[Timothy]

My wife and I started a new project last spring. We are building a new home in our spare time from rough sawn lumber and bits and pieces of antique homes that have been demolished. The porch posts shown here came from a house built around the end of the civil war. (circa 1870).

The gingerbread in the gable was cut out from 1/2" x 6" planks and I have patterns for different corbels we will be placing at the tops of the posts traced from a Victorian that was demolished a couple of years ago near our property.

The siding is being made from the same 1/2" x 6" planks. The windows I built myself from an example I copied from a house built about 1901.

 

[firemedic]

That's a cool project, Tim. Thanks for sharing and keep us updated with the progress.

 

[MasterSplinter]

Very impressive

 

[Timothy]

Thanks, sure wish it didn't take as long as it has. Attached it the preliminary plan in pdf. I've made changes as I've went along so this isn't the final plan.

http://101info.org/thouse.pdf

 

[Chaincarver Steve]

That's quite the undertaking. Looking good so far. I'd like to see some inside shots too. Keep up the great work. Are you going to move in when it's done?

 

[Timothy]

It's an undertaking that has been a stress-releaver for sure. We will be moving in before fall this year I'm hoping. Attached shows the back of the cedar half wall in the 1/2 bath and if you look between the studs to the front of the house you'll see the wainscot wall in the living room.

 

[Timothy]

The plan is to completely line the 1/2 bath with cedar planks including floor and 3'-10" up the walls. Then sheetrock the remainder and finishing it to look like plaster. The modified sheetrock is alot easier than lathing, chicken wire, and plaster.

 

[sanchez]

This is a super cool undertaking! I hope you post more as you go along!

 

[Da Aardvark]

Where in E. Tenn are you?
I'm in W. N.C. and am an architect.
Need advice?

 

[Timothy]

Where in E. Tenn are you?
I'm in W. N.C. and am an architect.
Need advice?

McMinn County. I appreciate that. One can always use the advice of a professional. My background is Architecture. Apprenticed under an architect for 6 1/2 years and the state changed the regs where I was too late to grandfather to take the test. Studied historic reconstruction for a couple of years and still don't have half the answers. Thanks...

Below is the front door I built for the house. (not finished yet) I'm proud of it, but I think I'm going to rebuild the back door (similar) I built to something different.

 

[Da Aardvark]

Sounds to me like you have a better grasp on the "historic" than I would have.

On the license, it's actually to your advantage these days not having a license. No error and omission insurances and liabilities if you use the license of another. Everyone is "sue happy".

 

[mike1950]

The plan is to completely line the 1/2 bath with cedar planks including floor and 3'-10" up the walls. Then sheetrock the remainder and finishing it to look like plaster. The modified sheetrock is alot easier than lathing, chicken wire, and plaster.

Veneer plaster goes over sheetrock. Plus there are a bunch of specialty plasters for regular sheetrock. Color can be added to eliminate painting.
Nice project- I love the old columns. When we remodeled our house we plastered inside and used old hardware and slipshade lighting from the 20's-30's. Fun project.

 

[Timothy]

Sounds to me like you have a better grasp on the "historic" than I would have.

On the license, it's actually to your advantage these days not having a license. No error and omission insurances and liabilities if you use the license of another. Everyone is "sue happy".

I still would have liked to have the license.

Any suggestions on interior dental molding. I've experimented in the stairwell with 1/2" x 1/2"x 1/4" blocks but it seems overkill. I'll post a picture later on today if I get a chance of what I've already done. My wife thinks its a bit ostentatious.

 

[Timothy]

Veneer plaster goes over sheetrock. Plus there are a bunch of specialty plasters for regular sheetrock. Color can be added to eliminate painting.
Nice project- I love the old columns. When we remodeled our house we plastered inside and used old hardware and slipshade lighting from the 20's-30's. Fun project.

I hadn't thought of that. Thanks

 

[Timothy]

Here is that dentil mold I mentioned.

 

[Da Aardvark]

I think it's overkill as well, but queen anne and victorian were overkill.
I would lose the bracketing between the dentils, personally. Your mileage might vary.
It seems that much of what was done in that time era was personal preference. It was a set style but it was still all personal choices.

 

[Timothy]

I think it's overkill as well, but queen anne and victorian were overkill.
I would lose the bracketing between the dentils, personally. Your mileage might vary.
It seems that much of what was done in that time era was personal preference. It was a set style but it was still all personal choices.

My wife agrees with you. I do want to do some type of continual bracketing some where though. I certainly won't be at the Living room for sure. I plan to use some rescued ceiling tiles like the picture attached and I'm certain the braces would be out of place there. Maybe somewhere outside.

Wow, have any of you priced these tiles new?

 

[Da Aardvark]

The Victorian/Queen Anne/true Colonial/ other, homes are money pits. Nice but expensive.
Considering they were loaded with detail, and the reproduction today is not financially sane unless you are doing it yourself, for yourself. If you had to build a home in true style today for a client, it wouldn't make sense. Likely it would raise the build price by 3 to 5 times per square foot (maybe more), and then when re-selling, the home would never re-coup the loss.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not being condemnational of what you are doing. We all do projects that we will likely never see a return on. It's a labor of love. We do it because we want to live with the end effects.

Those were the days when they rode in on the horses and trailers, there was no power, and most items were made on site by tradesmen who "on site" made all of those details. The lumber was from locally grown trees, since transporting wood was insane costly. Windows were made on site. You didn't go to Lowes and order up a stock size. There was no stock size.
Generally only the rich could afford this kind of detail. Lovely stuff.

Later Sears came out with "package deal" homes in the (you guessed it) Craftsman style. I really like those homes.

I've done some restoration and my specialty was remodeling older homes. Rarely did anyone have the cash to detail out. Generally it was work to either just expand or change up a home. Any detail work was done by a homeowner since no one could justify the expense of heavy detail (I did one full blown Victorian).

 

[Timothy]

I agree Da Aardvark. If I weren't scavenging around to find all the old stuff, I'd be flat broke right now. As for return on investment, this will probably be our last home. Have you got any pictures of that Victorian? I think I have some images of some of those package homes by the way.

 

[Da Aardvark]

Sorry no pix's
I did save the drawings on the Vicky though.
I meant to take a series of photos of finished jobs before I left the Chi-town area where I worked. I never did it.
Did a lot of new commercial and new and re-mod residential. Over 30 years, you end up with hundreds of projects.