Yeah, you got a deal on that huge round window, but are you sure you want to muck up your turn-of-the-century house with it? Oregon Home talked with an architectural salvager, two restoration contractors, an architect and the executive director of the Architectural Heritage Center about how to balance remodeling with respect for your old house.

[1. WHEN REMODELING AN OLD HOUSE, DON'T TOTALLY THROW OUT THE HIERARCHY OF PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SPACES.]
The latest trend of removing walls in old houses to create open floorplans can put should-be-private rooms in full view of the sidewalk. Entries, for example, should open to public spaces (think foyer, living room, dining room) and then to more private spaces (such as a kitchen or bathrooms). While contemporary lifestyles call for Great Rooms or command center kitchens, don't knock out walls willy-nilly. If you need to change your layout, there are period-appropriate ways to give your home a more open floorplan regardless of its style.

"For instance, if your house isa bungalow, there are things you can do to open it up yet still have a bit of separation between rooms," says Greg Olson, the owner and the president of Olson & Jones Construction. "You can put in architectural features that provide an open feeling and connectivity, yet still provide a line of demarcation such as a short wall with columns that are appropriate to the style, but still open up the space. Given a particular style of home, you can research the various elements that can be put in and find ones that are appropriate."

[2. WHEN YOU UPGRADE WINDOWS, DON'T MESS WITH THE BASIC SHAPE AND PROPORTION OF THE OPENINGS TO THE HOUSE.]
The size and placement of windows often define a home's architectural style. Triple windows, bay windows and touches such as leaded and stained glass were often given their placement for very specific reasons. "In the late-'70s and early-'80s, the push in remodeling was to decrease the size of the windows," says Mike Byrnes, the owner of Aurora Mills Architectural Salvage in Aurora, Ore. "When you look at these buildings today, it's as if someone has taken their eyes out. Windows are an integral part of the design of a house. They create a pattern across the faade and create vertical and horizontal lines. When you alter the windows dramatically, you lose the architectural feel of the building. If you need to replace windows, there are companies that can reproduce your windows cost-effectively."

[3. RESPECT THE VINTAGE OF YOUR HOUSE, WHICHEVER DECADE IT WAS BUILT IN.]
You may live in a ranch house yet dream of having a Victorian with pink scroll work over every inch of it's facade, but think long and hard before doing something extreme. "It's that saying that carpenters have, 'Measure twice, cut once,'" says Cathy Galbraith, the executive director of Portland's Bosco-Milligan Foundation, which oversees the Architectural Heritage Center. "Be careful of decisions that are irreversible and don't buy into the fast-pitch sales. People care about the character of houses, and when you disregard the qualities of the house, you're simply taking away the future value of the property, both its intrinsic value and your financial investment. Plus, it's disorienting to walk into a house that's one style on the outside and another on the inside. Don't have a 1930s house with a Victorian kitchen in it. That's historic, but it's not really appropriate."

[4. LISTEN TO YOUR HOUSE; IT CAN TELL YOU WHAT IT NEEDS.]
Just because your house has been stripped of period details doesn't mean that it's impossible to restore its original look. Often, there are clues in your house that will give you some idea of what it used to look like. "Sometimes we take apart projects as if we're detectives," says Olson. "We'll look for hints of what may have been there. We look for old paint lines, shadows of moldings and the difference in ages among different pieces of wood. You can see where things have been nailed off or walls have been created or removed. A tear-out on a project can often reveal interesting information. The story of your house is often there just waiting to be discovered."

[5. IF YOU WANT TO ENHANCE YOUR HOME'S VINTAGE LOOK, KNOW THAT PERIOD MOLDINGS, MANTELS AND FLOOR COVERINGS REALLY DO MATTER.]
No matter the era of your house, a room is more that just four walls. And a room's details are often what make it appealing. "The most valuable rooms in a house that you can restore are the living room and dining room," says Wade Freitag, the owner of Craftsman Design and Renovation in Portland. "For example, intact mantels and leaded glass are what those rooms were designed for, so it's worthwhile to restore them."

Smaller items, such as intricate or engraved latches, pulls and knobs can also enhance the period character and beauty of your house. "Anytime you have these artisan elements involved in designing a house, it's almost as if a universal language is being passed down in art," says Byrnes. "Today, these pieces are 100 to 150 years old or older, yet the artisan who made them is still speaking of craftsmanship and qualityÑthings we may be missing today in what we design and build."

[6. DON'T GET SO WRAPPED UP IN YOUR HOME'S HISTORY THAT YOU FORGET TO MAKE YOUR OWN FAMILY'S HISTORY A PART OF THE HOUSE.]
Making a home your own is an important part of living in a house. "Understand how the spaces in your home were used historically and then look at how you want to interpret them for your lifestyle," says Byrnes. "That has nothing to do with renovations. It has to do with making it compatible. Hang things on the walls that define who you are. Put up family photographs or Grandma's quilt or a piece of art you really enjoy. Gustav Stickley and others wrote about that, and that's why you often see old spinning wheels and items from the past in Arts and Crafts houses. The idea was to bring your family's history and heritage into the house as well as more contemporary items."