By

We've had such a symphony of remuddling letters come our way of late,we thought we'd orchestrate them into a set, so to speak, for this issue's Old-House Living feature. The idea is not so offbeat. Old-House Living is typically a tale about the human impact of the restoration process, and what happens to the exterior of an old house, restoration or not, affects all who see it. As long-time OHJ readers know, remuddling is defined as misguided remodeling-that is, an alteration that is insensitive to the architecture or character of the house. Remuddling is presented as a negative education, but it is also meant to be a bit of fun. This back-of-the-book department debuted nearly two decades ago in October 1981, and ever since then it has been the most popular and well-known page in OHJ. In fact, the word remuddling has entered common use.

You get the picture. As ever, if you are inclined to submit a picture for Remuddling, please send original color prints-no newspaper clippings-and try to include a photo of a similar, but unremuddled building. If we use your photos, we'll conduct you a melodious $100.

MATERIAL DIFFERENCES
"This home is in the lake area of Southeastern Wisconsin," says Dave Abresch of Menowonee Falls. "I'm not sure of the material and style, but it may be built of local limestone." We can't say for sure either, but the way the horizontal siding meets stonework is unique to say the least.

MULTIPLE PERSONALITIES
Philip Nord of Bryn Mawr, Penn. sent in this photo with the terse comment that he "Thought this might be of interest." That's putting it mildly. While it's hard to divine what this house looked like the day it was built, chances are it didn't have three different configurations of windows on the first floor, two on the second floor, and three on the third floor-or a third floor at all.

DEAR DEPARTED
"Here are photos of a beautiful brick Queen Anne buried by a mortuary," writes Mona Rummel, who lives in Eugene, Ore. "I couldn't help noting the We Care sign nearby." There's no question that building upgrades can be a big undertaking, but they shouldn't risk being a grave mistake.

EXTRA CHEESEY?
Ordinarily, adaptive re-use is to be applauded as an alternative to bringing in the bulldozers, but this Foursquare in Hanover, Penn. may be of a different order. "I'm not sure how long it has been this way, but I remember seeing it as a pizza parlor for at least 15 years," says Theresa Bethune of Westminister, Md.

BEING IGNORED IS BLISS
"Ironically, the house on the left was a semiderelict for many years before an enlightened family who cared about the home rehabilitated it," says August Gene Grulich of Tacoma, Wash. "Most of the features remained intact but covered with dull gray peeling paint. It's a case of what I call `preservation by neglect.'" Its companion to the right, on the other hand, appears to have fewer details today, despite some recent attention.

RAISING THE ROOF
"I enclose prints I took on a side trip to Fulton, Missouri, known for Winston Churchill's famous Iron Curtain speech," writes Ed Weilbacher of Waterloo, Ill. "The town has a wonderful collection of historic homes, and we marvel at the energy that many people put into a proper restoration. On the other hand, it pains us to see people spend good money to devalue their property." His photos show a gable roof being erected over a mansard roof. Indeed, roofs help define the form and style of a house, and when an entire roof is altered, it's bound to change the house.