Restoring an old house in Saratoga Springs: where to start

Restoring an old house in Saratoga Springs goes best in a set order. Stop the water first, then fix the structure, then restore the parts you look at every day. A refinished staircase or a restored ceiling won't last long in a house with a leaking roof or a rotting sill. Walk the whole house honestly before you start, then work through it in phases, and you'll spend the money once.

What these houses are made of

Saratoga Springs has a lot of 19th and early 20th century houses. The older streets near downtown are lined with Greek Revival, Italianate, Second Empire, Queen Anne and Colonial Revival houses, mixed in with plainer workers' houses and two-families from the same years. Many have tall ceilings, plaster walls, wide trim, hardwood or softwood floors, wood windows and big porches.

They were built with materials that behave differently from what goes into a house now. Old-growth lumber is dense and often holds up to rot better than anything at the lumberyard today. Lime plaster flexes and lets moisture pass through in ways drywall doesn't. Balloon framing leaves open cavities that run from the basement to the attic, which is handy for fishing wire and lets a fire climb fast. Figure out how the house was meant to work before you change it, or the repair can cause the next problem.

First, keep the water out

Water does more damage to old houses than anything else, so nearly every restoration plan should start with the outside shell.

Go up and look at the roof and flashing, especially around chimneys, in the valleys, and where a porch roof meets the main wall. Check that gutters and downspouts carry water well away from the foundation. Gutters that overflow rot out the soffit and fascia behind them. Make sure the soil and the walks slope away from the house.

Paint is what keeps water out of trim, siding and sills, so peeling paint counts as a water problem. Our guide to how often to paint exterior trim covers the usual cycle. Window sills take more weather than any other piece of trim on the house, and our post on window sill rot repair shows how to tell a sill you can fix from one that has to go.

Ice dams are a big one in old houses. Many have little insulation in the attic and a lot of heat pouring into the roof boards, and that heat melts the snow that then freezes again at the eaves. Fixing that heat loss usually belongs early in the plan.

Second, structure and safety

Once the water's handled, look at what holds the house up and what could hurt somebody. In older Saratoga Springs houses we see floors sagging over joists that were undersized or notched too deep for old plumbing, porch posts that have settled, sills rotted out at the bottom of the exterior walls, and stairs with loose or missing handrails. Structural repairs may need an engineer, and anything involving the foundation or major framing should be looked at by a qualified professional before work starts.

Old wiring, knob-and-tube included, and worn-out plumbing belong in this stage too. Electrical evaluation and repair is work for a licensed electrician. Get it done before the walls and ceilings are restored, not after you've just finished the plaster.

Third, the parts you see

The details are why people buy these houses, and a lot of them can be repaired.

Start with the staircase. Loose balusters, a wobbly newel and worn treads can usually be fixed while keeping the original parts. The staircase on our site is one we restored with its turned newel kept in place. Our post on staircase restoration: repair or replace goes through the decision.

Porches take a beating, but turned posts, scroll-cut balusters and brackets can be copied from the surviving pieces when some are too far gone. See our guide to porch railing repair.

Original casings, baseboards and paneled doors are often better stripped, repaired and repainted than swapped for stock trim that doesn't match anything else in the house.

Cracked plaster ceilings can sometimes be repaired, and sometimes it makes more sense to cover them. One badly cracked ceiling on our site got tin-look tiles over the old plaster, which suited the period of the house and kept the plaster out of the dumpster.

Our rule is to repair what can be repaired, replace only what has failed, and match new pieces to the old ones in profile and material.

Lead paint and asbestos

Any house built before 1978 may have lead paint, and in a 19th century house it's almost certainly in there somewhere under the newer coats. Sanding, scraping, cutting or tearing out painted surfaces can put lead dust in the air, and that's especially dangerous for young children and pregnant women. Have painted surfaces tested before anyone disturbs them, and hire people who follow lead-safe work practices.

Older popcorn ceilings, some textured plaster coatings, pipe and boiler insulation, and some flooring can contain asbestos. Have anything suspicious tested by a qualified lab before work touches it. If it comes back positive, removal is a job for a licensed contractor that does asbestos abatement, not for you and not for us.

Historic districts and approvals

A lot of the older housing in Saratoga Springs is in one of the city's historic districts. There, exterior changes like new windows, porch alterations, siding, and some roofing work can need Design Review Commission approval. Interior work may need a building permit as well. Our post on building permits in Saratoga Springs explains how to find out what applies to your project. Ask early. Approval timing can hold up the whole schedule.

One phase at a time

Hardly anyone restores a whole old house at once. Split the work into phases in that same order, water then structure then finish, and the most urgent repairs land at the front. A written scope that lists each phase with its own price and payment shows you what's coming and lets you stop between phases if you need to. Old houses always hide something behind the plaster or under the floor, so any change gets agreed in writing before the work keeps going.

Frequently asked questions

Should I replace the original windows in an old house?

Not by default. Many original wood windows can be repaired, reglazed and fitted with storm windows, and they get a lot more comfortable that way. Where the sashes or frames have failed, replacing them may be the better call. In a Saratoga Springs historic district, replacement windows visible from the street may need Design Review Commission approval.

What should I fix first in an old house?

Anything letting water in: roof leaks, failing gutters, bad grading and peeling exterior paint. Then structure and safety, meaning floors, porch supports, stairs and wiring. Finish work goes last so it doesn't get ruined by a problem nobody fixed.

Is it safe to sand old paint?

Not until it's been tested. Houses built before 1978 may have lead paint, and sanding or scraping it makes dangerous dust. Test first. If there's lead, use lead-safe work practices or hire a contractor trained in them.

We restore stairs, porches, trim and ceilings in old houses, and we'd rather save an original part than replace it. Our restoration and built-ins page shows some of that work, and our Saratoga Springs page covers the rest of what we do in the city.