Something Different on the Job…Not Cutting Corners.
by Eric Ayre, General Contractor and Owner of Top Cat Construction
Before I potentially bore you with all the construction tasks detailed below – I just want to say what a pleasure it has been to work with Bruce and Melanie Rosenbaum on the special restoration project at 390 Mount Hope Street in N Attleboro.
At first I was a little apprehensive about being on a job of this magnitude. Not because I didn’t feel we could perform the scope of work, but because of past experiences where after the owner has found out what’s involved to do it properly (i.e. costs, time and planning) – and usually corners are cut and the owner’s primary focus is cutting costs at the expense of doing it right. That was not the case at 390 Mount Hope Street.
From my first meeting with Bruce and Melanie, it became clear they had a passion for older homes and the desire to do a complete restoration job – making sure that all the systems were modernized and done to code, but maintaining and restoring the original beauty, charm and grandeur of the home. Also the research of the history of the Freeman home was awesome and it helped my guys get more emotionally connected to the property.
While the character and details of a Victorian home when fully restored are satisfying – it’s definitely a painstaking, tedious task to do it right. Here’s how things started: When we first started to replace the fascias on the back of the house – we found that the rafter tails, along with the soffitts were completely rotted out. The rafters were also up and down in a piano key effect. We had to hand plane rafters and the tails were replaced and sistered. In addition, a new framed knee wall was done above the flat roof in the back of the house. At least 60 feet of the rakes have been replaced with new framing. Freeze boards have been done along with siding to large areas of the house and turret. The chimney, while not active, was preserved by repointing, replacing loose brick, installing new lead flashing, acid washed and painting of the limestone cap and collars.
The scope of the roof work was extensive. We started by refeeding and replacing the existing slate roof and finishing it off with an acid wash. The main house roof was stripped of the existing slate on the back of the house and salvaged. Asphalt shingles were stripped on the front of the house. Decorative Crests on the dormers were removed, restored and reinstalled. Ice and water barriers were installed in the valleys, outside perimeter of the roof and around any openings. A new drip edge and 15 LB felt paper and flashing were also installed on the roof. Top quality, architectural Carriage House shingles were installed using hurricane nails. Any rotted wood on the roof was replaced and a new complete layer of plywood was layed over the back of the roof. Two stop rolled roofing was installed to the dormer on the back of the house. The original sun tunnel with the stained glass inset was totally rebuilt. Rubber was installed on all exposed areas and under the roof with .045 rubber. Stained glass in the tunnel has been removed, restored and reinstalled along with a new Lexan Plastic cover for the top. The Lexan has been sealed and is water tight.
The turret has had extensive work – both in and out. It was barely attached to the house due to the massive water damage that had occurred over the years. After being gutted – all the damaged beams were removed and replaced. The work had to be done surgically with great precision because of the temporary support issues and the difficulty to access points working inside the turret. Plywood is installed all up and down the walls to tighten the turret along with 4’ x 8’ fur collars left exposed with corulating anchors, through bolts and support clips for added strength.
On the outside of the turret we did the following: Replaced or repaired the window awnings, soffitt roofs, dormer roofs, entrance roof and turret roof. The dormers have been reframed and reroofed. Soffitts have been repaired with all new rubber installed to their roofs. Slate has been refed with new flashing on corners. A hatch has been rebuilt to the turret roof top and the turret top roof has been also repaired. All the exposed tin roofs had protective cognac applied to help make areas watertight.
For the structurals – we did the following: third floor rafters sistered or replaced, ridge beam; collars and headers installed, three new skylights and a sun tunnel installed. First floor family room – steel beam (approx ∏ ton in weight) installed…fun!
Some smaller (but also important) projects were: basement door removed and a new door custom built and installed. Egress stairs to basement reworked. Retaining wall to steps rebuilt using existing stone on site. Outside foundation cleaned, pointed and parged. New footings for new supports in basement. Parged inside foundation walls. All parging done with C-21 and Weld-O-Bond for added adhesion. We also filled with concrete – a 6’ x 12’ x 5’ crawl space in the basement where the foundation walls were failing.
Overall, this house has been thoroughly gone through and nothing has been overlooked. As a lifelong resident of North Attleboro and an experienced contractor (I’ve worked on many small, large, old and new homes in North Attleboro), I truly believe that 390 Mount Hope Street, both structurally and aesthetically is the finest home in North Attleboro. It’s a definite jewel for the future homeowner and for the town of N Attleboro. With over 130 years of past memories for others, now restored – 390 Mount Hope Street will now hopefully have another 100+ years of memories for many families to come.
Robin Gartska, RPdesign Solutions
Every week as I post Bruce's restoration blog and photos of the progress, I am always amazed at how much work is involved and the attention to detail on every inch of the renovation is incredible. I hope the new owners can appreciate all the hard work! I look forward to seeing the end result.