A short discussion on the appropriate use of replacement materials on historic buildings

1. All types of historic fabric, including slate,
wood clapboard, trim/casings, and
windows

2. The view across our slate roofs

3.  Clarify and identify what would or could be an
appropriate replacement for original/historic
materials and when such replacement is
warranted.
 Will Burlington adopt a conservation ethic or
support a planned obsolescence mentality that
continues to fill our landfills.

4. Most are not

5.  If we replace functional, long lasting building
components with substandard materials then it
is as if we were once again clear cutting our old
growth forests.
 Many of the materials on our old homes are of
irreplaceable quality.

6. WORK BEGINS… 20 HOURS LATER

7.  Preservation is part of the Vermont ethic: you
don't throw something away if it is still useful.
It is good common sense in the fullest sense of
the Vermont tradition to conserve, use, and
improve what you already have.

8.  When a building component has failed, and the
cause has been identified and addressed, the
damaged material can and should be replaced
with the same or similar materials

9. Reconstructed Plinths

10.  Substitute materials are materials of a different
property or composition than the original
materials.
 They should be installed in a very limited way
and revisited periodically to access their
viability.

11. REPLACING REPLACEMENT
SIDING
WITH FIBER-CEMENT
BOARD

12.  Their use on any
historic building can
have a negative
impact on the value of
the entire
neighborhood

13. VINYL SIDING TEXTURED PLYWOOD

14. ASBESTOS SIDING
ALUMINUM SIDING

15.  Chapter 18 of the HUD Guidelines, on
Lead Hazard Control and Historic
Preservation, describes, step-by-step,
approaches for evaluating and
controlling lead hazards in historic
properties with the intent of retaining
historic building materials and their
historic appearance to the greatest extent
possible.

16.  All maintenance and repair projects should
seek to replace as little functioning original
material as possible
 This is good for the environment and the
heritage of our city

18.  If underlying causes of deterioration have been
addressed, than replacement may be necessary
 Primary facades should be treated with the most
sensitivity
 Side and rear facades allow for more latitude
 Every building eligible for listing on the National
Register should be treated with sensitivity as they
all contribute to the value of our community

19. METAL BACK DOOR
SALVAGED WOOD DOOR

20. •New wood windows
•Salvaged French doors
•Primed wood clapboard
•Western red cedar shingles

21. Aluminum clad wood
windows that provide the
same glazing pattern are
acceptable when an
original window is
damaged beyond repair
Aluminum as a cladding is
recommended in this
situation because new
wood windows will not
stand up to the weather as
well as the original
windows that are being
replaced

23. Building Exterior
Wood: Clapboard, weatherboard, shingles and
other wood siding and decorative elements
Recommended
Identifying, retaining and preserving wood
features that are important in defining the
overall historic character of the building such
as siding, cornices, brackets, window
architraves and doorway pediments; and their
paints, finishes and colors.

25.  I encourage the boards to think of our built
environment in the same way that we think of
our natural environment
 Every piece of wood, glass, slate and iron came
from our natural environment
 It would be thoughtless to destroy those
resources

26. It is better to preserve than to repair
It is better to repair than to restore
It is better to restore than to reconstruct
A. N. Dideron
1839