This Old House

"People move into old homes because they love them and love the character," says Elizabeth Field, community-relations and program coordinator for Historic Denver. And who wouldn't prefer a creaky-yet-charming Victorian over the plethora of cookie-cutter McMansions that are springing up all over the Front Range? Unfortunately, older homes have a reputation for being not quite as reliable as the newer models — plus, they're not always as easy to fix when something goes awry.

That's where Historic Denver's Old House Expo enters the picture. A series of five hour-long seminars — which can be attended individually or as part of a package deal — the expo examines some of the biggest issues involved with owning and maintaining an older home, from the ins and outs of landmarking your property to lectures focusing specifically on masonry, kitchen restoration and renovation, basic maintenance and energy-efficient strategies for older homes.

"It's about how people can sensitively restore and renovate their place," Field explains. "We're really looking at how restoration makes sense right now, and it's part of sustainability — giving new life to older buildings."

Individual seminars are $12 per person, or pay $50 for the whole day; proceeds benefit Historic Denver. The expo takes place today from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at St. Thomas Episcopal Church, 2201 Dexter Street. Call 720-891-4959 or visit http://historicdenver.org for information.
Sat., May 19, 9 a.m.-4 p.m.