Circa 1790 (1811) Cape. (Lots of pictures)

[gregV]

Changed the thread title here. Added the 1811. Will discuss shortly.

Hope it's cool to post up a topic about the restoration of my home.
This all began over 15 years ago when I moved to Northeastern CT in search of an antique house. Found my cape that I am now in and the very first day I started 'tearing' into it.
The house was on record as being built in 1690, but that was obviously not true. I knew enough about early homes to have an idea where this house was as far as age. The closest I have come to documenting it, I would say the house was built between 1790 and 1810. Spent many many hours in three town halls doing research and came up with some good stuff. I do have the complete Taxed inventory of this home when the original owner passed away around 1830. Everything from knives to bedsteads to looms and spinning wheels with all there appraised values for tax records.
The house stood with it's 1930s restoration when we bought it. It was going to be a three year project, but life can really through some curve balls!
So, I'll start with some gable end pictures. I don't have a ton of photos, but a decent amount. This is not where I started with the house, but it was a few years into it that I did. These are old pics that I just scanned.

House when we bought it.


A few plants cut down.


Replacing the sill and ending the beams and studs, all with white oak.






Second floor, same gable end

This was interior the day we were looking at the house. How long has this taken?? That's my now 19 year old son!! OMG!


A few years later the work began here.












Building the door frame




The finished cable end with the new bathroom addition "L".
Note that I removed all power lines from the house.


Inside of how it looks now. Dived into a hall , on right, and a room on the left


Thanks for letting me share. More very soon.

Greg

[Old Colonial]

Greg,

Great pictures and great work. Thanks for sharing.

Jeff

[lupinfarm]

Wow what a transformation. I love your house it is really cozy looking. Oh and who is the horse nut? . Is that you doing
the work ( up the step ladder)

[Old Colonial]

Greg,

I just saw the pictures of shoveling snow off the roof and got a good look at the windows Did you make them?

Jeff

[gregV]

"Horse nut" would be my daughter, who has since moved on and married. So, that pic is a little old I guess. Oh my. where does the time go!?

I only build the planked style window frames and I have a guy who builds the sashes. It's really all he does and he is VERY fair priced. Bring him your old glass, or reproduction glass and he will use it. He has done a lot of work for me and many of my friends.

Greg

[cfisher057]

Hey greg, what type of wood did you use on the gable ends that you spliced on? It almost looks hand-hewn?
--Chris

[gregV]

Chris,
You are asking about the studs? They are band sawn white oak from a mill here in town. I lapped and epoxied and bolted them to the original studs and post. I wanted to do all I could to preserve the original lath and plaster in that room (you can see it above the wainscot boards) so I didn't want to remove the whole stud(s). The bottoms were badly rotted and termite eaten along with the sill.
Not sure I would do it the same way today.

[oldhouseluvr]

That was quite the job to replace the rotten wood, but well worth it to preserve the house. Love the new windows and door frame. You are obviously committed to doing this "right" and I appreciate the opportunity to see the results of your work. Thanks for sharing!

[gregV]

Some pictures of the FRONT.
Wanted to retain all original sheathing if I could. I was very careful of not discarding 200+ year hold hand worked boards. Many throughout the hose had the Milling marks in plane view once I exposed them. This helped confirm who the house was built for which was Nathan Gennings. I'll get a picture of one or two of these so you see what I am talking about.
By saving and not removing all the exterior sheathing I could now measure out all the original clapboard nail holes to then I was able to get the original clapboard exposure I was also very careful NOT to straight out the house. I left the sags where they had settled for the past 200+ years. None were so bad that made it uncomfortable to the eye or inner ear. I have actually been in some very old homes that have made me nauseous because they were so crooked. I had to get out before I got sick.
So, here are some pictures of doing the front and roof.

Before we purchased the home


After clearing all the ornamental plants (I would almost hide ever time someone drove by because they all loved those plants, haa)


Stripping the roof. Under the asphalt was a layer of cedar which was all in very good shape but for all the nail holes from the asphalt. Killed me to see that.
I have some original shingles under the 1830 "L". They are all hand split and shaved chestnut! Beautiful!
Note the new chimney. The center stack was still 100% original but for just above the roof line. Period bricks were used.




Getting out the old rotted sills and replacing with while oak, 7"x9"




Getting it closed back up.






Hard to see in these photos really, but claps are a little wavy and uneven. They graduate their exposure from bottom to top, but not like what most try and do today.
The window frames are even somewhat cocked as well as some of the sashes. Not that easy to do, but what it pulls off is a convincing authentic look. Even the roof sags as it did before, to which the old timers thought I was crazy.

[gregV]

Double post again...sorry.