The HTRC

The Homeowners & Trades Resource Center

Brought to you by:

You are here: Home / FAQ's, Acronym’s, & Terminology / Conservation or Restoration

Conservation or Restoration

I couldn’t help but take this shot when I was in Chicago the other day as I loved the architectural detail & how it stood out from the other buildings. While some work was definitely going on inside which involved a large dumpster (renovation), some work was going on outside which left the copper patina showing (top area) as they removed the associated black soot (lower area) which brings us to todays piece, is that work considered conservation or restoration? (I got to say the picture doesn’t really do this place justice & while some areas look like they maybe stone, most of it looked like copper to me – unfortunately I couldn’t get any closer to see it better)

conservation-or-renovation

Conservation or Restoration?

Now-a-days, many use these two words almost interchangeably so that they are seemingly almost indistinguishable. With that when doing work on historic homes (& as it relates to many other fields,) the words have some very subtle but very distinct differences. To use the ever popular “Clif Notes” version…

  • Conservation – preserve against further deterioration
  • Restoration – restore the original appearance and functionality

As you may guess there is generally more to it than that; a conservator is generally focused on examining an item, looks at all options to preserve it, preserving it, & documenting everything. For one interested in restoration, while they may do similar steps their primary focus is on how to restore it so it works & looks as close to the original as they can deduce. One area to be careful with is just how does one plan to restore an item as some companies will do a wholesale replacement of the piece based off molds which maybe or might not be what you are looking for. One example of this is stone lintel might be replaced from one made of concrete or an exterior wood ornament is replaced by one made of PVC or foam.

One other term that occasionally pops up is preservationist – for example my good friend John Poole @ Birmingham Point calls himself a preservationist. Instead of “preserving an item” like a conservator would do, his & many others focus is on saving older historic homes from demolition & if at all possible cataloging the details found in them.

In essence, make sure you know what you need fully and will accept & don’t just assume that because a company or individual calls themselves a conservator, or restoration specialist that is what you are looking for. As for the question above – I would lean more towards the cleaning work as conservation as they are not trying to return the item to its original shiny state but interested in keeping the look & patina that the years have bestowed upon it. If you do look closely at the picture though you can see some examples of restoration work that has happened as you have some nice new shiny copper flashings that have been added – as for when that was done I couldn’t begin to guess except for to say it was pretty recent. Agree, disagree, or do you have something to add, please feel free to let us know in the comments below…

Todays vocabulary versus…

One of the interesting facets is seeing how quickly our vocabulary is shrinking… ok or maybe I just needed a laugh – trust me it’s good

Related posts:

Say what… aka the acronym dilemma
BS4D: ACH (Air Changes per Hour)
FAQ’s on Infrared Thermography
What is Green Building?
FAQ: Dear Abby... Valentines Renovation Edition
FAQ: Should I always use the Bathroom Fan when taking a Shower?
FAQ: Do I really need to test smoke detector monthly?
FAQ: What is a Construction Lawyer (and Why Should You Call One)?
  Tweet    
  
   

Filed Under: FAQ's, Acronym’s, & Terminology November 12, 2013 By SLS

Featured Posts
May is National Deck Safety Month – Infographic

May is National Deck Safety Month - Infographic

In conjunction with NADRA, Fiberon & many other fine organizations & companies, we at SLS Construction & Building Solutions would like to remind you that May is National Deck Safety Month & ...

Read More

Hitting the Road: RV’s, Gas Mileage, & Assorted Tips

Hitting the Road: RV’s, Gas Mileage, & Assorted Tips

As the Star Trek transporter still has not been invented, many vacationing families & others start looking to RV’s due to their many benefits. Can one say no TSA checks, ...

Read More

May - Late Spring Maintenance Checklist

May is quite an interesting month. It seems to be a month of firsts and lasts; the last full month of spring, the last day of school, the first of ...

Read More

FAQ: Do I need to change my HVAC filter monthly?

FAQ: Do I need to change my HVAC filter monthly?

If you follow our Monthly Maintenance Program, the first item we have listed is "Change out your HVAC filter." This has brought up a few questions, namely: Do I need ...

Read More

Getting ready for Spring: Your deck & grill

Hopefully, this last snow storm was it for spring (really?) meaning most of us can start getting ready to grill and get back to enjoying the great outdoors. Needless to ...

Read More

FAQ: Ceiling fan direction - summer & winter

One of the biggest questions out there is which direction should my fan be running and how can I tell. You look at the switch and realize it isn't any ...

Read More

Subscribe

Get new posts by email:

Random Glossary term

  • EER

    I couldn’t help but take this shot when I was in Chicago the other day as I loved the architectural detail & how it stood out from the other buildings. While some work was definitely going on inside which involved a large dumpster (renovation), some work was going on outside which left the copper patina showing (top […]

The HTRC - Copyright © 2006–2022 by TheHTRC.com & SLS Construction & Building Solutions LLC http://SLS-Construction.com