Home remodeling and old-house repair in Glens Falls and Queensbury

Remodeling in Glens Falls and Queensbury is really two different kinds of work. A lot of the houses in the city of Glens Falls are a hundred years old or more, and the job there is fixing and keeping the original porches, stairs, trim and plaster while bringing the kitchen and bath up to date. Much of Queensbury is newer and suburban, so the work looks more like pulling out builder-grade finishes and dealing with a deck that's getting tired. Both are far enough north that snow, ice and freeze-thaw drive a lot of what breaks.

Two kinds of houses, side by side

Glens Falls grew up as a mill and manufacturing city, and the neighborhoods show it. Two-story frame houses with front porches, Victorian-era houses with decorative trim, and older brick buildings closer to downtown. Queensbury wraps around the city. It has old farmhouses, subdivisions, and houses near Lake George and the town's lakes and ponds.

That difference changes how we'd spend your money. In an old house, we'd fix before we'd replace. An original turned baluster or a hand-run window casing is often better wood than anything you can buy now, and replacing it can cost more than repairing it. In a newer house the frame and systems are usually fine, so the money goes into the layout, storage and finishes.

Older houses in Glens Falls: start here

In a house built before the Second World War, the problems we look for first are slow ones. They've been building for years.

Start with the porch. Floor boards, posts and the bottoms of columns rot where water sits on them. Rails work loose. Steps settle away from the house. Our guide to porch railing inspection shows how to tell a loose rail from a structural problem.

Then the window sills and outside trim. A sill takes more water than any other piece of trim on the house. A soft spot can often be fixed with a dutchman, which is a piece of new wood cut and glued into the bad spot, instead of replacing the whole window. More on that in window sill rot repair.

Inside, the stairs. Loose balusters, a newel post that wobbles, treads that creak. Nearly all of it can be repaired, and we'd keep the original turned parts. One staircase on our site was restored with its turned newel kept in place.

Look up at the plaster ceilings. Old plaster cracks and sags. It can be reattached, patched, or covered. A cracked ceiling on our site was covered with tin-look tiles, which suits a lot of older rooms.

And go down cellar. Stone or block foundations, steep cellar stairs and a rusting bulkhead are all normal in these houses.

Our post on restoring an old house in Saratoga Springs works just as well for Glens Falls. The houses are about the same age and built about the same way.

Test before you disturb old materials

Houses built before 1978 can have lead paint. Older houses can have asbestos in popcorn ceilings, pipe insulation, some floor tile and some siding. Have suspect materials tested before anyone sands, scrapes or tears anything out. If they test positive, the work belongs to people trained and certified to handle it. Don't skip this in an old house, and especially not with kids living there.

Newer homes in Queensbury: start here

The subdivisions and newer houses in Queensbury have their own list. The deck that came with the house is now soft, splintery, or loose at the rails. The bathroom has a fiberglass surround, a vanity swelling at the bottom, and an exhaust fan that barely moves air. The kitchen layout doesn't fit the household anymore. And the trim and interior doors were the cheapest the builder could get.

This kind of work is more predictable than old-house repair because less is hidden. It still needs someone to come look. A deck that's just tired on top can have a rotted ledger or failing footings underneath.

What a northern winter does

Glens Falls and Queensbury generally get more snow and longer cold stretches than towns farther south in the Capital Region. You see it in the same handful of places.

Ice dams come first. Heat leaks into the attic, the snow on the upper roof melts, and the water refreezes when it hits the cold eaves. Then meltwater backs up under the shingles and into the walls and ceilings. A brown stain on a top-floor ceiling, or water at the top of a window in late winter, is the giveaway. Our post on ice dams and winter damage covers fixing the damage and cutting the odds of it happening again.

Steps heave. Concrete and wood steps crack and lift as the ground freezes and thaws. A step that rocks, or one that's pulled away from the house, is a trip hazard, and it can point to a footing problem.

Gutters pull loose. Heavy snow and ice drag gutters away from the fascia and hold water against the wood. Rotted fascia and soffits often turn up when the old gutters come down.

And the season for outside work is short. Plan porch, deck and siding work over the winter for a spring or summer start. Kitchens, baths and stair repair can carry on through the cold months.

Permits and historic review

Most structural work, decks, additions, and new plumbing or electrical work need a building permit. Glens Falls is a city with its own building department, and Queensbury is a town with its own. Their requirements differ, and some older neighborhoods may have historic review for exterior changes. Check with the city or town before you lock in plans for anything on the outside of the house, and expect your contractor to know which parts of the job need a permit and inspection.

Frequently asked questions

Should I repair or replace an old porch in Glens Falls?

Look at the structure first. If the framing and footings are sound, rotted boards, posts and rails can usually be replaced in kind and the porch kept. If the framing is rotted or the porch has settled badly, rebuilding the structure and matching the original details is often the better call.

Why do ice dams keep coming back on my house?

Because the heat is still getting into the attic. Knocking the ice off treats the symptom. The fix that lasts is air sealing, insulation and ventilation in the attic, which usually means bringing in an insulation contractor alongside any repair work.

Do I need to test for lead paint before a small repair?

If the house was built before 1978 and the work will disturb painted surfaces, test first. Dust from sanding or scraping is the main hazard, and the right precautions keep it out of the house.

We work in Glens Falls and Queensbury as part of the Capital Region. In the older houses that tends to mean porches, stairs and trim kept and repaired, and in the newer ones, decks, kitchens, baths and built-ins.