It has been my experience that effective historic preservation must be coupled with a detailed knowledge of the financial aspects. Most historic preservation involves a government entity (city, state, federal, NPS, BLM, USFS) and finances are paramount in these agencies.

Dear Steve Russell,

You are so correct. The point that I always try to make is, you have bought a historic building, their is a great responsibility that goes with that.  I appreciate the efforts of the Preservation Commissioners, but sometimes it can be very frustrating.

I am a conservation scientist and I deal a lot with the assessment of materials for use in conservation projects - determining the suitability/compatibility of different materials/products for use on historic (largely stone) masonry buildings/structures. Although I appreciate that financial constraints play a role in the decision-making process, I don't feel that this aspect should feature to any great degree in my work. I personally believe that technical compatibility and suitability of repair materials should be the driving force behind decisions, followed by an assessment of what is financially viable, i.e. a material shouldn't be selected based primarily on price but on its suitability. Incompatible materials (even if cheap) are often a false economy as their reduced lifespan will result in the requirement of repeat application/intervention, which in the long run may be more financially draining. A good example of this is the 'plastic' repair of stone - repair materials are often cheaper than replacing with natural stone. However, their lifespan is significantly shorter.

In saying that, I have sympathy for the people at the other end that are so constrained by finances, forced to compromise, and perhaps unable to make the best decisions as a result.

Dear Clara Torney,

Thank you for the answer ! My opinion is also that we should always give our best to make the best decisions. 

Contemporary approach to preservation of built heritage requires multidisciplinary interaction, team work of scientists of different branches in order to make valorization, preservation and usage of heritage on proper way and optimization of the intervention.

The best way to preserve a historically valuable building is if you can make the house owner be aware of the values of the building, that he gets the needed knowledge how to maintain it and that he is proud of being the owner.

The uniqueness of historic structures requires the organization of studies in precise steps that are similar to those used in medicine. Therapy should address root causes rather than symptoms.

Main goal of management plan is to set up the conservation and development dimensions in relation to sustainability. Each intervention should be in proportion to the safety objectives set, thus no actions should be undertaken without demonstrating that they are absolutely necessary.