Restoring Porch Roof on 2502 E Grace St.

Part of the whole house restoration of 2502 E Grace St., the 1879 house that we have been working on since July.

We redid all of the framing including the built-in gutters; which is one of our specialties. Saunders Roofing applied the copper roof.

Building in the round: recreating a missing round porch on Monument Avenue

After rebuilding the reclaimed columns in the shop, we realize on site that one full and one half column were too short. We spent a day on site adding onto these columns and shaping them. No one will be the wiser.

The capitals did not quite fit inside the tops of the columns. We routed 3/16" of material off. The capitals (shown here upside down) mid-modification. The one on the left is partially complete.

The elaborate scaffolding access gives us a safe platform to work on the columns. The round columns slip around a 6x6 post, which has to be set first. The columns were lifted 12 feet in the air and slipped down onto these 6x6 posts. Very carefully.

The next step is the handrails. In order to hide all fasteners, the entire handrail will be let into the column for support on all sides. 

 

The entire handrail was mortised into the column; we wanted to avoid using the manufacturers' mounting brackets, which would betray the modern material. We used Kreg jig pocket screws instead.

After the screw holes are filled with epoxy, sanded and painted, no one will be the wiser.

 A few views of the handrail from the scaffold really show off the curve.

 While one carpenter works on the finishing details of the round bases, we will move on to setting capitals around the 6x6 inner core of the columns.

Finishing the handrails:

The balusters were so close to the round column and newel, we had to do some extensive modification to make the system work.

One of the bottom rails has to be carefully coped to fit around existing trim details. This piece will be spliced onto the handrail section to extend its length and eliminate a half-newel at the house, which would obscure existing stone trim details on the house.

The first piece spliced on.

Before and after of column restoratio

Rebuilding columns and bases for two different porches

We are building bases from reclaimed antique pine for the solid columns that we repaired last week. While I've been getting these bases and capitals ready for installation, we've has been putting the final touches on the ipe deck. [The beautiful wood you see underneath the capitals and bases is heart pine tongue and groove deck board, fabricated by Van Jester Woodworks and to be soon installed in Eppington Plantation.]

The following salvaged columns are being restored for a mansion on Monument Avenue. We are rebuilding the front porch which was unfortunately removed years ago. The techniques used to work on these columns are partly inspired by the writings of John Leeke, though Mr. Leeke has nothing on RBVa's very own. 

Rebuilding round columns on 1813 house for back porch

The columns are solid heart pine. At some point one column was cut off and the last two feet replaced with an inferior wood. The built in gutter problems were not addressed, so the replacement rotted. We will rebuild these components with heart pine salvaged from the deck framing of the porch.

Updates from last week on the porch restoration:

 We're using heart pine to make the new column bases as well- luckily we have one original on which to base our design.

 The masons have been working on mortar issues behind our new deck framing.

 The column jigsaw puzzle.

The joined heartpine goes from square to round in a few hours, thanks to the hard work and (much appreciated) slightly obsessive attention of our latest apprentice, Chad.

Ben is using our limited tool resources to turn these antique pine disks into column bases. We will modify the profile just slightly for two reasons: future historians will be able to tell which are modern fabrications and which one is original, and to improve the bases' ability to shed rainwater.

 We use an old draw knife found in the office to rough shape the dutchmen on the columns.

 Very last, another antique tool hones the outer curve of the new wood to match the old: a Stanley bench plane.

The dutchmen are pinned in place with hardwood dowels and waterproof wood glue. We feel that these solid wooden columns deserve the Cadillac treatment because they're rare and they've stood the test of time.

 Jerrett shapes the column bases with a wood rasp.

Chad makes our square dutchmen round on the columns.