Repairing a Historic Bungalow in Lakeland or Bartow

Old wood windows, plaster walls, heart pine floors and a hundred years of patches. How to repair a historic home without erasing what makes it worth having.

The neighborhoods around Lake Morton and Lake Hollingsworth in Lakeland and the historic core of Bartow are full of homes from the early twentieth century: bungalows, frame vernacular houses and a few grander ones. They were built with materials that do not exist anymore, old-growth heart pine and cypress, and by people who expected the house to be repaired rather than replaced. Working on them is different from working on a block house from 1985. Here is how we approach it.

Repair first, replace when you must

The original material in these houses is usually better than anything available today. Heart pine framing and flooring is dense, rot-resistant and stable. Cypress siding and trim shrug off moisture. A hundred-year-old window sash made of old-growth wood can be repaired and will outlast a vinyl replacement. Our default on a historic house is to repair what is there and replace only what is genuinely gone, and to replace it with something that matches in material and profile.

Windows

Old double-hung wood windows get the most pressure to be replaced and deserve it least. The usual problems, sashes painted shut, broken sash cords, rattling glass, missing glazing putty, are all repairable. A restored window with new cords or chains, reglazed panes, weatherstripping and a working storm panel is efficient enough for Central Florida and keeps the character of the house. Where a window is truly rotted through, a new sash milled to match the original is the right replacement, not a vinyl insert. Hurricane protection is handled with shutters or panels rather than replacing the windows; our post on shutters versus impact windows covers the tradeoffs.

Plaster

Plaster walls over wood lath are common in these homes. Cracks and small areas of loose plaster can be repaired with plaster washers and a skim coat rather than tearing out to drywall, which changes the feel of the room and the depth of the trim. Where plaster has failed over a large area, a drywall patch can be blended in, but the trim reveals need to be respected.

Floors

Heart pine floors are often under layers of carpet, vinyl or paint, and they come back beautifully. Sanding has limits on a floor that has been refinished several times, so we check the thickness above the tongue before promising anything. Loose boards are refastened, damaged boards are replaced with reclaimed heart pine to match, and squeaks are addressed from below where there is a crawlspace. Our post on fixing squeaky floors applies.

Porches

The porch is the face of a bungalow and the part most exposed to weather. Rotted post bases, soft deck boards, sagging beams and railings that no longer meet the house are the regular repairs. Matching the original column profile, the railing pattern and the beadboard ceiling is what keeps the porch looking like it belongs. Our post on porch post repair covers the structural side.

Trim and millwork

Original casing, baseboards and picture rail are often wider and more detailed than anything at a home center. When a piece needs replacing, we match the profile with stock moldings where one exists or have it milled. Stripping paint from original trim is a large job; a good paint job over sound trim is usually the better value, with the detail preserved.

Kitchens and bathrooms

These rooms have almost always been remodeled at least once, often badly. A new kitchen or bathroom in a historic house works best when it respects the ceiling heights, window placement and trim, uses materials that would not look out of place, and keeps the plumbing runs practical for a house with a crawlspace rather than a slab. That is a design conversation before it is a construction one, and it is part of our kitchen and bathroom remodeling work.

Historic districts and approvals

Parts of Lakeland and Bartow are designated historic districts where exterior changes visible from the street may need review. Repairs in kind are generally straightforward; replacing windows, changing a porch or altering siding may need approval. We flag that early so it does not stall a project.

Cost in the Lakeland area

Historic repair is more labor than material and it takes patience. It is not necessarily more expensive than replacement once you count the cost of losing what was there. A free estimate gives an exact number for any of it.

Inventive Home Improvement does craftsman carpentry and repairs on historic homes in Lakeland, Bartow, Fort Meade and across Polk County. Call (863) 633-5499.

Frequently asked questions

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