If you are interested in old homes, Project: Restoration with Marianne Suhr is a perfect pick.
I love old homes, and now I’m a fan of Marianne Suhr.
There is something about an old home created in a specific architectural style that makes me happy. While I appreciate and applaud the achievements of modern design and construction using innovative building techniques, a new home just doesn’t pull my heart strings the same way.
So when I discovered ‘Project Restoration‘ on Amazon Prime Video, I watched all of it. Twice. Yes, twice. To me, it was just that good. The host is an old building champion. Marianne Suhr trained with the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings, is an English Chartered Building Surveyor, and author of Old House Handbook and Old House Eco Handbook. And she doesn’t hold back her joy or frustration with homeowners who are working on the original features of their old homes.
“The reason that an old building is interesting is because it has evolved over time. You got the different layers from the different periods. There is a danger here that if you take out all of the later stuff that you don’t like you’re going to be sort of falsifying history,” says Marianne during one episode.
The challenges and surprises of old homes.
During the show, hidden stairways, inglenook fireplaces, stained glass windows, and more are revealed through the renovation process. And we see traditional building methods from brick tuck pointing, lime plastering, carpet weaving, nail making, glass making, roof thatching, timber framing, and dowsing.
When renovating a home that’s hundreds of years old, there are typically additions and modifications made to the original home throughout its history. Marianne presses upon the homeowners that retaining those changes can make for a more authentic building. One of the homes featured has parts that are a 13th century medieval Castle ruin, a Tudor manor house, and a Victorian farmhouse all combined into one. For this property, she delights in how the property has evolved over the years.
However, Marianne cautions against remuddles that use unfitting materials.
“Check to see whether a previous owner has bodged a repair using modern incompatible materials. If they have, you may need to strip it back and repair it again the traditional way… Do it the proper way and you’ll only have to do it the once,” says Marianne.
When making repairs to an older building, she shows what she means by a sensitive or an ‘honest repair.’ It’s not trying to hide the new work, but allowing you to see where the old meets the new.
While renovating an old home or any building can be challenging and can feel overwhelming at times, she provides the most practical advice for any kind on home project: “Focus on one area at a time.”
I’d love to know what you think of the series.
This series is fascinating as well as fun to watch. Ms Suhr gets her hands dirty and climbs all over historic properties as she explains how historic pieces were created. So many architectural elements or methods are described in a fun yet detailed manner. Thank you Marianne!
I too loved this series. She is very practical and helpful in her observations. A delight.