Saturday, August 16, 2008

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.

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