Landmark Services- Historic Renovation Contractors

They didn't always build them like they used to...

While most of the historic houses that we've renovated and restored have been well built, once in a while we come across a house that makes you wonder how many houses had these guys built. Such is the case with a Federal era house that we're currently renovating in Milton.  It's a very large, impressive looking three story Federal. Our clients had owned it for about a year before we started the project.  The scope of the project dictated that they move out during construction.  

It was obvious at first glance that the house had some major structural issues. Some of the sagged 5-6 inches, most of the doorways were crooked,  and the stairs moved visibly when someone used them.  After taking down the lath and plaster we discovered that the builders had not followed some basic rules of post and beam construction.  Namely, they hadn't used enough posts to support the loads carried by the beams that ran through the middle of each room.

To make a long story sort, when our engineer Mike Fillion had evaluated the house, he determined that we needed an extensive system of laminated lumber beams (LVL's), steel beams, and custom steel connectors. Further, the roof structure was so undersized and damaged by previous modifications that it meant completely framing a completely new rafter system.

Our lead carpenter Don Lagasse led the four month campaign required to carry out the structural work.  He spent a couple weeks just fabricating and welding the custom steel saddles connecting the new LVL lumber to the old frame.

Right now the plasterers are on site.  Check back later for an update and some photos of the interior as it gets finished out.

We're Landmark Services, the Old House Experts in Massachusetts. If you're interested in the renovation of historic homes, barns, or churches, take a look at our website. Also, please note that our blog has moved and is now located within our website here: www.landmarkservices.com/blog . All new posts will be located there. Have an addition, renovation or repair project in mind? We offer free consultations, so please contact us to set up an appointment. 

Case Study: Basement renovation- historic house

(This is the first in what will be an ongoing series spotlighting some of our projects)

It's tough enough to do a successful basement remodel in a 20th century house.  If you don't take care of the water, you'll have a disaster on your hands.  Now imagine trying to get good clean, dry space in the basement of an 1830's house with a fieldstone foundation.  

Our clients have a lovely Greek Revival home outside of Boston.  With 4 young kids they really needed more space.  A tight lot eliminated an addition from consideration, which meant that the basement was the only option.  Here's what we started with:

The first step was to install a system to prevent water infiltration.  We hired Pioneer Basement to do this work for us.  They installed a perimeter drain system leading to a sump pump and also also a membrane over the fieldstone walls which would direct any water that came through the stone towards the drainpipe.  This system is shown below.

With the water situation addressed, we proceeded to install framing and mechanical systems, as we would on any project:

Before closing up the walls, we had Icynene insulation sprayed against the membrane that covered the foundation walls.  The Icynene really took the chill out of this space.  We don't like to use fiberglass insulation on any of our projects, but it's particularly important, in our opinion, not to use fiberglass in a basement where it can pick up moisture and allow mold to grow.

After insulating we installed the finished walls and ceilings (plaster skimcoat over blueboard), flooring (cork flooring tiles), a built in entertainment center, and other finishes.  In addition to a great playroom for the kids (and a football watching area for their dad complete with wine storage), their mom got a space for her art studio.  This historic house basement renovation transformed what was a typical dark, damp basement into a really useful, pleasant space for this growing family.  

We're Landmark Services, the Old House Experts in Massachusetts. If you're interested in the renovation of historic homes, barns, or churches, take a look at our website. Also, please note that our blog has moved and is now located within our website here: www.landmarkservices.com/blog . All new posts will be located there. Have an addition, renovation or repair project in mind? We offer free consultations, so please contact us to set up an appointment. 

Sketchup

I've been fooling around with Google Sketchup in recent months.  It's a great tool for helping clients to better understand and visualize the project.  I've been using it to draw cabinets, model entire floorplans, plan a bathroom renovation, and more.  It can be used in the shop to model each component in a cabinet or piece of furniture.  Timber framers use it to plan every timber complete with mortices and tenons.  This can really speed up layout and production. 

Google offers it in a Pro version ($495) and a free version.  For most people, the free version is perfectly fine. It's an incredibly powerful piece of software.  

We're Landmark Services, the Old House Experts in Massachusetts. If you're interested in the renovation of historic homes, barns, or churches, take a look at our website. Also, please note that our blog has moved and is now located within our website here: www.landmarkservices.com/blog . All new posts will be located there. Have an addition, renovation or repair project in mind? We offer free consultations, so please contact us to set up an appointment. 

"Green" resource center

I had a chance to take a tour recently of the Nexus Green Building Resource Center in Boston.  What a fantastic resource for anyone- homeowners, architects, builders, and designers- interested in incorporating green materials and techniques into their lives.  

So what is it?  Well, it's a place to learn.  They have a hands on sample area where you can look at and hold samples of green materials such as resilient flooring, glass countertop materials, etc.  They have a large resource library where you can browse manufacturer's catalogs.  They give classes on LEED certification.  And a very helpful staff that can point you in the right direction.

It's also a wonderful real-life example of green renovation.  There are green materials and techniques used throughout the space so you can see how highly efficient lighting, for example, looks and performs.

Next time you're near Downtown Crossing and have 30 minutes to spare, check it out!

We're Landmark Services, the Old House Experts in Massachusetts. If you're interested in the renovation of historic homes, barns, or churches, take a look at our website. Also, please note that our blog has moved and is now located within our website here: www.landmarkservices.com/blog . All new posts will be located there. Have an addition, renovation or repair project in mind? We offer free consultations, so please contact us to set up an appointment. 

Upcoming events:

We'll have booths at two upcoming shows, so please come and see us.  First, we'll be at the Traditional Building Show, March 12-14, 2009 in Boston.  This is a great show with lots of information about old house renovating.  

Then we'll be at the Residential Design and Construction Show on April 1-2, 2009.  I'll be speaking on two panels at the show.

If you'd like passes to either show, please drop us a line at info at landmarkservices dot com.

In between these shows, I'll be giving a talk on historic restoration at the Captain John Forbes House Museum in Milton, Ma.  This will be held on Thursday, March 26 at 7 PM.

- Mark

We're Landmark Services, the Old House Experts in Massachusetts. If you're interested in the renovation of historic homes, barns, or churches, take a look at our website. Also, please note that our blog has moved and is now located within our website here: www.landmarkservices.com/blog . All new posts will be located there. Have an addition, renovation or repair project in mind? We offer free consultations, so please contact us to set up an appointment. 

Landmark wins award

Last night we won a COTY Award (Contractor of the year) from the Eastern Mass Chapter of NARI. We won in the category of Best Historic Renovation Project for our renovation of a Greek Revival home in Cambridge. Many other talented companies were recognized along with us. Check the EM-NARI website next week for a full list of the winners.

We're Landmark Services, the Old House Experts in Massachusetts. If you're interested in the renovation of historic homes, barns, or churches, take a look at our website. Also, please note that our blog has moved and is now located within our website here: www.landmarkservices.com/blog . All new posts will be located there. Have an addition, renovation or repair project in mind? We offer free consultations, so please contact us to set up an appointment.

Pan Mass another great success

Last month I road in my third Pan Mass Challenge, the two-day bike ride for cancer research. Along with several friends (and about 5000 other riders!) I rode the 190 miles from Sturbridge to Provincetown on a hot but clear weekend. As usual, the course was lined with supporters. These onlookers included many cancer survivors along with the families of many people currently battling the disease.

Last year the event raised about $24 million. About 95% of this went directly to the Dana Farber Institute to be put towards research. This year, I expect the total to be close to $30 million! It's not too late to contribute. If you would like to sponsor me, please click this link before October 1st. Thanks to everyone who supported me. You can bet that I'll be back next year!

We're Landmark Services, the Old House Experts in Massachusetts. If you're interested in the renovation of historic homes, barns, or churches, take a look at our website at www.landmarkservices.com. Also, please note that our blog has moved and is now located within our website here: www.landmarkservices.com/blog . All new posts will be located there. Have an addition, renovation or repair project in mind? We offer free consultations, so please contact us to set up an appointment.

Upcoming talk

On Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2007 I'll be giving a talk at the Walpole Historical Society entitled "Artful Updates: Renovating and enlarging your historic home while maintaining its character". If you plan to come, bring pictures of your house and questions related to any aspect of renovations, restorations, or additions. All are welcome.

We're Landmark Services, the Old House Experts in Massachusetts. If you're interested in the renovation of historic homes, barns, or churches, take a look at our website, www.landmarkservices.com. Also, please note that our blog has moved and is now located within our website here: www.landmarkservices.com/blog . All new posts will be located there. Have an addition, renovation or repair project in mind? We offer free consultations, so please contact us to set up an appointment.

Click Your Way to an Architect-Designed House - New York Times

Click Your Way to an Architect-Designed House - New York Times. The web has proven to be a source of home plans. Although in my opinion this is not as good a solution as a custom-designed home, it can be a great source of ideas.

Traditional Building Show wrapup

Thanks to everyone who visited our booth at the Traditional Building Show in Boston this week. And also to those who attended my talk on "Period Kitchens in Old Houses". It was great to get a chance to chat with homeowners, architects, and others who are as interested in historic houses as we are.

If you would like to discuss your particular projects in more detail, drop me a line at info@landmarkservices.com or call the office at 508-533-8393. We're always happy to visit you at your house or to take a look at a set of plans. And for those of you who are interested in the Capen House, it is indeed, still available.

The show will be back in Boston again next spring. Our next show, however, is the Residential Design Show at Boston's World Trade Center in early April. We hope to see you there.

Mark Landry
Landmark Services