Editor's note: The Michael D. Coffeen Mansion is one of the historic homes of Homer, Illinois, a small town west of Urbana. Also known locally as "The Homer Castle," the house sat vacant for two years before it was purchased by Ray and Christine Cunningham on December 31, 1998.
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The turret is one of the most prominent features of a Queen Anne Victorian, and Ray and Christine's Cunningham's home was no exception. When they bought the 1889 mansion, the turret was locked behind doors from the inside. Outside, the ornate cedar shingles were covered with sheet metal. The finial was gone, the cone was coated with stucco, and the whole tower sagged noticeably. And everyone in town wanted to know when the Cunninghams were going to restore the tower.
Other major structural problems demanded immediate attention, but a year into their restoration project, the Cunninghams were ready to tackle the turret. Ray often tells novice old-house owners that it's important to know the limits of your skill. With that in mind, the Cunninghams called in the help of RDI, a local company experienced in restoration. Ray and a friend still did the bulk of the work, under the guidance of RDI.
The first task was to figure out why the turret was sinking and leaning. Measurements showed the floor was at least 5 inches lower than the farthest point of the adjacent room. The stucco and concrete cap had to come off before the turret could be jacked up. With a rented saw, Ray cut the stucco off, revealing the original shingles. These he says, gave a glimpse of the original beauty of the home.
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) Sawing off the stucco reveals ornate shingling original to the turret (right). | ) | ) Ray reveals that fanciful shingles are go straight up the roof. |
) Fishscale and diamond shingles were once painted red and gold. | ) Large sections of the cone were rotted away. Ray used duct tape, foam and ingenuity to rebuild the structure. | (Click on any picture for a larger view.) |
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With the stucco removed from the turret, Ray began peeling the concrete off the cone top, again revealing original wooden shingles that were painted in an elaborate red and gold color scheme. The tower finial was long ago removed.
There was no paper under the shingles, and without restoration, it would leak.
RDI pulled up the floor of the turret and began work. The turret was jacked level, using the supporting structure underneath. Now repairs to the turret could begin.
One of the biggest challenges would be repairing the apex of the cone. About 14 inches of the cone was rotted away, and Ray had to think of a way to carve or form a new cone. The solution came from another project -- fixing the porch pillars. Ray noticed that the foam he used to fill in the masonry holes in the pillars became rigid and could be carved after 48 hours.
He cut a round piece of plywood for the base and attached a 3/4-inch piece of pipe the desired height centered to the round base. He then carved a one inch wood donut for the top, leaving the threads exposed so a finial could be attached later. This cone assembly was put on the turret, and strips of wood were put from the base to the top and nailed to the donut.
Low-cost 20th century inventions -- spray foam and duct tape -- were used to complete the re-building of the cone. Ray wrapped the cone with duct tape and then began filling it with foam. At the foam dried, it became tight and conformed to the desired shape Excess foam was carved off, and a rubber underlayment was applied to seal the roof.
Here is Ray's diary of work on the turret over two years. Keep in mind that the tower was only one of several major projects being done simultaneously.
June 2000
5 June - Turret project begins with removal of steel sheets around turret. The condition of the turret is good with little wood rot found on the sills. The weights and ropes are intact. The bottom windows are removed. The ceiling of the turret is painted. The door and frame to the turret are removed and the entrance to the turret is restored to the full height, as it was originally configured. The wallpaper is stripped from the wall.
10 June - Concrete cutter is rented. Vertical cuts are made in the (exterior) sides of the turret stucco. The crack is widened with a chisel and the stucco is pried off the turret. The revealed underside shows that the stucco was applied over the shingles with a metal lath stapled to the shingles. An ornate radiator is purchased for the turret room. The radiators in the original house were removed in the 1960's or early 1970's. Because there are holes and hardware for radiators still in the home, several will be restored.
14 June - Door between upstairs kitchen and turret room is framed for closing. Baseboard is cut. Drywall is cut for placement.
15 June - Framing is completed on door between upstairs kitchen and turret room. Second baseboard is cut and both baseboards are installed. Drywall is trimmed and installed.
25 June - Turret tear down day. (Contractor) requests that the coverings and weight of the top of the turret be removed. In one of the most difficult projects to date, the concrete coating is removed from the top of the turret. Metal lathe and concrete were applied to the turret in the 1917 renovation. The finial was removed at that time but parts of the flashing are found. What is revealed under the concrete, lathe and tar paper is an ornate roof, once painted in red and gold. Layers of round, diamond, square and drilled shingles are revealed. On the front of the turret the ladder is lag bolted to the front of the turret and more concrete is removed. The entire top is wrapped in a tarp and plastic covers the tarp. The covering is held down with boards and sheetrock screws. The weight is removed and the turret is lighter. Some movement is noted when the weight is removed and the top is climbed on.
July 2000
18 July - RDI opens the floor of the turret and jacks up the turret structure. The turret is stabilized. The floor is restored to within 1/16th of an inch to level. We remove the nails from the birch flooring.
19 July - RDI restores the floor and removes the windows from the turret for restoration. The original birch flooring is restored to the original configuration. Plans are made for copper to be used on the re-roofing of the turret.
29 July- First radiator is brought to the porch and old paint is stripped off. The radiator is painted white.
30 July-First radiator (white) ornamentation is highlighted in gold. This radiator will be put in the turret room.
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September 2000
2 September - Scaffold constructed in front of turret. This will be used for re-roofing the turret and afterward will be moved to the east side for paint removal on the gable.
15 September - Copper roofing and copper nails purchased for turret.
17 September - More shingles are removed from turret. Nails are removed from turret and the uneven top is cut with a jig saw. Trim board on the bottom of the turret is removed.
18 September - Turret roof is covered in plastic to protect it from the weather.
25 September - Finial copper is soldered. A peak is constructed of plywood and 1/2 inch pipe.
26 September - Turret roof is uncovered and cleaned of nails. Eight wood strips are cut for the peak. The roofing around the turret is removed along with the old flashing.
27 September - The roof area around the turret is strengthened. Wood rot is removed and new wood is applied. Sheet steel is used next to the turret to strengthen valley. Peak is applied to the top.
28 September - Trim pieces are applied to the turret by building up the curved area with 1/8 Masonite. Polyurethane foam is put into turret peak and is allowed to cure, peak is covered with duct tape.
29 September - Underlayment is applied to the turret. Foam cures and peak is covered after carving expansion areas.
30 September - The last of the underlayment is applied to the turret roof. Peak pieces of underlayment are cut and applied. It is secured with duct tape until first of the red rosin paper and copper is applied.
May 2001
15 May - Peter Boll (carpenter) works on the turret windows. The turret exterior is peeled away to view the inside. Bathroom renovation continues. Christine cleans up from the construction in the dining room.
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) With scaffolding in place, work progresses. | ) View from the top. | ) Work progresses on turret windows. |
) Turret from inside. | ) Rebuilt window frame. Design had to be modified later to include window stops. | ) Another view of window framing. |
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| (Click on any picture for a larger view.) |
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June 2001
7 June - Peter Boll mounts the first window frame in the turret. The first glass will be ordered for the frame. New turret window. The window will be divided but a single piece of glass will be mounted. The piece at the top is for stability and will be removed after mounting the glass and installation.
9 June - Peter Boll continues work on the turret with more exterior work on window two.
12 June - The turret is taken apart. All facing boards are removed and the window weights are removed. Ornamentation is applied to outside of facing boards as a test. Complete restructuring of the turret supports is done with 2x4's trimmed and put inside the turret frame. Copper flashing will be put above the drip edge of the windows. Roofers are scheduled to begin in 2 weeks.
13 June - The first window frame is taken to glass manufacturer for sizing. Cotter Glass estimates the window glass will cost $300 for a large frame. We plan to create one window in two sections, restoring an original window. Ornamentation is applied to the exterior of the turret.
20 June - Heating vent boards cut and installed. Arrow glass has the 34 inch radius glass needed for the turret windows. A visit to their shop reveals that curved glass the entire length of the window is not practical. We will manufacture a stop for the window.
23 June - Turret uncovered and shingles removed above windows.
24 June - Turret is stripped of all shingles. Tarpaper is applied to turret. Repairs are done to turret in the rotted areas. Caulk and insulation used on turret.
26 June - All turret window frames have center stops. Shingles for the turret are ordered.
27 June - Turret window is returned to Arrow glass for glass installation. Plaster is removed from the interior of the turret. The plaster is removed because of the severe damage caused over the years. The cracks were as much as one inch wide. Lath will be removed and turret will be completely insulated.
October 2001
5 October - Ray drives to Olney, Illinois to Truvex glass for four panes of 34" radius curved glass. We put in two panes in the evening.
6 October - Another pane is installed but the window frame for the last one does not fit. Pete Boll resizes the window.
8 October - The last curved glass window is installed. The turret now has windows and we light it up.
9 October - Turret exterior is caulked. Windows cleaned and interior turret boards are evaluated.
10 October - Planning for the turret interior begins. The turret interior will be restored to what it was in 1917. A few problems are presented: what to do with the ceiling/wall connection; what to do with the floor; how to treat the wall corners.
16 October - Turret is lit at night.
Other parts of this story: | Buying a mansion | Advice on tackling restoration projects |
All photos are courtesy of Ray and Christine Cunningham. For more details on this project, visit the Cunninghams' Web site.
