Almost Every Window Retrofit Option Offers a Better Return on Investment than Replacement Windows. 
Findings from the cost analysis sponsored by the National Trust for Historic Preservation showed that new, "high performance" windows are by far the most expensive measure, costing at least double that of common retrofit options when considering materials, installation and general construction commonly required for an existing home. In all climate zones analyzed in the study, cellular shades, interior storm panels and various exterior storm window configurations offer a higher average return on investment compared to new, efficient replacement windows.  
 
For more information see:
The National Trust Resource Library

The California Office of Historic Preservation

Yes! The Ohio Department of Public Health offers grants and technical help in removing lead based paint. Learn more here. 

​ Don't forget if you live in a historic district, that you need permission from the City's Preservation Officer to make exterior modifications to your home. These Minor Certificates of Appropriateness can often be issued same day via phone or email. Contact Holly.Hornbeak@DaytonOhio.gov or give her a call at 937-333-4271 to get the ball rolling!

You love your old house, but what about your carbon footprint? Not to worry. Thanks to the National Trust for Historic Preservation, we have eight ways you can green your historic house. 

“The greenest building is the one that’s already built,” says architect Carl Elefante. So enjoy your charm AND your next electric bill. 

Click here for the full list of recommendations. And, check with your neighborhood association or attend a meeting. Chances are you aren't the only one looking to help the planet. 

"Our home’s basement needs some tuckpointing/repointing and perhaps some drainage due to water intrusion.  I’m curious if you have recommendations?"
 
The only real way to truly correct water intrusion in a basement is to trench around the exterior of the  basement walls and lay drain tiles/perforated PVC, a layer of gravel, and then to close it back up. The water infiltration is likely the cause of the need for tuck pointing on those basement walls.

Things to check - 
Are the walls cinder block? Rubble stone? 
Are the downspouts running far enough away from the house? 
Is the terrain around the house sloped away from the house enough to get run-off as far away from the house as possible?
 
There are some inside “bandaids” that are marketed but they are just that, a bandaid. The water is at the interior surface of the walls with any of those solutions.
 
If you can get a French drain on the outside, tar/seal the exterior wall and fill with gravel and then topsoil, you will most likely solve your problem. Remember to grade the soil away from the house a bit.

If that doesn’t resolve the problem, you can always go back at a later time and install a drain and sump under the basement floor. One is not dependant on the other. Just be sure the perimeter drain around the exterior has a place to dump the water.