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[10 on Tuesday] 10 Tips for Bringing Historic Properties Back From a Flood

Posted on: November 20th, 2012 by Sarah Heffern 1 Comment

[10 on Tuesday] 10 Tips for Bringing Historic Properties Back from a Flood from PreservationNation

Water damage can be one of the most devastating aspects of a natural disaster, as many in the path of Superstorm Sandy have discovered in recent weeks. And while all structures are vulnerable to flood waters, special care needs to be taken with historic buildings in order to limit the damage to irreplaceable materials and/or design.

In the event that you find yourself in the unfortunate circumstance of dealing with a flooded historic property, here are 10 tips (adapted from our publication Treatment of Flood-Damaged Older and Historic Buildings) to get you started. Additional information can be found in the comprehensive disaster-recovery materials on PreservationNation.org.

1. Document the damage. Before starting your cleanup, take careful notes about damage to your home. This is essential not only for insurance purposes, but also to record important historic features. Photograph any items removed for cleaning or repair purposes to help ensure that they are reinstalled correctly.

2. Create an inventory of found items. Flood waters can carry dislodged architectural features, decorative fragments, and furnishings a great distance. Items found on your property may be extremely valuable to a nearby restoration project.

3. Ventilate! The least damaging drying process begins by using only ventilation. The most effective way to do this is to open windows and doors and allow the moisture to escape. Fans can be used to speed evaporation by moving interior air and exhausting humid air to the outdoors.

Tip: Beware of using industrial drying equipment to remove moisture at a very fast rate. You are likely to cause permanent damage to wood and plaster.

4. Clean the mud while it’s still wet. Rinse mud, dirt, and flood debris with fresh water as soon as possible -- it is safer and easier to remove the mud while it is still wet. Avoid using high pressure water on historic materials and exercise extreme care, so as not to cause further damage.

Tip: Silt and mud will accumulate not only on the floor and furnishings, but in interior wall spaces as well. Be sure to open electrical outlets and mechanical areas and rinse thoroughly, and check heating and air conditioning ducts and clean out any mud or dirt before turning on the units.

5. Beware of a flooded basement. Be careful when pumping water out your basement. If the water level is high, and you are reasonably sure your drains are working, groundwater levels may also be high and pumping water out could result in either more water coming in or a foundation collapse. It is generally advisable to wait for high water to recede on its own.

6. Keep an eye on cracks in the foundation. Movement, particularly widening of cracks, is a sign of structural instability, At this point, call in a qualified structural engineer or architect for a careful examination.

7. Remove saturated insulation. There are two reasons for this: 1) Flooding renders most insulation permanently ineffective. 2) Saturated insulation holds water which, if left in place, can perpetuate high moisture conditions destructive to wood, masonry, and steel.

8. Let the efflorescence take care of itself. The what? Efflorescence is the unsightly white residue found on brick, stone, or concrete walls. It comes from impurities in the materials, but the residue is not usually harmful and frequently disappears naturally when it rains.

Tip: Stubborn efflorescence maybe removed with water, detergent, and bristle brushes -- or with chemicals.

9. Check on your interior materials. Drywall should almost always be replaced. Once it has gotten wet, it becomes unstable, and can be dangerous for residents. (FEMA recommends replacement as contaminants may make the drywall a permanent health hazard.) Plaster, however, is more unpredictable and may survive without damage, while other times it must be replaced.

Tip: One technique for checking plaster is to tap lightly on it with a piece of wood, as damaged plaster will sound hollow.

10. Let wood floors, trim, and doors dry thoroughly before making any decisions. Most wood will expand and warp when wet and then return more or less to its original form as it dries, though it depends on a variety of factors. Waiting for woods to dry can mean the difference between just needing to sand down your historic floors and replacing them.

Have you dealt with flood recovery in your historic home? What proved most helpful to you?

Sarah Heffern is the social media strategist for the National Trust’s Public Affairs team. While she embraces all things online and pixel-centric, she’s also a hard-core building hugger, having fallen for preservation in a fifth grade “Built Environment” class.

Spokane by Candlelight

Posted on: November 14th, 2012 by Sarah Heffern

The Leuthold House, built in 1925. (Photo courtesy Sarah M. Heffern)

If there's one thing I have learned over the years, it's that I am not alone when I say I like having a chance to peek into other people's homes. Not in the creepy, hiding-in-the-bushes sort of way, of course, but in the much more socially acceptable manner of dropping in at open houses and taking home tours.

I think this impulse to look behind closed doors is what makes the Candlelight House Tour at the National Preservation Conference a success year after year -- and never more so than in Spokane a couple of weeks back, when preservationists and city residents alike wandered through homes in the ritzy Cliff Park neighborhood.

Cliff Park -- according to the brochure we received -- dates back to the early 20th century, and features custom-built homes that rejected "tall, linear Queen Anne designs in favor of European-inspired Tudors, French and Spanish eclectics as well as American Colonials, Story Book, and Craftsman styles..." and "even a few homes... that represent mid-20th century modernism."

A family heirloom dress on display at the Richard & Jessie Nuzum House. (Photo courtesy Sarah M. Heffern)

Each of the homes I visited on the tour had its own unique appeal, but I'll admit I was most charmed by the Senator Dill Mansion, known as Cliff Aerie. "Charm" and "mansion" rarely go together as far as houses are concerned (charming is Realtor code for "really, really tiny" in my experience) but for all its imposing size, Cliff Aerie was laid out in such a way that all of the spaces seemed intimate and cozy, rather than impossibly grand. The views it commands, however -- including one from an observation tower used in World War II -- are as grand as can be.

Cliff Aerie - the Senator Dill Mansion - sports panoramic views of the city of Spokane. (Photo courtesy Sarah M. Heffern)

Though no other home on the tour could match the views at Cliff Aerie, and though the homes represented a wide range of architectural styles, they all did share one thing in common -- amazing stewardship. It was readily apparent that each house was beloved and well-preserved by its owners, who all seemed to take great pride in sharing their work with conference attendees and their fellow Spokanites alike.

Preservation Round-Up: Preservationists Take Spokane Edition

Posted on: November 9th, 2012 by Sarah Heffern

Spokane's clock tower, river, and brilliant fall foliage -- as seen from the Conference Center.

Beyond Boundaries in Beautiful Spokane -- Preservation Maryland

"This year’s conference highlighted the diverse cultural heritage of Spokane with a number of sessions and field trips devoted to the historic Native American presence and immigrant influence in the region. Preservation of structures, sites, landscapes and cultural resources were given attention and discussion. The sessions definitely reached beyond the usual boundaries of the preservationists’ comfort zone."

#PresConf Recap: Three Take Away Ideas -- Raina Regan

"It’s obvious, at least to me, that we’re at the cusp of major changes in the preservation field. On Wednesday night, National Trust president Stephanie Meeks discussed four “ingredients” that all major movements must have (based on Eric Hoffer’s work); a movement must be soul stirring, spectacular, communal, and an undertaking."

#presconf: Historic Building Assessment & Opening -- Adventures in Heritage

"Since I was in the systems group I got to go all over the building, from the roof to the basement. The building was AMAZING. From its view of the Spokane Falls, to its original fan system, to the elaborate blue room, every inch was stunning."

See also: Recaps for Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.

A Call to Action for 2016: Stephanie Meeks Addresses the 2012 National Preservation Conference -- Preservation Leadership Forum Blog

"It’s the same sort of emotional connection that drives people to action in all great causes, whether it be the crusade against breast cancer, homelessness or drunk driving.

Yet, while most of us would agree that saving historic places is as worthy a cause as those endeavors, I doubt many of us would argue that we have penetrated the national consciousness as deeply.

What those causes have -- and what we still need to build -- is the visibility and cohesion that turns a POPULAR CAUSE into a national MOVEMENT."

See also: The "National Preservation Conference" category for daily recaps and Storify slideshows.

Preserving State's Heritage: Why Spokane is Central -- Crosscut Seattle

"Attendees, more than 1,600 of them, had the opportunity to go on tours of Spokane's wonderful Craftsman neighborhoods and taste its mid-century modern moods (who doesn't enjoy the anachronistic wonder of the downtown concrete Parcade?). They also had the opportunity to go on tours farther afield to see Palouse barns, Hanford's B Reactor, even Grand Coulee dam, which was surely eye-opening for those who might regard Eastern Washington as little more than wheat fields and "Coug Mom" license plates; a not untypical Seattle view."

Downtown’s Past Draws Preservation Conference -- The Spokesman Review

"For the past 30 years, Spokane has put a big hug around its historic assets through restorations of the Davenport Hotel, Montvale Hotel, Lusso Hotel, Fox Theater, Bing Crosby Theater and Steam Plant Square -- to name a handful."

Did you attend the National Preservation Conference in Spokane? Share your thoughts below -- and don't forget to fill out your session evaluations online!

[GALLERY] Spokane in Pictures: @PresNation Edition

Posted on: November 7th, 2012 by Sarah Heffern 1 Comment

Last week, members of the preservation community from across the nation converged on Spokane, Washington for the 2012 National Preservation Conference. From signs in storefronts telling preservation stories to our name in lights on theater marquees, the city pulled out all the stops to show us some love.

And I think I speak for most everyone when I say that the feeling was mutual. During the conference, you could hardly take a step in Spokane without seeing a preservationist shutterbug snapping photos left and right of their new favorite places.

So we thought we'd bring a few of those cool places to you with a quick gallery from the @PresNation Instagram account. (Follow us!) We'll showcase some of the other photographers in coming weeks, but we figured we'd whet your appetite in the meantime ... enjoy!

Did you take photos in Spokane during the National Preservation Conference? Share them in our Flickr group!

Tweet Chat Reminder: Let’s Talk Windows on November 7

Posted on: November 6th, 2012 by Sarah Heffern 1 Comment

Since the dawn of the preservation movement -- or, at least it seems that way -- preservationists have been touting the value of maintaining historic windows. We know them to be one of the most defining characteristics of a building, as well as one that can be made highly energy-efficient, but with the constant drumbeat of replacement window advertising, our words are often drowned out.

However, with the arrival of the latest report from the Preservation Green Lab, Saving Windows, Saving Money: Evaluating the Energy Performance of Window Retrofit and Replacement, we now have all sorts of research to back up our claims about historic windows. (See our 10 Things You Should Know About Retrofitting Historic Windows for highlights.)

We'll be discussing the report -- and how to talk about it to the home and business owners in your community -- during this month's Twitter chat, taking place tomorrow, Wednesday, November 7, from 4:00-5:00 EST.

How to participate:

1. Sign in to Twitter, TweetDeck or TweetChat. We (the chat moderators) usually use TweetChat since it adds the hash tag automatically and allows for easy replies and re-tweets.

2. Follow and tweet with the hashtag #builtheritage.

3. Watch for the questions in the Q1 format. Provide answers using the A1 format, and interact with other participants using replies and retweets.

What we mean by the Q1/A1 format is this: Questions (we usually have four per chat) are posed by the moderators as Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4 about every 15 minutes. We ask that chatters reply with A1, A2, etc. to help everyone stay clear on what they’re responding to. A lot of side conversations and such still break out, but it helps keep things at least a little organized.

Hope to "see" you at the chat!