate New York barn, sliced into a veneer over the new structural lumber
- A rotted gunstock corner post cut back and reinstalled so it still reads as original
- Original plank floors saved and matched with reclaimed antique planks, stained to one color
- Over fifty windows given energy-efficient sashes, with every original molding kept
- A re-used tub, cast iron radiator and sconces, with vintage door hardware sourced to go with them
- Lead-safe work practices, as the EPA requires, when old painted materials come out
The 1720s work earned our clients a Historic Preservation Award from the New Canaan Preservation Alliance.
What Does Your Old House Need?
Most historic projects are several of these at once.
Structure FirstRotted sills, failing beams and crumbled foundations are found, engineered and rebuilt before any finish goes on.See the project →
Opening an Old Floor PlanConnect the kitchen to the family room while the center hall, the staircase and the character of the house stay.Read more →
A Kitchen That BelongsPaneled appliances, inset cabinets and a farm sink: modern function that looks original to the house.Read more →
Windows, Insulation and ComfortNew sashes in the original frames, insulation where there was none, and rooms that finally stay warm.See the project →
Additions That Defer to the HouseMatching moldings, period grilles and a roofline that mirrors the original, so the new work reads as old.See the project →- Before
Undoing Past MistakesCrazy-quilt additions and 1970s rooms removed, and the house returned to the lines it started with.Read more →
Three Old Houses, Three Stories
A 1720s, an 1850s and a 1750s home, and what each one needed.
New Canaan, CTBringing Back a 1720s HomeA siding job on the second-oldest house in New Canaan grew into a structural restoration from the sills up, one that earned our clients a Historic Preservation Award.See the before and after →
Wilton, CTBreathing New Life into an 1850s HomeCrazy-quilt additions removed, the foundation rebuilt and the kitchen moved to the center of the house, with its old-house feel kept. Chrysalis and HOBI Award winner.See the before and after →
Redding, CTHonoring Its HeritageA 1970s bath in a 1750s home, once a Methodist meeting place, redone with a reclaimed beam, hand-hewn oak floors and vintage hardware.See the before and after →
Why Clark for an Old House?
Structure Before Style
When an old house is opened and rot turns up, a professional engineer draws the repair and we rebuild from the sill plate up before any finish goes on. We will also tell you plainly that antique structure holds surprises: plan on a 10 to 20 percent contingency.
Period Detail, Sourced and Made
An antique oak beam tracked down to a barn in upstate New York, vintage hardware found at antique dealers, a vanity detailed in 3D down to a sixteenth of an inch. The match lives in the profiles, not the paint.
Living at Home Through It
One New Canaan family lived comfortably in their 1720s home while we made extensive structural repairs all around them. Whether that is realistic depends on the scope; for some major renovations, moving out for a while is the better call.
Recognized for Preservation
The 1720s New Canaan restoration earned our clients a Historic Preservation Award from the New Canaan Preservation Alliance. The 1850s Wilton home won a Chrysalis Award for Best Historic Renovation over $500K, and three of our antique-home projects have won HOBI Awards.
Ready for Another Century
Tell us your home’s story and what isn’t working. We’ll show you how to keep the first and fix the second, with a plan and a price before construction begins.
Schedule A Call