Archive for the 'Architecture' Category
It’s a Brick. House.
I learned something interesting today during a home inspection, so I thought I would pass it along.
Take a look at the photo below. Is this house solely brick exterior construction or is it brick and stud construction (essentially the brick is only a veneer)? How can you tell?
This home, built in 1884 according to town records, is solely brick exterior construction. That means there are several layers of brick which make up the exterior/interior walls of the shell of the home. You can tell this because every few courses of brick there are bricks turned perpendicular to the other bricks. The brick is all structural in function and the method of laying the bricks provided stability and strength.
If the brick is all laid running the same direction, it’s a veneer and is only for aesthetics, the brick does not have a structural function.
Here’s an interesting website that talks more about older brick construction and how it works. There are also some helpful tips on how it should be properly maintained and repaired, if needed.
The more you know…
Interesting Interior Architectural Features
Checking out the inside of many different houses is a great perk of being a real estate agent. I’m not at all curious about the homeowners’ stuff, or how they live, rather I love to look at the design and architecture of different homes. Looking at the outside is nice, but the interiors can be even more interesting.
I see a lot of structures from the 1890s through the present day. The housing stock in Greater Hartford has been gradually built up through the years, with different towns and neighborhoods developed in different eras. Each period has design characteristics that reflect the priorities of the times. My favorite era was around the turn of the century when single family homes had evolved into basically their modern form, yet still had a lot of interesting, and custom, features.
At the top of my list of favorite interior architectural details are transom windows, which are windows over doors. Some still even work, with the mechanisms in place that can open and close the windows. They are not all that common, but I sometimes see them in homes built around 1900 – generally in properties in the West End of Hartford. The brief Wikipedia page for transom windows notes that they were “a common feature in office buildings and apartments before air conditioning became common.” The idea being that it’s a good way to encourage air circulation in a building while maintaining a certain amount of privacy.
Another favorite are pocket doors, which slide into the walls when they’re not in use. The fact that they’re hidden is part of their charm – it’s a nice surprise when they get pulled out. And when they are closed, pocket doors are usually in great shape, since homeowners rarely use them. More often than not they match the style and finish of the normal sized doors in the home.
Finally, I really like built-in cabinetry. Most of the time it takes the form of shelving in the living room, china cabinets in the dining room, and the butler’s pantry. Built-ins are usually more practical than dazzling, but I appreciate how the architects and builders made an effort to thoughtfully utilize all the space in a home. They’re functional, and they help define how the different spaces might be used.
Transom windows, pocket doors, and built-in cabinetry are just a few of the interior architectural elements available in Greater Hartford. They happen to be some of my favorites, but not the only things about a home that make it shine.
What interior architectural features do you look for in a home?
Historic Homes Rehabilitation Tax Credit
The West End of Hartford contains multiple Historic Districts, which include just about all the properties in the neighborhood. In addition to recognizing the architectural importance of the collection of homes, and helping protect the properties from inappropriate modifications, the Historic District designation also creates opportunities for owners.
One interesting incentive is the Historic Homes Rehabilitation Tax Credit. This past month I had an opportunity to sit down with Lucas Karmazinas, an independent consultant in the field of architectural history, to learn more about the tax credit and how it can benefit homeowners.
Tax Credit Basics
Owners of single-family through four-family homes in certain areas of Connecticut are able to apply for a tax credit to help maintain or renovate their properties. Examples of projects that may qualify for the credit include most exterior work (foundations, porches, walls, doors, windows, roof, gutters, chimney, etc.), mechanical systems (HVAC, plumbing, electrical), and interior work (structural systems, floor plans, floors, walls, ceilings, stairs, decorative elements, door/window casings, etc.).
Since Hartford is one of the “Targeted Areas,” and so much of the West End is in a Historic District, owners simply have to follow the application process and live in the property as their primary residence for at least five years after project completion in order to qualify.
The main benefit to working within the program is that a homeowner can receive up to 30% of the renovation costs back, with a cap at $30,000 per dwelling unit. Since there is also a minimum project size, the practical result is that the program targets renovations with total budgets of between $25,000 and $100,000 for a single-family home.
The “tax credit” language is a little misleading. Homeowners technically do receive a tax credit voucher at the end of the project, but it’s not one that they can apply to their personal tax liability. Only certain businesses are allowed to utilize the credits, so homeowners end up selling the vouchers and pocketing the cash independent of their tax filing.
Because the credits are not used directly by owners, they don’t receive the absolute maximum benefit. Mary Dunne, who helps oversee the program at the State Historic Preservation Office, conservatively estimated that vouchers generally sell for at least 80% (and often more) of their face value. She also noted that she has never heard of a homeowner who was unable to find a buyer among the 30+ vouchers that are distributed each year.
Applying for the Credit
The tax credit is managed through a written application that is broken down into different parts to reflect a project’s various stages. Part One simply confirms that a home qualifies for the program. The only noteworthy reason why an owner-occupied home in one of the West End Historic Districts would not qualify is that the building itself is not historic, that it doesn’t contribute to the historic character of the District.
Part Two describes the rehabilitation work in detail, capturing the current condition and articulating the proposed rehabilitation. Photos and drawings are encouraged. During our conversation, Lucas emphasized that in order for the renovation work to count towards the credit it must follow the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation. The application instructions summarize the criteria, while the website above provides illustrated guidelines for rehabilitating historic buildings. Part Two also includes the proposed project budget. Cost estimates must be from qualified pros, and qualified rehabilitation expenses are separated from non-eligible costs.
Mary said that her group is required to respond to an application within 30 days, though they try to turn them around in about 2 weeks. Ultimately it will depend on the scope and complexity of the project.
Part Three of the application is the request for certification of the completed work. In addition to demonstrating that the work was completed as planned, the other major component is the final accounting of the project costs. The tax credit is then calculated as 30% of either the approved budget or the actual expenses, whichever is less.
Application Assistance
Lucas assured me that it was possible for a homeowner to successfully work through the application process on their own. He said that the staff overseeing the tax credit was quite helpful, though it would take patience, time, and an interest in the subject matter since there are guidelines to learn and follow.
Some homeowners may not want to take on both a major renovation and the tax credit application/process. It’s possible that there are general contractors out there who would be willing to handle the application within their overall project management responsibilities.
Another option is to hire Lucas, or someone else like him, to help with the application process. Lucas said he is flexible in how he works with individual homeowners. In some cases it makes the most sense for him to charge a flat fee and handle all aspects of the application. In other cases the homeowner may want to do much of the documenting, describing, and photographing, so Lucas could bill hourly for his contributions — consulting as needed and interacting with the State Historic Preservation Office.
Resources
No matter how a homeowner approaches the credit, it’s a good way to take advantage of living within one of the West End’s Historic Districts. Here are some additional resources to help get started.
Historic Homes Rehabilitation Tax Credit
Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation
Lucas Karmazinas, Historic Resources Advisor
FuturePastPreservation(at)gmail(dot)com, 860-428-7982
Carriage Houses in the West End
The West End of Hartford has been debating Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) over the past few years. A proposal is currently on the table to change the zoning laws to allow property owners to add an apartment over the garage space in their historic carriage houses.
There is no consensus among residents as to whether the change would be good for the neighborhood. Votes taken at various meetings have ranged from enthusiastic support, to vigorous opposition.
Supporters of Carriage House ADUs have been very successful at advancing the idea. They persuaded the West End Civic Association (WECA) to add it to the neighborhood’s list of goals for the recent One City One Plan effort. The proposal has also made it to the City of Hartford Planning and Zoning Committee.
Pros and Cons
The core argument for changing zoning to allow ADUs in Carriage Houses is that it will increase property values. Increased property values will, supporters assert, lead to more important benefits like a way for homeowners to preserve historic structures, additional (and interesting) housing opportunities, and increased tax revenue for the City.
On the other side of the issue, the argument against the proposal is the new apartments will be a nuisance to the neighborhood. Those opposed to Carriage House ADUs talk about the noise and overall impact of additional people, including their additional cars, on the direct neighbors and tie it to the overall quality of life in the neighborhood. They argued that even if it did increase property values for the owner, it would hurt the values of nearby homes.
The Most Recent Debate
Attendees at a recent WECA Planning and Zoning committee meeting discussed Carriage House ADUs for about 2 hours, and seemed sharply divided into those supporting and those opposing the proposal. Opponents seems to all be pushing in the same direction, using the nuisance argument.
Individual supporters, on the other hand, seem motivated by a more diverse set of arguments. The author of the proposal focused on the economic benefits to homeowners, and specifically how it would allow owners to preserve and restore historic buildings. Another attendee supported the initiative because they felt that increasing residential density was the ultimate goal – that the West End is special because it is an incredibly diverse mix of all types of people. Adding smaller, more affordable, housing options would preserve that diversity.
A Preview for Future Debates
ADUs in Carriage Houses are a preview for a (likely) larger issue that is waiting in the wings. What should the neighborhood do about the practice of having unrelated students/boarders live on the third floor of single-family homes? Housing UConn Law students, UHart students, or others in search of a smaller apartment in a neighborhood setting is a long-standing tradition in the West End, it meets a need for both the tenant/roommate and the owner.
Our current policy of self-governing has been mostly successful. There are periodic issues with the lack of formal rules when owners abuse the system. However, because the rules on the book make most of these situations technically illegal, the neighborhood has viable options. If the owner is unwilling to resolve the situation on their own, the community is able to report the issue to the City and have the authorities resolve the problem.
The primary risk to the status quo arises from the fact that these rentals are part of the informal economy. Owners are (likely) not pulling permits for renovations, or providing the proper number of access points, leading to safety issues. As real estate agents, selling a home with a 3rd floor apartment requires walking a fine line.
Bringing current practices out into the open would address the safety concerns, would clarify what is allowed and what isn’t, and would ensure everyone is treated fairly and equally (no more tattling to the City if someone gets upset with their neighbor).
On the other hand, it would require the neighborhood to have an extensive debate about what it wants to be as it enters its second century. Do we want to encourage density and diversity by allowing small apartments to be tucked into larger single-family homes? Do we want to preserve the single-family character of the majority of the West End by enforcing the existing zoning laws? Is there some middle ground that could be a compromise? Perhaps the decision could be made on a block-by-block basis rather than for the neighborhood as a whole.
Taking a step back, it seems like the fundamental question is this, “Is residential density good or bad for a neighborhood?” Readers, what do you think?
Willimantic Victorian Days 2011
This weekend is a terrific opportunity to see Victorian architecture … it’s the beginning of Willimantic Victorian Days 2011! Of all the exciting things to do this weekend in Greater Hartford, this should be number one for old house people. Festivities extend all weekend, with a highlight being the 13th Annual Victorian Homes Tour. Fourteen homes are scheduled to be open this year. The complete schedule breaks down the different events and activities held in addition to the House Tour.
If those homes aren’t enough Victorian architecture for you, come check out two Victorians in the West End of Hartford on Sunday during their open houses. 101 Kenyon Street and 171 Girard Avenue will be open from 1:00 to 3:00.
Finally, those experiencing Victorian home overload can tour a spacious and modern condo at the Grosvenor House on Prospect Avenue in West Hartford. Other units in the complex will also be open for tour from 1:00 to 3:00 on Sunday, allowing you to compare and contrast. I think this one’s the best of the lot, not that I’m biased or anything…