Victorian Restoration

This is one of our favorite projects -- believe it of not, this beautiful home was once boarded up and almost 40% of the building was badly compromised.

The first things that had to be fixed were the roofs, both the flat roofs and the slate. We are often asked by home owners if they should get rid of a slate roof?
In historic areas (such as this one in Plainfield, NJ), that is not really an option. Also, we often advise customers that a slate roof is a 150-200 year product life, whereas contemporary asphalt shingle is a 20-30 year product life at most. So, if the slate can be repaired or maintained, that is preferable. In this project, the slate was repaired and then sealed with stone sealer -- just as you would seal a stone countertop. If you insist on demolishing a slate roof, please call us for the salvage before your roofer turns the slate into a pile of gravel!

Next came the dreaded YANKEE GUTTERS. In this project, the gutters had several large holes in them, causing water to leak into the building. This is a very typical problem with Yankee Gutters. The Yankee Gutters were first demolished in rotten areas. Then new fascia boards were customized. The old fasia were constructed of 12" boards, but modern boards are only 11 3/4" so we fabricated the fasia on on site. Once complete, the Yankee gutters were relined with metal and then sealed. Even though Yankee Gutters can be lined with rubber or metal, we recommend metal. Either way, we recommend sealing.

Finally, the project was finished with custom millwork (see previous post). And, at last, the interior work could begin.

For more questions on Victorian Restoration, Yankee Gutters, or any home improvement project, e-mail us at lillandbill@aol.com or call (908) 380-0055.

Victorian Restoration

The first question is always "What do you do about all of the detail around the home? If the moldings are destroyed, then what?"

Choice #1 is to purchase new molding. However many of our customers find that new molding either does not fit or does not look "right." The main reason is that modern mill work was standardized on sizes that are slightly smaller than their Victorian originals. But sometimes you get lucky. Especially if you can find a solution that is made of resin, you are in business -- resin will never rot.

If that does not work, try Choice #2. Hopefully, there are at least 1 or 2 examples of the molding intact. Usually there are, even when they are badly rotted. Then you take it to an architectural specialty store, or a custom mill work store, and have a guide made with your molding. Although it can be pricey -- a few hundred dollars, plus set up charges, plus the cost of actually making the piece, if you are restoring a whole house, it can be the most reasonable way to go.

If there are no samples, the last resort is to look for "ghosts" i.e. foot prints of where the molding used to be. This will tell you the size. Then you can work with the fabricator to create the detail.

For more about Victorian restoration, and references for custom millwork and molding, contact us at (908) 380-0055 or lillandbill@aol.com