Restoration.....

[JohnDB]

Ok
A few years ago I retired from working due to the destruction of the joints in my legs. The knees can eventually be replaced but they don't make ankle replacements that are not experimental and covered by insurance.
So....while I'm still independently mobile. I have a TON of experience and knowledge about construction. We bought a 1890's Queen Ann Victorian home. It's been added onto over the years and it's had several periods of neglect over the 130 years of its life. It originally was built without indoor plumbing or electricity.
However mill work was hot and new...also lots of creativity with design, trim, and layout of Southern Victorian homes.

The size of the beams (where exposed for viewing) are immense. A lot of the mill work was done on site as they were building the house. 2x4's were really 2" by 4" and rough sawn. All is made from old growth heart pine. Meaning it cannot be replaced by modern materials today. Today's lumber is made from farm raised trees as fast as they can. The wide rings in the boards from the tree growth rings tells you it's nothing like what once was used.

So....I got lath and plaster walls and ceilings. Heart pine tongue and groove walls, ceilings and floors too. Pine boards that were milled lose to on-site for lap siding. Every board was cut by hand tools. Each nail pounded by hammers.

So....post and beam construction is what suspends the flooring.

I'm starting at the top and working my way down. I've got to replace a bunch of shingles that have given up the ghost. Mostly just cap shingles. The turret is a big concern as well as the roof peaks...

 

[JohnDB]

Even the paneling is tongue and groove "flooring" type boards set in place by placing them under a "chair rail" milled decorative board.

Gonna be a LOT of work to restore this place.

 

[Helen]

Ok
A few years ago I retired from working due to the destruction of the joints in my legs. The knees can eventually be replaced but they don't make ankle replacements that are not experimental and covered by insurance.
So....while I'm still independently mobile. I have a TON of experience and knowledge about construction. We bought a 1890's Queen Ann Victorian home. It's been added onto over the years and it's had several periods of neglect over the 130 years of its life. It originally was built without indoor plumbing or electricity.
However mill work was hot and new...also lots of creativity with design, trim, and layout of Southern Victorian homes.

The size of the beams (where exposed for viewing) are immense. A lot of the mill work was done on site as they were building the house. 2x4's were really 2" by 4" and rough sawn. All is made from old growth heart pine. Meaning it cannot be replaced by modern materials today. Today's lumber is made from farm raised trees as fast as they can. The wide rings in the boards from the tree growth rings tells you it's nothing like what once was used.

So....I got lath and plaster walls and ceilings. Heart pine tongue and groove walls, ceilings and floors too. Pine boards that were milled lose to on-site for lap siding. Every board was cut by hand tools. Each nail pounded by hammers.

So....post and beam construction is what suspends the flooring.

I'm starting at the top and working my way down. I've got to replace a bunch of shingles that have given up the ghost. Mostly just cap shingles. The turret is a big concern as well as the roof peaks...

View attachment 63949

Sounds like you have a life time project there .
can you post more pics , would love to see more ( either here or on the Photo Thread ..

 

[JohnDB]

Sounds like you have a life time project there .
can you post more pics , would love to see more ( either here or on the Photo Thread ..

You betcha....

This morning I'm off to see if I can find lap siding close to the 130 year old siding that's on the majority of the house. I'll probably have to make a router table and buy some router bits to make the siding match.
I made a couple of saw horses so I can paint the new boards before they go up.

Also I got some of the cap shingles to see if I can find some that match what I have. The cedar shake is fairly standard but I'll likely have to cut them (at a guess).

Cedar shake is annoying. The ones on the house are so old and brittle that the likelihood of them turning into splinters the second I try to repair the few missing is high....so a few bundles of them will be needed too.

However....don't expect pictures of me up high....I'll be clinging for dear life.

 

[Helen]

Well , just looking forward to some “before “ picture , so we can see how it all develops .
where abouts do you live , I was born in Middlesex , UK , then moved to Sussex in my mid teens.

Been here in Western Canada for the last 49 years !

Stay safe , blessings …H

 

[Eternally Grateful]

looks like an awesome project. Like @Helen look forward to more pics :)

 

[JohnDB]

Well , just looking forward to some “before “ picture , so we can see how it all develops .
where abouts do you live , I was born in Middlesex , UK , then moved to Sussex in my mid teens.

Been here in Western Canada for the last 49 years !

Stay safe , blessings …H

Yeah....I'll try later today/tomorrow.
Thus house is in Southern Georgia USA....

In the middle of a tiny county and even smaller city..

Basically so far off the beaten path that three cars at the only street light for 30 miles around constitutes a traffic jam for rush hour.

 

[JohnDB]

I've been trying to do a test elevation. What that is ....it is where a take a section and do ALL repairs and paint removal and then paint it the colors we have chosen and put them on.
I got stopped by 135 year old linseed oil paint. (Yes, lead based of course)
So I had to stop....wait for new paint remover. (A mixture of lye and lime) and am going to try it today. I've been sanding and grinding the paint off....but next to the glass it is too big of a risk. The glass is not replaceable. In the 1890's glass was not really flat or flawless like modern glass is. There is always a distortion when looking through it. But it also has a unique feature of creating what we call window ghosts today.
So this stuff is pricey....but I know the recipe....next time I'll just buy the ingredients and make it but I wanted to try it this way first.
I have to test the ph in the wood afterwards and neutralize it with acid....so the paint will stick. This is messy and time consuming. I have over a dozen windows to do this way....but I'm starting with just one.

Meanwhile landscaping is screaming that I need to pay attention to it. No pecans this year because of the rain and humidity. But just routine stuff of Bush hogging, weedeating and etc. (Its a jungle out there)

Maybe in a couple of weeks I can actually begin to paint.