Vermont Energy Efficiency Guidance: Homeowners Guide for Working with Contractors (draft)

"Older buildings can require a lot of work. Many of the materials and finishes that were historically commonplace require regular maintenance and repairs to avoid shortening its useful life. When hiring contractors to work on your older building it is important to ask the right questions to ensure your building maintains its historic integrity and charm but more importantly to keep the building in good condition and safe for its occupants. Below are several topics to consider and questions to ask when hiring a contractor and starting work: - Integrity: Does the contractor understand the historic features that make your building significant? How will alterations change the feeling or aesthetic of the building or space? - Reversibility: Will the new work be able to be removed in the future, and what effect will it have on the historic materials? We have to acknowledge that what might be great today may not be great tomorrow - take asbestos insulation or lead paint as an example. We want to minimize the chances that modern techniques and materials will deteriorate or destroy historic materials. - Availability for Repairs and Materials: All work will have to be periodically repaired or altered. Many supplies used to repair historic materials can be found at any lumber yard or hardware store. Are the materials or devices being used by your contractor readily available and widely understood by similar tradespeople? - Maintenance: Preventative maintenance can extend the life of many historic materials and modern appliances. Replacing filters, waxing floors, or cleaning your siding are all steps that homeowners can do to lower costs and prevent wear. - Buildings as a System: Older buildings breath - this breathing or the circulation of air in older buildings is constantly drying wet materials and bringing in fresh air for the inhabitants. When existing vents are blocked or vapor barriers are installed, this circulation can be diminished, not allowing materials to dry and leaving air stagnate. Before contractors change the natural systems that your building uses to circulate air and remove moisture, ask how they plan to remedy that problem." Project funding was provided in part by a Historic Preservation Fund grant to the Vermont State Historic Preservation Office, Department of Housing and Community Development, administered by the State, Tribal, Local Plans and Grants division, National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior (grant number P20AF00053).

Vermont Energy Efficiency Guidance: Homeowners Guide for Working with Contractors (draft)

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