HABS to Watch Out For

Tomorrow we embark on the building of the Hill fireplace.  The Hill house is a turn of the 19th century farmhouse, with all the attendant revisions and additions.  The owner wants to restore her fireplace to reflect the time period it was built and the building trends in her region. Through her own research, she…

Windows on the Workbench

Allow me, for a moment, to wax about about windows:  They are the eyes to a building’s soul.  The transom light above  a Yankee barn door and the triple-hung sash in a meetinghouse facade help to distinguish a building, or relate it to its peers.  Even when dismantling the most decrepit of barns, we are…

Lebanon Barn Coming in for the Finish

A few months back, we disassembled a barn in Lebanon, Maine.  Since then, we took the pieces back to the shop, repaired what we could, and re-designed the rest.  This Spring, we assembled the frame using original and remade pieces, and Shawn and his crew have been busy hanging the cornice. Click on the photos…

Trim Time

These past few weeks, with the inclement weather, the York Congregational trim has kept us busy in the shop. Using a steam box, we carefully scraped the lead paint from the trim pieces, made dutchman repairs, and filled nail holes with West System epoxy. We were able to repair 90% of the scroll-shaped trim that…

Face Lift for an Old Girl

We have begun replacing the clock faces of the First Parish Congregational Church in York, Maine.  Formed in 1636, the congregation is the oldest in Maine.  The current building was built in 1747, and moved to its position, facing the road, in 1888. It is time for this old girl to get a face lift. …