Architectural Reclamation

For more than thirty-five years, we have offered a wide range of historic building restoration services, primarily in the Miami Valley of Southwestern Ohio.

We sensitively retrofit efficient new heating and cooling systems into historic homes. We have installed geothermal HVAC upgrades, radiant heat in floors, and solar collectors on roofs. We also work in the appropriate air supply ducts, line sets, and hot water pipes needed to heat and cool old buildings. These pictures are of the installation of a geothermal system in Bruce's 1837 farm house. This is a geothermal closed loop system consisting of two 375 foot long by 8 foot deep trenches with 3 closed loops in each trench.

Andy: Along with the dismal returns of conservative investments and CDs, the technological advances of micro-inverters and 'net metering' made me think it was time to invest in solar panels. With net metering, Duke Energy 'stores' my surplus energy when the sun is shining, by selling it to my neighbors. Because we are connected to the grid, we don't have to have batteries to store energy. But, when the power goes out, we lose power too. So far we have been very happy with the performance of our solar panels.

Heating and cooling old houses presents many challenges. We try to reduce air infiltration as much as we can and add more insulation where it makes sense to do so. This often means reworking windows and doors, sealing and re-insulating attics, and detailing housewrap and the interior vapor barrier so there are good seals around all wall penetrations. We sometimes use spray foam to seal inherently-leaky old walls and foundations. On masonry buildings, we will sometimes frame out the interior walls, run new wiring, install HVAC lines and ductwork, insulate and install the appropriate vapor barriers, and then re-plaster and re-trim the interior.

Established in 1977 and incorporated January 1, 1982, Architectural Reclamation, Inc. has made its name as a general contractor, primarily in restoration and rehabilitation of historic structures. To complete these projects, we use modern off-the-shelf materials, fabricate new materials to match the old, and reuse old materials salvaged from demolished buildings. When necessary to achieve the desired effect, we have learned traditional crafts, using tools and techniques from an earlier period in history.