By Sarah Neal | For The Times-Post

You bought a beautiful old home in Pendleton, or it’s time for a refresh of the old home in which you’re living: Now what?
Consider restoring your house to its previous glory.
Keep charming historical elements and connect with the treasure that is an old house: gorgeous, divided-light windows, broad wood trim, pocket doors, coffered ceilings.
Features like these aren’t affordable anymore, so take care to preserve the assets that exist in your home.
They provide the quality that is sought after when buying a home: historical value that is hard to replicate any other way, but which maintains character people are drawn to when choosing a place in which to live.
Thankfully, there are a variety of sources for inspiration, instructions and tools available to use right here in our own community.
Pendleton Community Public Library houses a wide variety of publications including Old House Journal and This Old House.
The articles provide design ideas as well as “how to” instructions and sources for products to make the work easier.
For instance, I learned that soaking painted hardware in a simmering crockpot helps the paint wipe right off. I was delighted to find beautiful copper underneath layers of old paint! (Please note that crockpots should not be used for preparing food after use in paint removal).
An additional resource available is the library’s “Library of Things,” which provides equipment to check out for the task at hand: ladders, orbit sanders, an impact drill and much more.
The nail gun came in handy for a recent home project; I’m hoping not to need the pipe wrench.
All are available for free, helping create a positive effect on your project’s bottom line.
Also, no more excuses for not finishing the task you started in 2003.
From 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 20, various households in Pendleton will open their porches as part of the bicentennial celebration of Madison County. (See related Community Calendar entry for more details.)
You may notice that some of the homes downtown have a plaque commemorating their place on the National Historic Register.
Take the opportunity to talk to the homeowners about how you can get a plaque for your old home.
Members of Historic Fall Creek, Pendleton Settlement sell both bronze and aluminum versions in a variety of sizes to fit all budgets.
Celebrate the jewel that is your old house, and let us know how we can help you preserve it for the next 200 years.
Sarah Neal is a member of Historic Fall Creek, Pendleton Settlement Inc., a historical preservation group focused on preserving historic buildings and culture in the area.