Restoration of a 1920's brick garden. Connecticut. 1990
We have worked on many National Register houses.
A typical job might require dismantling a center chimney that is decrepit from years of neglect and settling.
Often fireplaces have been removed or bricked up to create furnace flues etc. We rebuild the stonework in the basement, creating a proper boiler flue and cleanout. Where walls must be removed to get at the chimney we will replaster over the original wood lathe using lime plaster.
We rebuild or recreate period fireplaces, install terracotta flue liners and dampers, reflash at the roof, and finish with a period chimney that meets modern codes, that looks original, and is safe for many more generations.
Stage stop tavern room. “Before” picture. 2001. |
Stage stop tavern room. “After” picture. 2001 |
18th century stagecoach stop. Albany to Westfield road. “Before” picture. 2001 |
18th century stagecoach stop. Albany to Westfield road. “After” picture. 2001 |
Parlor fireplace 1760. Massachusetts. Before restoration. |
Parlor fireplace 1760. Massachusetts. After restoration. |
Parlor fireplace 1760. Massachusetts. Before restoration. |
Parlor fireplace 1760. Massachusetts. After restoration. |
Parlor fireplace 1760. Massachusetts. Before restoration. |
Parlor fireplace 1760. Massachusetts. After restoration. |
“Before” |
“After” |
The engineering embodied in an old house is often ancient and intuitive in nature, having evolved from experiments, both successful and unsuccessful, over many generations.
What has survived the test of time and nature is a series of craft practices and principles of proven soundness. By understanding these principles, you can glimpse the world and your own house through the mind of the original builder.
James L. Garvin
-A Building History of Northern New England
