Since the house could not stay where it was, our job was to find it a new home, then dismantle and rebuild the home on its new site. We chose a piece of land six or so miles from its original site in a neighboring town, Brookline, New Hampshire.

The house had been largely gutted so part of our restoration work was to re-create some of the home’s original features as found in American Georgian colonials of this time period. An additional task was to rebuild the house borrowing modern construction techniques and materials to improve upon the original foundation and chimney construction, and framing. Of course, when the house was built, there was no insulation, indoor plumbing, or heating systems (other than fireplaces) so these modern elements became part of the old home’s reconstruction. In many important ways, the Benjamin Spaulding house is better than ever!

The original post and beam structure was sheathed with very wide planks before the clapboard siding was added. The sheathing was whitewashed in order to discourage insects. So-called gunstock beams provided the corner supports to which girts and floor beams were fitted. These gunstocks were hacked so that horsehair plaster could be applied; all beams throughout the house were hand hewn and bear adze marks. Additionally, the beams were numbered so that the builder knew which ones fitted together.

Brick was commonly brought over from England as ballast aboard ships – hence the phrase “ballast brick” to describe the thin bricks of the era. Lime was not plentiful so the mortar used to build the chimney in the Spaulding house was made with local clay that had become very friable over time. During the dismantling process, the chimney was carefully brought down, literally brick by brick. In rebuilding the chimney for the restored home, modern materials were used to meet current building codes but the original ballast bricks were applied as veneer to the fireplaces, bread oven and wood boxes.

In addition to saving the post and beam structure, the original floors, massive summer beams, purlins, period doors and hardware, and fireplace mantels and panels were re-used in the restored home.

Most new construction does not offer the materials and finishing work of this restored homestead, except at great cost to the Buyer. Here is a picture story of the process of dismantling, and restoring the Benjamin Spaulding House. An old house as good as new!