Deck The Hall House

Taking advantage of a cold snap (and bored of painting), I switched gears and started construction on the back deck. I didn't totally plan on this, I was just setting the 4x4 posts and the main support beams. But one thing led to another and a few hours later the supports were done and so was the rim joist. So I said what the hell - and kept on going. Working by myself, I used C-clamps to hold things while I squared and leveled everything and then tacked in place with drywall screws. Once all was happy I went back around with 16d nails. I used 1/2" galvanized bolts to fasten the double 2x8 main supports to the 4x4 posts. Next came adding the hangers to the ledger board, mounted on 16" centers, then drop in all the 2x8 joists. Final step to avoid any twisting was adding some cross bracing at the middle of the span.

Posts leveled, finding height to mount support header.

Closeup showing rim joists, support header, and posts completed

Joists installation complete

Bracing added - and framing stage complete

Next will be making and setting the railing posts and adding some decking.

A New Entry Oak Threshold

I crafted and installed a threshold for the new old front entry. This completed the look of the front door and came out quite nice. It is actually made from two pieces of red oak - one I made and the other I bought. The base is a solid piece of oak that I planed down and cut to size (approx. 1x6). Then it had to be rabbeted out because the cement base is actually a half inch higher than the hardwood floor inside. After a few adjustment it fit in perfect. Then I purchased a milled threshold to attach on top which is 1/4 inch thick. Once it was stained up and cleared it appears as one solid piece and should last a hundred years - unless someone rips this doorway out AGAIN!! Nothing left but weatherstripping now and refinish the door to complete the outside stage of this project.

A Cool Day To Dig

I managed to get a cool day and off from work at the same time - so I took advantage of the opportunity and dug/poured the footers for the deck. The deck will be 20 feet x 10 feet, so I marked the footers 8 feet off the house - can't have more than 2 feet cantilever by code. I also place them in 18" from the sides. Using two stakes and a string I marked a common line and that became the center for my holes. About 36 inches later, I had 3 holes ready to pour cement. I made some 12 inch square forms which I set in place and leveled to get a good surface for the post to set and establish the top of the cement above grade. After pouring each footer, I inserted 12 inch all-thread bent into an L and lines up with my string. The foot for each post will be bolted to the footer with these.

The Porch Gets A New Skirt

A long awaited project... I finally get to make the lattice skirting for the front porch. The PO left some sheets of vinyl lattice, so all I needed was materials to build the frames. I wanted to build the framing out of cedar, but getting lengths that I needed and to have them dead straight is a rare commodity these days. So I used 1x4 finger joint pine that comes pre-primed and in 16 foot lengths. I also bought L and T brackets to support the joints of the framing. Using original pictures I also added the little corner detail to the frames which give them a little more character. Here you can make out some of the details in this early pic.

Wally Hall in front yard - about 1916

There were 5 sections in all to build. I'll show a breakdown of one of the larger front sections. First was measuring, cutting, and laying out the basic frame and support brackets. The assembly was screwed together with 3/4 zinc coated wood screws. I did a trial fit in place to make sure it would fit before I went any further. Getting good measurements to stone was a bit tough and I ended up tweaking a couple before getting a good fit.

Next the corner pieces were added and then any bare wood from cuts was spot primed. I also used painter's caulk on the seams in prep for painting.

Next both sides received two coats of paint - I'm using the darker green I used on the railings.

Finally the vinyl lattice was cut to size and it too mounted to the frame with the 3/4 zinc coated screws.

Then they were mounted in place. A few sections needed some 2x4's mounted to the rim so there was something to hang the lattice from. I also sanded down and painted the porch rim joist and added new trim also painted dark green.

The final results really make a difference with the look of the porch - and the front of the house for that matter. This was definitely one of those fun projects with high payback for your efforts!

Front Door Gets The Trimmings

After the door was mounted and the posts secured, next project was making the trim work and mounting the side lites. The height was fine, but the width was narrower than original - so some of the gap had to be made up. First was taking 1x4 pieces and fitting them on the cement between the post and the wall. These were nailed in from the door side and toe nailed into the jamb and what bit reached the inside flooring, secured into the floor. This gave us a base to start trimming the side lites and help maintain the spacing on the bottom posts so they didn't wander over time. There wasn't a whole lot to really anchor the bottom of the posts with all the cement. Also these pieces were stepped out about 1/8 inch towards the outside to give a little step to the next 1x4 that would come next.

Next came 1x4 pieces that I routed the edge bead into for a little detail. These would box the opening of both sides, giving a little more meat for the top and bottom of the side lites to mount and closing the gap on the sides. It also made a nice effect for trimming out these panels. Finally some 1x2 colonial style trim finished the boxing detail and closed the rest of the gaps. Then it was time to strip down the outside of the side lites and mount them in permanently.

Then I caulked up all the seams and gave a good primer coat. Some final painting and what a difference. It opens up the foyer compared to the other door which had hardly any glass. Plus it just looks "right" for the house. The door will at some point get refinished. It has it's original finish that's OK and will be good enough till next year so I can get to more pressing projects. The inside side lites will have to be stripped in place and they will be stained to match the rest of the woodwork. Then the assembly will have to be trimmed out once I get that made. Also still need to make an oak piece for the threshold and some weatherstripping which will get done before winter.

Making The Front Door "Old" Again

In this circa 1920 photo of Mrs. Hall and the twin daughters you get a good glimpse of the original door and side lites. I was told by a neighbor that the side glass was frosted and the door was beveled glass. The PO replaced it with about 5 years ago with a pre-hung steel unit from the big box store. At the time maybe it was the nicest thing in the house, but with the restoration of the foyer, a white steel door and imitation gold leaded glass side lites stand out like a sore thumb to the nice oak woodwork and other original features now taking shape.

about 1920

Very early after buying the house I decided that I would restore this back as close to original as I could and picked up a nice original fir door with beveled glass and a pair of side lites also featuring beveled glass - the door and side lites were not from the same source or originally a set. Also worth mentioning is that I picked these up before I found the Hall's and obtained early pics of the house - so I really didn't know what the original looked like other than my neighbors description.

salvaged pieces I bought

With a rough plan and not having access to see the layout of the original jamb that new door was fitted into, my buddy John and I knocked out (carefully - I hope to get a few bucks for it!) the steel door assembly and look at what we had to work with.

steel unit removed - note notches in top header for original posts

The original construction consisted of two main 3x6's that served as the jamb for the door and also mounted one side of the side lites. This made the large opening into three openings - all of which were rabbited out to receive the door and side lites. These main post were notched to fit into a hole in the floor and anchored to the sill, and up top into a notch in the header. So obviously these were the key pieces to come up with. What we ended up using was making them from the side pieces that once made up the garage opening framing and was removed when the new framing and door were installed. These were 2x10's which we ripped down to 6 and planed both side - into nice old yellow pine studs. The originals were rabbited, but we will be adding a 1x4 to each side to achieve the same effect. This will also give us an extra inch we we need, because the original side lites were 16" wide and the ones I have are 12" - so some space needs to be made up. Next the notches were made and the we fitted them into place. I made the notches loose so we could stick the door in place and fine tune the fit to the door.

fitting the door and posts

Next I got a good lesson from John about setting up and mortising door hinges. We marked everything first before securing so we could take the post back out and do the chiseling on saw horses - much easier that way. Then everything went back together and was secured down. When all was finished the door action was flawless, hung true, and stayed in any position we put it. With just a little nudge the door swings around - closes - and latches shut.... what more could you want?


Next time I'll show how we mounted and trimmed in the side lites. Time to play with the new router table again!!

Despite The Heat - More Painting

The painting of the upper half of the porch is finishing up... though the back of the house is getting completely ignored right now. The columns and main header are all done and this is the last of the roof area. Again this was bare wood that the PO installed but never painted. It was sanded down to remove some of the weathering and then coated. The trim was trashed, so that was all replaced.




Stay tuned for the replacement of the "new" front door with salvaged "old" pieces - it's coming out even better than I hoped! And we'll be making some lattice skirting for the porch.

New Foyer Windows Unveiled

After a lot of thought, debate, and planning (and a little luck), I've been able to put the foyer window back to it's original design. By a stroke of luck and coincidence the seller of the garage door I bought on EBAY was also a master woodworker down in Cape May and offered to remake the pair of windows from a picture I obtained from the Hall family.

They are stain grade pine as original, with salvaged old (wavy) glass used. Originally these were casement style and would have been hinged on the side, but I opted to seal them in permanently which will be a bit more efficient, and I already have plenty of ventilation.

Once nailed and caulked from the outside I turned my attention to the inside replacing the old sills. After a little tweaking they fit like a glove. Then replaced jamb pieces temporarily (they still need stripping) and finally some of few remaining original casing. The final result looks better than I could have hoped and definitely ties the foyer together much better than those aluminum double hung windows ever could.

closeup of new sill and windows

The windows were hand made by John Hassay of Cape Island Woodwork, just outside of Cape May, NJ. He is restoring an old Quaker meetinghouse dating back to the late 1700's. He just finished working on this year's 2007 Cape May Designer Showhouse and has been involved with several other high profile restorations including Congress Hall in Cape May a few years back. I highly recommend him. I decided to have him make the 3rd floor dormer windows as well which have the same design as the main staircase landing window. One window survived being used to fill a busted sash in the garage, so at least this time he has an example to copy from.

windows with trim reinstalled

First Wood Shop Assignment - New Sills

The first creation from my new wood shop was making new interior sills for the foyer windows that were lovingly made into a chew toy by a PO's dog. My first step was taking some basic measurements of the sills so that I could make an oak board to cut them from. From my red oak pile I planed down a board to 1 inch thick and then joined the edges. Even though I am making two sills - I made one large board to cut from so that they would be guaranteed the same dimensions rather than make a board for each sill. My new board ended up about half an inch narrower than the original 6 inch deep sill - but would still work no problem. Next I cut this board in half - one for each window. Then I needed to make the edge bead detail that is on much of the woodwork (that's left!) in the house. I used a router table with an 1/8 inch edge bead bit and ran the boards through.

old and new left sill

After removing the sides of the window jamb, I was able to remove the old sills so they could be traced onto the new boards and cut out. They turned out pretty good. Next time will show the windows and sills installed.

closeup showing edge bead detail

Porch Gable Finished

Finished up the cedar installation and added the crown detail along the roof line. The angle at the top is 105 degrees, not 90, so all I can say is lots of trial and error to get the crown right. Final painting and admire the results.... this is now pretty close to what was original.

Porch Gable Progress

I finished stripping down the original cedar shingle siding on the gable over the front steps of the porch. Once down to the sheathing I could see some nesting remnants inside so I pulled one of the planks off and found one monster of a nest from who knows when - a couple square feet worth. I pulled it out for good measure and replaced the sheathing, then it was time to fix the hidden issues. You can certainly cover a lot of sins with vinyl unfortunately. Apparently neither flashing nor tar paper for that matter was installed under the row of shingles in front of the gable. Plus originally it just saw paint instead of tin roofing so it was in not the best condition. But it wasn't too far gone so I left in place verses the headache it would have been to replace it. I added some galvanized flashing, then everything got a layer of 30# tar paper I had laying around. On top of that I laid a roll of roofing starter strip and then was ready to the starter coarse for new cedar shingles.

closeup of starter row and bead board soffet

Next came some new bead board that I mounted under the original soffet - which were just the gable roof sheathing planks that were exposed with a coat of paint. The new bead board made this look a bit better than what was original, plus the planks were not in the best of condition after 100 years. Before I could install any siding I had to prime another batch of shingles. The siding installation was almost as tedious due to the many angle cuts to be made, but the end result is looking quite good.




I managed to squeeze in a morning on the back of the house when it's shady and did the first coat on the remaining siding - Let there be GREEN! What a difference a little color makes....




Tomorrow I pick up the foyer windows. I got a sneak peak pic and they look perfect.

Yep - Still Painting

I've mostly been working in the porch area of the house since the back is only shady in the mornings and I'm in night work mode right now. So I don't even have coffee time till about 1pm. I managed to sand down the the bead board that the PO installed on the porch and salvaged it which saved a good bit of work. I did have to replace the trim but no big deal there. Some primer and two coats later - what a difference.

I also did the insides of the bead board section which were left bare too. I painted these section the same green and this helped break up all the white of the porch. Things are looking much better up front now. I still have to sand down and finish the outside bead board on the back side of the porch, but this is in the sun so will get to it later. You can also see in the foreground I painted the railing tops the darker shade of green that the garage door will painted. I figured this will help tie things in better and change up the same green a bit which there will be a lot of. This will also be on the bands on each column and also on the frames of the lattice skirt under the porch.

Next I've staged scaffolding on the front steps to do the pitched roof detail that sits on the main porch roof (I'm sure it has a fancy architectural term for it - but I don't know it). The PO redid this with scalloped vinyl and looked OK, but I have to go the extra effort and tear this down and do cedar as was original. The crown detail was doubled up when they redid this and the scale is way off for the structure. Fortunately with the old pics I can restore this all back to original - or at least very close. I'm sure some neighbors think I've lost my mind watching me tearing apart one of the few things on the house that was already "finished" by the PO!

The layers of vinyl, plywood, and shims are removed yielding the original cedar shakes. The original crown is long gone. Below you can see part of this structure from a photo of Marian and Sarah Hall taken around 1936

The Cat Days of Summer

"Hey Mike.... will you install some central AC already!!"

North By Northwest

That's what I finally finished painting today. Plus the kitchen window is finished with paint, so this side of the house is done minus porch work.






I started setting up to work on the front porch (always have at least one project in the shade available!). Here the bead board and trim was replaced by the PO but never was painted. The trim is finger jointed pine and coming apart and the bead board is really dried out and low grade with plenty of knots. I may try to sand it down some and see how it comes up, but I may just replace it so I can all the tongues/grooves primed to hopefully add some longevity to the paint job. Still working on the south side of the back and then will do the back wall. There's still a bunch of tedious caulking to do on the siding - what fun.

Some Noteworthy Painting Begins

I'm finally starting to paint the fiber cement siding I installed on the back of the house last year. It's been long overdue and fortunately the factory prime coat has held up really well so I shouldn't need to do a re-prime, except for where the cuts are. Also needing to be done is caulking along the edges where the clapboards meet trim work. I put one coat on the wall behind the basement entrance and on the north end wall. This stuff certainly soaks up the paint and two coats is a minimum. Getting the color up though is finally giving some visualization of what the final results will look like with the colors - and we like it.

I also started repairing the original vertical trim on the back corner and replacing the drip trim along the skirt boarding (not yet there). I had one piece remaining that I was able to use to get my sizing and angles. With the recently acquired tools I was able to make new pieces from old yellow pine that was removed from the loft of the garage - which will be original materials and hold up much better than new pine. I'm starting to get the hang of using the planer and the jointer works great. Now just some fill work and can do final prime and paint to finish this corner. Then I can set up to finish the back and finally start working on a deck so I can use the back door.

... I'm still picking at the kitchen window, finally stripped and about ready for paint. Driveway side of house painting (1st floor) is just about done 2 coats. And the foyer windows should be ready to be picked up this weekend!

More Goodies From Lancaster

Another trip to Lancaster and another full pickup truck back home! I went with a friend from work to pick up the jointer I won on EBAY and we decided to make a few stops on the way back. And I managed to make some great finds.

First was a great piece of slate. I've been pondering the parlor fireplace I'm building for some time trying to figure just how to finish it. I want this to look like a fireplace that was always in the house, so using any modern tile is just out of the question. I thought about the stone veneer products, but that's not quite the look I'm going for and not sure how well it would work in this house (though the outside is stone...). I finally concluded just the day before that a one piece slate hearth would look really well and hold up to the wood stove and started researching places to find and have cut locally. The sides will be trimmed in oak instead of the brick veneer and the front will hopefully be some kind of salvaged tile. I think instead of finishing the inside to look like a firebox, I will instead make sheet metal cover to hide this incorporating the heat deflector I will need (experience from other house). It sounds crude, but I think I can make it work and look nice. The metal will also help reflect heat back into the room. Here is what I found. It even has one corner cut already! The width is perfect, but it's about 6 inches shorter than I would like for depth. If I wasn't using the stove it would be perfect, but I will probably need a 6 inch wide piece to fill in the back. Still will look much better than 12 inch squares. At $95 I thought it was a good buy and much cheaper than having one made. Now too figure how i'll cut the other corner.

At the same place I found this pressure gauge that I hope to use on the original heater/boiler I restored last year. Hopefully it should still work. The scale is marked for where to fill based on 1&2 stories, 3 story, and 4 story houses.

And here is the Craftsman 6 inch jointer. It's about 1960 vintage (quite new for my collection!) and in excellent shape. It has a nice sharp set of knives on it and after a good cleaning and a paint job will be ready for service. I tried it out with a piece of scrap oak I've been playing with from my pile that will hopefully become woodwork for the house. It work great and made a nice clean square edge.



Once I run my board though this then I can run them though my planer and this is the results I should have.... a nice 1x6 red oak board ready to become baseboard. Use my newly restored radial arm and take it down to a 1x4 and I'm ready to mill some new casement mouldings (as soon as I get the knives made). I tested a few stain colors to see just how this oak is going to finish out - I think I'll be happy!

Happy 4th

Happy 4th from the Hall House

Ready For Windows... Almost

The wood repairs are done on the outside of the foyer windows and one coat of paint. Outside is now ready for when I get the new windows. Inside however has an issue I haven't dealt with yet. The inside sill, especially on one side was really chewed/clawed by a PO or renter's dog. Some issues I cough up to 100 years of use and call it "character" or part of the house's history - but these are really bad and must be replaced. So begins the project in bringing back the inside woodwork and I get to start using some of my "new" toys.

The side pieces should come out pretty easy and then I can remove the sills and install replacements. I still need to get a router table and so I can make the beading detail that is common to all the sills in the house as well as on the seats, shelves, and other trim in the house. So looks like I will have to finally cash in my accumulated Sears gift cards I've been hoarding for a rainy day.