Antique Homes and Barns

From Farmhouses to Federals

Many of the “country homes” in Massachusetts are also antique homes. Particularly if you poke around in the picturesque towns of Concord, Harvard, Groton, Lancaster, Princeton, Petersham, and Stow, for example, you will soon find many architectural gems with authentic details and tremendous charm and character.

They are a delight to behold, and a treasured part of the New England scene.

Once you get inside, however, you’ll often find that they need cosmetic or structural work. The challenge is: how to update, preserve, and support these grand old homes and barns without modernizing them into symmetrical vanilla boxes, devoid of all the nooks, crannies and even quirks that made them so distinctive.

There is also the question of finding and selecting era-appropriate paint colors, wallpaper, cabinetry, mouldings, hardware, light fixtures, windows, flooring, fireplaces, and even flowers.

Not to worry. . .

If you’re in the market for an older home, or have just purchased one and are wondering where to start, here’s a list of architects, artisans, skilled craftspeople, and vendors who specialize in working with antique homes and know how to safely uplift and guide them to a safe landing in the 21^st century.

Antique Lighting

Appleton Antique Lighting, Chestnut Hill, MA. Sales, restoration, and custom design of chandeliers, lamps, and sconces. W

Authentic Designs, West Rupert, VT. Colonial and Early American lighting fixtures.

Griffin Brothers and Company, Collinsville, CT. Comprehensive historic lighting restorers, replicators and manufacturers with capability for complete metal refinishing, metal repair, metal spinning, metal polishing, glass bending, leaded and stained glass restoration and supply of new brass elements.

Yankee Craftsman, Inc., Wayland, MA. Fine period lighting, along with quality reproduction chandeliers, lamps and sconces, and replacement glass shades.

Antique Stoves

Good Time Stove Company, Goshen, MA. Antique stoves and ranges. Free video catalogue.

Building Conservation/Historic Preservation

Building Conservation Associates, Dedham, MA. Consulting firm specializing in both the technical and historical aspects of restoring buildings and works of art. BCA also assists clients in the preparation of federal rehabilitation tax credit applications.

Historic Home Research

Massachusetts Historic Commission, Boston, MA. A state-sponsored agency which administers the Massachusetts Preservation Projects Fund (MPPF), a matching grant program that supports the preservation of properties, landscapes, and sites listed in the State Register of Historic Places. Its Technical Services Division provides a wide range of technical preservation assistance to public agencies, communities, and the public.

Masonry Restoration

Metropolitan Restoration and Waterproofing Corp., Boston, MA. Restoration of architecturally significant historic structures. Watertight solutions for buildings, from roof to foundation.

Restoration Preservation Masonry, Northborough, MA. Masonry repair and restoration.

Mouldings

B.H. Davis Company, Grosvenordale, CT. Custom radius woodworking shop specializing in one of a kind solid wood curved moulding and radius millwork.

Organizations

National Trust for Historic Preservation (Northeast Office), Boston, MA. Helps community preservationists save diverse historic places in the Northeast. Small grants are available to jump-start projects.

Preservation Mass, Boston, MA. The only statewide, private non-profit preservation organization dedicated to preserving the Commonwealth’s historic and cultural heritage.

The Boston Preservation Alliance, Boston, MA. The BPA believes that Boston's distinct architectural heritage is a national treasure. It provides a respected voice for preservation in the city of Boston. Annual events include The Old House Fair.

The Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities (SPNEA), Boston, MA. SPNEA collects and preserves buildings, landscapes, and objects dating from the 17^th century to the present. It currently owns and operates 35 historic properties in five New England states.

Preservation Plastering

Preservation Plastering, Putney, VT. Repairs, restores, and preserves the integrity of existing historical and ornamental plasters. Specializes in the re-creation and replication of original lime and gypsum ornamentation.

Restoration Carpentry

Lost Art Joinery, Lebanon, CT. Historical restoration, carpentry, and joinery company providing high quality, historically accurate restorations and architectural millwork.

Stephen Chase Contracting, Athol, MA. General contractor specializing in old house services such as epoxy woodwork restoration, carpentry and structural repairs, exterior painting and repairs, interior painting and wall coverings, roofing, wood siding and the repair and restoration of wooden doublehung windows.

SZ Restoration Carpentry, Norfolk, MA. Design and construction of appropriate additions and renovations to antique homes.

Restoration and Remodeling

Architectural Timber and Millwork, Hadley, MA. Traditional timber framing, architectural and restoration millwork, antique beams and flooring.

Charlie Allen Restorations and Solid Flue Chimney Savers, Cambridge, MA. Full-service design and remodeling contractor specializing in period homes.

Kronenberger & Sons Restoration, Middletown, CT. Specializing in the restoration, preservation and adaptive re-use of period structures.

Landmark Services, Medway, MA. General contractors specializing in restorations, renovations, and rehabilitations of historic properties.

Renaissance Restorations, Fayville, MA. Specializing in antique & Victorian home restoration. National Historic Register nomination research.

The Classic Group, Inc., Watertown, MA. Architecture, design build, general contracting, property management and maintenance.

Steeplejacks

Yankee Steeplejack Company, Canton, MA. Historic preservation, steeples and domes, architectural sheetmetal, roofing.

Windows

Windowrepair.com, Brighton, MA. Repairs and restoration of old rope and pulley windows, cosmetic restoration of old wood windows, conversion of pre-1800 and spring track windows to spiral tube suspension.

Woodturners

New England Woodturners, Andover, CT. A fine and courteous maker and supplier of hand-crafted wood columns, porch posts, newels, stair balusters, finials, cornerblock and furniture parts.

Barns, Barns, Barns

Too many of the classic barns that once dotted the New England rural landscape have become casualties of development and uncertain economic times. It can be costly to rehabilitate these often-teetering structures, but the results can be spectacular.

If you’re thinking about taking on a barn renovation for animal or even human habitation, you’re in luck—some of the finest restorers in the country are close at hand. Architects and builders who specialize in creating authentic post & beam barns or antique barn reproductions also abound in this area.

Barn Restoration

American Dream Post & Beam Company, Cranston, RI. Specializes in custom designed timberframe structures, such as homes, barns, and outbuildings, as well as restoration of old structures throughout New England.

BARN AGAIN! A joint project of the National Trust for Historic Preservation and Successful Farming magazine, BARN AGAIN! is a national program that provides information to help owners of historic barns rehabilitate them and put them back into productive use.

Colonial Barn Restoration, Bolton, MA. All aspects of authentic antique barn restoration. Specialties include: timber framing, floors, roofs, walls, and all other aspects of saving and restoring barns.

Colonial Restorations, Brookfield, MA. Specialists in the structural restoration of post & beam buildings. Services include replacement of structural timbers (including sills), straightening (plumbing) buildings, complete home and barn restoration, pre-purchase estimates.

Country Carpenters, Hebron, CT. Building kits for the construction of authentic reproduction port & beam country barns, carriage houses, and garden sheds.

East Coast Barn Builders, Roxbury, CT. ECBB builds homes looking like 1800's barns, keeping the barn look and feel on the inside while creating an attractive, natural, low maintenance exterior.

Great Northern Barns, Canaan, NH. Specialists in dismantling antique timberframe barns and restoring and reconstructing them in other locations.

Landmark Services, Medway, MA. Full service general contracting firm specializing in improvements to historic homes and barns.

The Barn People, Windsor, VT. Vintage Vermont barn frames and outbuildings dismantled, restored, and reassembled on your choice site anywhere in the U.S.

Maureen Harmonay, CRS, GRI, ABR
Licensed in Massachusetts and New Hampshire

Your Country Property Specialist

RE/MAX Traditions

1084 Main Street
Bolton, MA 01740
MHarmonay@YourCountry-Home.com
Direct: 978-502-5800
Toll-free: 866-666-8880
Fax: 978-389-0073

Visit my companion sites:

Harvard Country Homes and Massachusetts Country Homes