glacier

I've lived in an 1820's cape for 10 years and I've done quite a lot to make it more efficient to heat. Along the way I had to make many choices about what original work/materials to keep.It means carefully defining what it is you value and what way it is best preserved.Ultimately I made no general rules but called each case as I saw it,and felt it.The result is,I guess you could say,eclectic-the 19th century co-existing with the 21st.I should say that I do all interior finish work with hand tools,so the contrast is not as jaring as it might sound.What I notice now is that those things that I valued enough to save still spark the same thrill of reaching across more than a century to the first hands that worked here,and I can take some satisfaction in contributing likewise in my time and place.The principles that make for a comfortable house don't need to detract from its spirit or aesthetic-they just need to be applied with respect and awareness.Yep,the original windows are there-and when I look through them I can see trees that were probably visible to the earlier homeowners.Life is a process we go through-why cut it off for less than serious cause?