Free for homeowners

The Heritage Home Planning Guide

What to know before you renovate, expand, or restore an older home in southeastern Pennsylvania, written by builders who work on these houses.

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Inside the guide

Eight chapters, written for your house

  1. I

    Reading your house

    Era, style, and construction clues specific to southeastern Pennsylvania.

  2. II

    What’s worth keeping

    A priority checklist for original fabric: stone, framing, windows, floors, trim, plaster.

  3. III

    Hidden conditions

    What we find most often inside old walls, and how to plan for it.

  4. IV

    Budgeting honestly

    How to think about contingency, allowances, and preconstruction.

  5. V

    Historic districts

    How local review and Certificates of Appropriateness generally work in Pennsylvania.

  6. VI

    Assembling your team

    Architect, builder, and specialists: who does what, and when to engage them.

  7. VII

    Questions to ask any builder

    An honest checklist, whoever you choose.

  8. VIII

    Project planning worksheet

    A printable worksheet to organize your goals, priorities, and constraints.