Monumental Progress

I love the name of this structure. Every time we write about it, it sounds like we have accomplished mighty things. As you can see from the photo, the Restoration Dept. has completed replacing the four damaged, pit-sawn pine floor joists with pressure-treated pine ones. The loose brickwork under the safe was repaired, and a few bricks under the joists had to be reset. The utilities were reconnected to the framing. A subfloor of pressure-treated 1"x8"s was installed, followed by 1/2 inch plywood. We are now progressing to the stair hall, which has more extensive termite damage than the foyer. One item of interest, we found what appears to be an unused chimney flue in the corner by the safe. The flue was full of topsoil and shards of early window pane glass. Gold coins would have been better.

Tresspassers WILL be prosecuted...

...by the Law of Gravity. After that last exciting blog I"m sure y'all are breathless with anticipation, waiting to know what the Restoration Department is doing the second half of the month of August. Well wait no longer, we are doing a preservation for fee job at the 1814 Monumental Church in Richmond, owned by the Historic Richmond Foundation. The first floor foyer and stair passage rooms have been heavily damaged by termites. The termites are gone, but not forgotten. Seven of the three inch by nine inch floor joists in the foyer have to be replaced, and the remaining need to be consolidated. The subfloors were destroyed. The white oak finish floor has some damage, but at least 80% is reusable. It was carefully labeled, toward its reinstallation. There are two manufacture stamps on the oak floor, one is "Peerless Flooring Co. of High Point NC". The other is "NOFMA Burress of Lynchburg, Va." It may be possible to establish a ballpark estimate of the date of installation with this information. We laid plywood down for the safety of the HRF staff before left.

Isle of Wight Punch List

The Restoration Department was at the Isle of Wight courthouse in Smithfield the first half of August to correct some moisture problems, to repair the stocks, and to renovate the bathroom. The stocks were approximately five years old and were constructed of white oak and painted brown. We have no idea why its' horizontal members started to decay so quickly, as white oak should have a 20 year life-span. The decayed members were replaced with band-sawn pressure-treated pine, and then the stocks were reassembled. The bathroom needed a baseboard and a piece of flooring to fill in a void where an HVAC register was removed. Some plaster repair was also done there. To correct long term moisture problems to the courthouse a major amount of regrading was done between it and the Clerk's Office. Patio blocks were placed in the drip lines of the two buildings to prevent runoff ruining the grade work. On the other side of the courthouse, a large hole in the exterior wall next to a gutter downspout was bricked and repointed. The effects of these moisture-control activities will be noted by the Isle of Wight branch over time.

Et Voila

The Hollow is finished on July 29, 2010. The locals were present to cheer us on.

Looks Like a Hollow Victory

The Restoration Department is within a week of finishing the installation of the North side heart poplar siding on the Hollow. When this is complete, and the bed molding is installed, it will be the completion of a restoration project they started in the summer of 2005. There may be future modifications to the Hollow as its function is refined, but the goals of complete stabilization of the structure have all been met. Its a proud moment.

Summer Projects in 2010

The restoration department is getting into their summer schedule. They are nearly complete with the Marshall house, with only the installation of two basement window sashes and a protective runner for the stairs to do. Jon Miano and Kaleb Newago are now painting the back entrance surround at Bacon's Castle, while Karl Newago and Mike Adams prep and install the heart-poplar siding to the North wall of the Hollow. These jobs will last 4 to 6 weeks. The department also had to take a quick trip to the Cape Henry Lighthouse to replace 7 missing 8x10 inch window panes that had blown out over the winter. The sashes are showing the stress of weather in a coastal environment, and the off season this winter would be the proper time to remove and recondition them. There will be no pictures accompanying our blogs for awhile, as our trusty old camera is being uncooperative.

JMH is DUE

On June 7, 2010, the Restoration Department replaced the courthouse-side basement window for the John Marshall House. This window was replaced about 20 years prior by the department, using a prime grade heart pine. We now know why the window only lasted that long, as it was almost totally consumed by termites. Karl Newago is putting the finishing touches on the mortar pointing, while Jon Miano is caulking the inside edges. Since this window was made from pressure treated pine, and since the Marshall House now has rain gutters, we are expecting it to last much longer.