I'd look for a county historic preservation office for recommendations/referrals. They will probably know contractors who have worked on protected historic landmark structures.

A state or local historic preservation office is absolutely the best place to start.

State and local preservation may help. Start with a library search and see if you can find pictures of the original condition of the home. That is always good to go in with and shows the HP people that you have done homework. In my experience, HP folks can be a strange lot-- very protective and holier-than-thou. They often don't want to share information until you have been deemed worthy (this is a bit tongue-in -cheek but not too much!)

Ask around. Are there other people who have done this sort of work in your neighborhood? Who did they use? Nextdoor is a great website for getting in touch with neighbors. There are usually a few contractors who will take on this stuff- most prefer to gut. I once got called in to do a tiny 11x9 1920s kitchen in a co-op and the owner hired me because I was the first designer who said I would keep the built in pantry with original butcher block counter and leaded glass doors. A lot of people want to replace old with a brand new item that looks kind of like the original. There can be times when this is necessary but often its not.

Look for websites that specialize in vintage reproductions. Tile from your era is still locatable and some artisans make it using the vintage glazes and hand production methods. There was a company we used in Wisconsin? Minnesota? on a 1920s bathroom a few years back. Cost a pretty penny but worth it if you want a vintage authentic look. Also Jaclo has a wonderful "Roaring 20s" bathroom fixture series in a number of finishes that go beyond what you see at big box stores. The internet is your best resource for era-appropriate home goods. Don't discount Etsy and Ebay for fun touches and architectural salvage.

Long post -
If you want to preserve the character, finding the right contractor may be quite hard. It is a lot faster for them to demo and replace than it is to "surgically" upgrade the house and only demo what is necessary.

This is a picture of our 1940 Dutch Colonial - the roofline is different than yours, but the basic box is similar. Ours had remained relatively untouched, so there was a lot that needed upgrading.

Since that picture we have made multiple changes, but most are not visible on the outside.
- We now have a NG boiler (old one was oil), and have added A/C. We still have the radiators for heat.
- Kitchen and dining room area was renovated to open up the floor plan and bring the kitchen up to modern standards. Original kitchen had only one counter, no dishwasher, the stove was a 1960's standalone, and the cabinets were painted wood construction that was built on site.
- Basement was finished to provide a decent laundry room and bathroom, since they used a clothesline in the backyard and never bothered installing a clothes dryer.
- Last year we tore off the screened side porch and replaced it with a two story porch that has a bathroom and sitting room on each floor. The lower bath is the only one on the 1st floor, and the 2nd floor bath connects to the MBR.
- All these renovations have required significant upgrades to the electrical, additional sewer drain connections in the basement, and a lot of PEX for all the new fixtures.

I don't have a final picture that shows the entire house from the same angle, but this in-progress picture gives you an idea of the side porch addition. Our architect was able to come up with a design that integrated well with the old house. This year we added functional black shutters.

Bruce

Thank you @HU-178658043, @Tiny J for a great input.

Actually I reached out to some Historic Preservation departments including Historic Preservation NY State Parks but didn't get a reply back. :-(

I will look into more and keep everyone here posted. Meanwhile if anyone hears of a good old-house inspector/consultant who's available around Hudson Valley area please post -- I will be so grateful.

At this point we are just looking for contractors who can safely repair our house. Who would have guessed that this was so hard?

@Greta Interiors

Greta,

Thank you for sharing your knowledge. All great resources!

Nextdoor was recommended for something else a while ago, but I have been reluctant to join because there were some reviews that were a bit concerning. Did you have a good experience with it?

The tile company you are referring to may be North Prairies Tileworks in Minneapolis, MN. Jaclo Roaring 20's series are so beautiful!!! It's definitely going into my future tile project along with NPT tiles.

Thanks again. I will keep you posted on the outcome of reaching out to preservation people.

@Bruce in Northern Virginia

Thank you for sharing your experience. And your house is beautiful!

It's impressive how much update you were able to do without affecting the visuals. Must have taken years.

For us, the previous owner did most major updates including electricals, kitchen and attic insulation. We are happy with current configuration, so there are only minor repairs here and there.

I will see if I can find someone through local preservation offices. Wish me luck.

:-)

I think you can share it with your friends

@New York 7a yes I think it was North Prairie. I will have to dig through my archive. We have also used ClaySquared which is out of the midwest. Restoration Tile will match originals. Fireclay is always good just for the color range and surface texture variety. Historic Decorative Materials has handmade tiles in certain collections (I had a client who wanted Claude Monet's kitchen look.)

Nextdoor has always been kind to me, but it really depends on your community. We live in a village where people are mad for restoring historic homes so there are a lot of resources. If your neighborhood is more "gut and open plan this because it is sooooo old" you might have trouble finding the right person,. Perhaps talk to some local designers. Many will give a consult free of charge. If you have a project they may add value to, they typically bring their own crew. My PM and carpenter are well versed in making old homes updated while not losing the character that draws one to them. Best of luck!

@Ekramul Haq

Share Nextdoor account? That's an interesting idea.

We are new comers in this area, plus my husband and I working with long commute doesn't help with expanding circle of friends. I am starting feel like a naysayer. :-(

Definitely good to know for future reference. Thank you for sharing your information!

@reat gret,

You are a treasure trove of knowledge.

I looked up "Claude Monet's kitchen" and holy cow that will be a lot of custom blue tiles! They are beautiful though.

On trying out Nextdoor…. I think our neighborhood is more of the latter type you've described. Old houses are sparse in my neighborhood. There are dense colonies of old houses just 6 miles away so there is hope. I will first try the local government and local designers. Your clients are lucky to have you and your crews. :-)

Thank you for posting again! It might take weeks or maybe even months but I will follow up on what happened with historic preservation contact.

Progress Report for those who are curious.

I got more response from local businesses than governments. The president of Haverstraw Brick Museum (Haverstraw, NY) that we visited as an extension of my research was so kind to give me contacts from his connection. He only had a historic mason's contact on the west side of Hudson River.

Haverstraw Brick Museum (Currently open by appointment only)

https://www.haverstrawbrickmuseum.org/

I sent an email to Historic Preservation of New York State, no response.

https://ncshpo.org/directory/new-york/

Emailed Westchester Historic Preservation Department, waiting for a reply.

https://planning.westchestergov.com/historicpreservation

Progress Update:

I found an organization called Historic Building Inspectors Association. Reached out to one of the member in New York, have not heard from him yet.

"…In addition, a subset of ASHI members has formed the Historic Building Inspectors Association"

http://inspecthistoric.org/listing.htm

https://www.oldhouseonline.com/repairs-and-how-to/how-to-survive-a-home-inspection

Progress Update:

Although this is in Wisconsin, website of Wisconsin Historical Society was enormously useful in identifying what what to do and what options are out there. Well organized, easy to browse and find information you are looking for! This site is my top resource so far.

Some articles have a step by step guide to give to contractors on how to do repair work right.

Working with a Contractor to Replace the Rood on Your Historic House

https://www.wisconsinhistory.org/Records/Article/CS4260

How to Preserve Your Historic Building

https://www.wisconsinhistory.org/Records/Article/CS15265

Preserving the Exterior Masonry on Your Historic Building

https://www.wisconsinhistory.org/Records/Article/CS4135

Progress Update Feb 21 2021:

Some Success with Historic Home Inspector!

I reached out to a Historic Home Inspector who is registered in Historic Building Inspectors Association. My house was out of his service area (he serves Hudson region), but Paul Andreassen who was in the list was so kind as to give me guidance and references.

Historic Building Inspectors Association/New York State

http://inspecthistoric.org/ny.htm

Home Page

https://inspecthistoric.org/

If your state is not in the listing above, try Googling with keyword "Historic Home Inspector", "Historic Building Inspection", "old house inpection" "Historic Home Inspector near me" or "Heritage Home Inspector".

I found 2 pros who mentions historic building inspection in their website with this method.

No response from Westchester Historic Preservation Department nor Historic Preservation of New York State (I emailed them 3 times). Very disappointing.

Other Useful Historic Home Articles :

Inspecting Historic Homes

https://www.nachi.org/historic-homes.htm

Says that lead paint windows can be safe as long as the paint is in tact AND if the window is not opened/closed frequently. This was an eye opener for me.

https://www.nachi.org/lead-facts.htm

Standard Estimated Life Expectancy Chart for Homes

https://www.nachi.org/life-expectancy.htm

Heritage Building Inspections Seminar by Bill Kibbel. He's supposed to be one of the best historic building inspector,

https://inspectorroadshow.com/meet-the-presenters/

Progress Update (Feb 21, 2021):

I am wondering if visiting a local B&Bs and homes that are listed in the National Register of Historic Places, then asking the residents for repair person references would get me to a good starting point.

Search Properties Listed in the National Register of Historic Places

https://www.nps.gov/subjects/nationalregister/database-research.htm

Thank you for your tip, @Debbie Downer,

Does your inspector serve Westchester NY area?

One of the home inspector I reached out to returned an email (Yay!!!). I will see if he's the one, and whether he can refer someone.