So how can a burned-out decrepit house be beautiful? I’ll show you.

So how can a burned-out decrepit house be beautiful? I’ll show you.

Update on January 13, 2017 – It seems strange that I just wrote about this house a short while ago. Since then, structural engineers deemed it unsafe and endangering the homes surrounding it. So the City gave the owner permission to demolish it. Keep in mind – this almost NEVER EVER happens, particularly to such a notable historic property. I’ve...

New on the Market: 436 1/2 Huger St, an Historic Hampton Park Home

Update 9/4/2013 – Sold! For $406,000 ____________________________ Update 7/28/2013 – We’re under contract! ____________________________ Update 7/23/2013 – We changed the price to $417,500. ____________________________ Just a block shy of the gorgeous Hampton Park, this home at 436 1/2 Huger Street is totally unique because it is of the Charleston Single style. While you’ll find that architecture all over the place...

The Charleston Slant – or Why We Sometimes Walk Uphill in Our Houses

I frequently work with clients who are not from Charleston, who have never set foot inside an historic Charleston home until they have done so with me. One of the first things they notice once inside, besides the gorgeous fireplaces or detailed molding, is that occasionally, and sometimes dramatically, the floors slant. Slanting floors?? Ack! Alarm sets in. “Could the...

Update on the Preservation Society’s Master Preservationist Program

As many of you know, I spent last winter attending class once a week with the Preservation Society, to become a Master Preservationist through their very first pilot program. We explored, we learned, I blogged and took photos – and am all the better for it. It was an incredible experience then, so it can only be even better the...

Master Preservationist Program – Day Twelve. What’s in a Name?

Apparently, everything when it comes to the value of an historic neighborhood. For Day 12 of our Master Preservationist Program, we met at the Greek Orthodox Church of the Holy Trinity, located at 28 Race St and a fine example of Byzantine architecture. Race St is on the edge of a neighborhood currently referred to as the Westside. The name...

Master Preservationist Program-Day Ten. Rethinking Sustainability and the Meaning of “Green”

I apologize in advance for the brevity of this post because, well, part of our program on day ten was cut short by the pouring rain (no One Cool Blow and TacoBoy for us!). But I wanted to put some food for thought out there. Could historic preservation actually be the most sustainable and ‘green’ of sustainable and ‘green’ practices?...

Master Preservationist Program-Day Nine. The Glory of Charleston’s Gardens

Oh how I wish there were some way I could capture the scent of wisteria in a Charleston spring and share it with you. It’s intoxicating. There’s nothing like wandering the streets with your nose as your guide or peeking into our famous walled gardens to catch a glimpse of another time. Here in Charleston, one might be so bold...

Master Preservationist Program-Day Seven. Asphalt & Infill. Just how smart are we?

How many suburban strip malls and parking expanses do you see abandoned and lifeless on a daily basis? Tons. How many ex-urban neighborhoods are now struggling to stay afloat? Many. We are all fatter, we drive more, and we know our neighbors less. Yada yada yada – I know you’ve heard it all. But it’s time to admit that the...

Master Preservationist Program-Day Six. Preservation Law, Upper King St and a Challenge for Local Architects

Little did I know that two of the buildings that were part of my daily life in New York, would have such wide-reaching influence in preservation law in Charleston. I also did not know that Upper King St has many buildings designed by one of Charleston’s most pre-eminent architects. And ANOTHER thing I did not know was that no one has...

Master Preservationist Program-Day Five. Illuminating the Interiors

Wallpaper – NO! Crazy paint colors – NO! Carpet in living areas – NO! Such has been my generic real estate mantra for years, but ah…how tastes change. 150 years ago I would have been most ignorant and unfashionable, and certainly of the lowest socioeconomic class. In our fifth class of the Master Preservationist Program, we focused on Interpreting a Building’s Interior...

Preservation