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It happens to all of us. Life takes over and we forget where we are sometimes. It’s as if the train is going so fast that the view of the landscape through the window is blurred as it whizzes by. Then there is this moment when you stop to take a breath, usually it’s in one of your happy places, and you remember all of those things you had forgotten. Your senses come alive again as you savor the taste, smell, and feeling of the moment. You breathe. It feels good.

So, here I sit in the peony garden, one of my favorite places to let everything slow down around me. It’s the end of a holiday weekend and a perfect time for catching up.

I saw a friend earlier this year who said, “I’m so glad you’re done with the restorations at White Plains!” I’m not sure if it was the confused look on my face or the involuntary crinkle of my nose, but she followed with, “You are done, right?” I had to break the news to her. Even though it’s been a productive spring, finishing a lot of major projects, it’s been a busy push to the finish line.

What’s Going On Under There?

One of the first big projects of the year was a structural repair to the eighteenth century timer framing on the north-east side of the house. Having identified some old termite damage in the floors near that area when we first purchased the property, we knew it would be on the docket at some point. Although we had already overseen replacement and stabilization of other major structural beams in other parts of the house, I still felt pretty nervous about this one. Maybe it was the unknown that is ever-present when opening walls of such an old structure or maybe it was seeing my summer vacation budget get converted to an emergency work fund!

Thankfully Jason at Rappahannock Restorations eased my stress from the start and gave us a clear plan on how we would move through the unknown. The first step was to remove siding from the outside to assess what might be happening underneath. Removal began between the chimney and second floor window, where it appears water had been entering for many years, causing not only direct damage but also creating an environment that’s very appealing for termites.

As more siding was removed, almost to the brick foundation, you could easily see the trail that the water and termites took through the framing. They had almost fully dissolved several main posts and beams, requiring a bit more work than we had originally anticipated. Thankfully, the damage stopped just before the impressive locust corner post and ran up to the chimney on the other side. This made access to the problem much easier, tackling it from the outside and without requiring us to break into the interior plaster walls – one of my biggest fears!

Jason and his crew expertly stabilized the compromised framing, replacing and adding as necessary. After the old 1940’s insulation was removed and new added, it was time to replace the siding. Unfortunately, most of the old siding was too brittle to be saved, but we were able to replace it with a new cedar siding in the same colonial bead-board style. Hopefully it will last for another couple of hundred years.

Construction Marks In Eighteenth Century Timber Framing

One really cool thing about the excavation of structures is what you find underneath the layers. Here we found the roman numerals used by carpenters to match up the timber frame components. These marks are commonly found at the joint with a matching roman numeral on the corresponding piece. This method ensured that custom-hewn joints and timber sections weren’t mixed up in either transport or when they were installed on-site. You can easily see them in the unfinished attic here, but it’s always a treat to see the hidden ones. I’d guess they don’t get unearthed but about once every one hundred years or so!  Check out this post from our friends over at Historic House Blog for more about 18th century construction marks. 

As stewards of this old house, sometimes we have to tackle projects that we’d rather leave for someone else. Unfortunately, there is no guarantee that someone else will come along and take care of it in the way it deserves. As we complete the final stage of this restoration and renovation, I’m often reminded that we all have a role to play in the preservation of our historic assets. This work is just a small part of that.