Building a new home can be a daunting prospect. Imagine what it was like in the 18th century, though, when a homesteader could only count on his own family and friends to help out! Early American builders here in the Northeast had an ample supply of lumber and clay, so framing, clapboards and bricks were easy enough to come by--but required a lot of work! There was also a lot of stone; granite blocks and large fieldstones were the materials of choice for foundations, hearths and wells. Most towns had access to masons and stonewrights, loggers, sawyers, carpenters and blacksmiths. But in those days, building a home was a labor of love. It took a long time, and a family expected to live in that house for generations--through marriages, births, and deaths.
Today, The Restored Homestead honors that same dedication to family and homestead. In contrast with many modern builders, we do only a few projects a year, and we bring in specialist sub-contractors from the start. Our framers and carpenters have experience with using old wood reclaimed from colonial buildings, which is tighter-grained and harder than modern lumber. (Often it’s so hard that the blades of modern power saws can’t cut it, and we have to resort to hammer and chisel!) Colonial homesteads were heated by massive central chimney structures with multiple fireplaces, and masonry construction is a distinctive feature of our homes as well. Few builders offer interior chimney construction because of the cost and difficulty of finding the talent and expertise of a mason to build such a structure. Our masons know how to use antique ballast brick, which has smaller dimensions than modern brick, and they know how to install antique forged parts like fireplace cranes and beehive oven doors. Typically our homes have at least three working interior fireplaces and a beehive oven– enough to keep everyone warm during the coldest winters!
Our design and building process is highly customized and very special. We keep track of local antique homes that are available for dismantling and relocation: click here to see some currently available buildings. We respond to inquiries by mailing you a packet about the particular house you’re considering, including research about the home’s history. Next, we arrange a consultation in which we discuss your family’s lifestyle and space needs. Here, Holly’s experience in interior space planning and design can assist your thinking about circulation patterns that fit the way you and your family live. After the initial consultation, we can often visit the old home that will become your new homestead. When we proceed, our contract will include a design retainer to be applied to the final cost of construction. In short, you have hired a space planner and designer to help you visualize your restored homestead. Plans and blueprints will be drawn up and the project will be budgeted, and you’ll be ready to go!
At this stage, if you have not already done so, you will need to purchase land. Again, in contrast to many modern builders, we pay close attention to choosing the best site and orientation for the home on your new land, including planning the best driveway approach, the septic system site or town sewer connections, the views from the house and the settlement of the building in the contours of the land. Dismantling the old home usually happens at the same time as site development and foundation pouring, and a new exterior frame is built in accordance with modern building codes, which will envelop the old homestead. The old house is then trucked in pieces to the new building site, to be re-assembled inside its new frame. The original frame is cleaned and restored, bringing back the warm rich color that only centuries-old wood can offer. All the original woodwork is restored and reused, supplemented by architectural salvage pieces that we find throughout New England. Building in this manner allows us to incorporate modern insulation, plumbing, wiring, and heat using the best of today’s systems and materials, while retaining the colonial character of the original homestead.
Construction of your new old home will be supervised by Sherrill, who will manage the on-site crews and supply logistics. She will often be found working alongside the sub-contractors, stripping old paint from doors or cleaning antique brick in preparation for reuse. Each homestead has its unique facets, since building codes are a relatively modern idea--from improvised materials to unusual floor plans. Some of our homeowners have helped dismantle their old homes, and have found antique treasures like concealed shoes and old coins, or handwritten receipts and letters from previous occupants. If you choose, you may be part of the building process, just as your predecessors were. We honor many of the old traditions of building, such as the “topping out”, concealing shoes in the chimney stack for luck, or leaving a coin under the threshold for prosperity.
Our mission as builders is to integrate the efficiency of new construction, and the charm and warmth of old. Call or email us today to learn more about how, working together, we can design your “restored homestead”.
