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Posts from the “victorian” Category

Practice

Posted on 6 July 2015

We rebuild a lot of porches, but our current project is more rewarding than most.  Though the house was built in 1880, and the front porch had adopted a pronounced rightward lean, the important bits were still there.  Benign neglect is often our ally, and in this case enough of the original architectural details were still present that we’ll be able to recreate this porch almost exactly.

 

The deck and floor framing had rotted to almost nothing, so we removed them, along with the masonry steps, to leave us with the parts we planned to restore.

Front porch, partly disassembled

Front porch, partly disassembled

Closer view of carving

Closer view of carving

The carved panels, in particular, were pretty well preserved, even though the framing inside the half wall was almost non-existent.  We disassembled the panels and the columns above so we could re-support the roof, with the intention of repairing and reusing the decorative pieces.

Carved panels with Luc for scale

Carved panels with Luc for scale

The plain panel is from the back of the half-wall.  The bonus came when Dan checked the other side of the plain panel:

Visible and hidden carvings, with Musti

Visible and hidden carvings, with Musti

It seems that someone on the original work crew had done some practice carving.  Over lunch, we were imagining a scene where the young apprentice proudly shows the work to his boss.  The boss pats him on the head and assures him that his scroll will find its way into the finished porch…

Closer view of hidden carving

Closer view of hidden carving

 

Categories: Found, trade secrets, victorian

Tagged: Canton, carving, front porch, hidden work, Massachusetts, restoration

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Ain’t no window big enough

Posted on 18 March 2015

We are working on a master suite renovation, and one of the key features of the project is a large (really large) soaking tub.  About halfway through the planning for the project, someone raised the issue of actually getting the tub into the house and up to the second floor.  Tape measures came out, and we quickly determined that a tight turn on the main stair would not allow passage of the tub in any orientation.  And though the house is large, the second floor windows are rather petite.

 

When the clients confirmed that the tub was indeed very important to them, we offered that we could always cut a hole in the side of the house and hire a crane. With some clients, this would lead back to a conversation about smaller tubs, but in this case, we got the thumbs-up.

 

The morning of the move became slightly complicated when we realized that the geometry of the crane wouldn’t work, but an off-road forklift (with a very skilled operator!) came to the rescue.

 

Before we made the hole

Before we made the hole

The hole

The hole

Moving the forks into place under the tub

Moving the forks into place under the tub

Starting to lift

Starting to lift

Clearing the garage

Clearing the garage

Getting closer

Getting closer

Lined up with opening

Lined up with opening

Coming through the opening

Coming through the opening

And in (whew)

And in (whew)

And the tub's temporary home until we're ready to install it

And the tub’s temporary home until we’re ready to install it

Categories: Structural work, victorian

Tagged: bathtub, flying bathtub, forklift, Jacuzzi, Lull, victorian

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Rescue!

Posted on 13 February 2014

Unless something goes terribly wrong,* carpentry is not usually not about adrenaline rush.  Firefighters burst into burning buildings to save puppies, while we shave another few thousands off a piece of crown miolding to make a perfectly coped joint.  Slow and steady tends to suit my constitution, but a bit of urgency now and then can be nice, too.  So I was excited to get the call from Lex, a repeat client of ours:  “There’s an oak library in a house in JP, and they’re about to gut the building.  We can have it if we can pull it out tomorrow; otherwise, it’s landfill-bound.”  We jumped into action, though our shop is not equipped with any slidey fire-poles.     The house was substantial…

Categories: History, Seen, victorian, vintage

Tagged: Jamaica Plain, library, oak, salvage, victorian

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3-D printers?

Posted on 14 August 2013

I believe it’s rare for tradespeople to think of themselves explicitly as business owners, and I’m not an exception.  We see ourselves as makers of things, and we grudgingly accept the business side as the necessity that allows us to keep making.  For example, in the past when people asked me about my business model, I used to fumble for a coherent answer.   I’ve gradually come to realize that I do have a business model, though it’s been implicit for much of my company’s existence:  We can succeed if we provide products and services that can’t be replicated in a factory.  We’re based in Boston, where wages and expenses are very high, and we rarely make the same thing twice.  This is not…

Categories: Shop work, Uncategorized, victorian, vintage

Tagged: bracket, corbel, Jamaica Plain, mahogany, sapele, shop work, victorian

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