May 19 – chimney deconstruction.  After paint removal, the chimney was deconstructed, brick by brick, in order to repair the structural weaknesses caused by time, heat, and moisture.  The old brick was saved, cleaned, and re-used to rebuild the chimney exactly as it appeared originally. Photos were taken prior to the deconstruction process to ensure the accuracy of the rebuilt project.

May 20 – chimney reconstruction.  Alfredo Cenatiempo of Cenatiempo Masons was in charge of the fireplace/chimney restoration project.  This photo shows him expertly using special materials to rebuild the chimney’s interior components.  This was a critical process because it allowed the chimney to comply with today’s fire safety codes without having to alter the original dimensions of the chimney’s exterior.

Chimney before and after.  The two photos on the left show the chimney prior to restoration.  The paint was not original and the chimney’s graceful shoulders (originally created by stepping-in the brick with each new course as it progressed upward) had been covered over with stucco in a later repair.  The photos on the right show the rebuilt chimney looking exactly like it did in 1921, complete with its original bricks.

Late May – hearth reconstruction.  Alfredo is seen here rebuilding the hearth and firebox.  New materials were retrofitted into the old spaces in order to retain the same scale and shape as the original fireplace but improve its safety.

Late May – The finished fireplace.  Antique, handmade bricks donated by Pamela Wriedt-Boyd and Morley Boyd were used to rebuild the hearth and surround.  Debbie and Tony Angotti donated the antique fireplace tools.  The original mantle will be re-installed at a later date.

Late May – roofing removal & replacement.  The existing asphalt roof had a number of problems and was not historically correct.  Jeff Fabrizio of Fabrizio Construction installed period-appropriate red cedar roofing.  New copper flashing, copper gutter hangers, and special, handcrafted copper edging were also installed.

Roofing before and after. The photo on the left shows the house with its contemporary asphalt shingle roof. The photo on the right shows the house wearing its new, cedar roof. It’s easy to see how the use of authentic materials can so markedly enhance the vintage authenticity of a house. The cedar roof will look even better once the house is returned to its original, lighter paint color.

Early June – bathroom framing and repair. Framer/carpenter, Carl Sirois, readies the upstairs bath for a replacement window (shown in the next photo) and begins work on replacing deteriorated framing and support structures.

Early June – custom window reproduction.  The rear shed dormer of the house originally contained five small casement windows. One of the five had been replaced with a non-matching, vinyl window.  Jim Comstock of Wood Design was hired to create a mahogany replica of the original casement window in order to restore symmetry and accuracy to the shed dormer.

Early June – donated antique glass used to restore windows.  All of the windows in the house contained their original wavy glass.  Broken and damaged panes were replaced with old glass harvested from donated windows salvaged from two antique Westport homes.  Window restorer, Raymond Martells, is seen here with Morley Boyd, choosing which antique panes to extract from the donated windows to use for repairs and replacements. 

Mid-June – window restoration continues.  After removing the original windows from the house, Raymond began the restoration process by delicately removing the windowpanes from their window sashes (left photo).  The panes were set aside for reinstallation later.  Next, he removed layers of paint by using hand tools and heat  (right photo).

Window repair.  Though many of the windows had admirably endured eighty-six years of exposure, some windows needed repair, especially where moisture had caused rotting (left photo).  Special wood restoration products made by Abatron were used to impregnate and restore the rotted wood to rigidity, durability, water, insect and weather resistance. The photo on the right shows Raymond applying one of the Abatron products to restore a badly rotted corner.  After repair, the windows were sanded, reglazed, and painted.