Stone House Restoration

Stone House Restoration

This ranks up there with my favorite kinds of projects.  This job entailed the structural upgrades of the oldest (known) house in Stephens City, Virginia.  It is part of the museum called the ‘Stone House Foundation’.  This house is known as the Stone...
Quality Siding

Quality Siding

I was recently studying some details of construction in the UK, and I was struck by several things when learning about their interesting and ancient architecture.  First, the usual difference in the use of long lasting materials.  The use of stone as roofing, and clay...
Historic Wood Floors

Historic Wood Floors

Today, I want to discuss historic wood floors.  The wood floors that we encounter in our work are often heart pine, sometimes oak or chestnut.  Let’s say they were laid in the early 1800s, which means it would have been cut from mature trees.  These trees could...
Quality Roofing

Quality Roofing

 About 15 years ago, we at Vintage decided that we would not do asphalt roofing.  At the time, I made the decision based on the lack of quality and longevity.  In the past few years, I have become more opposed to using asphalt, and don’t understand why it is so...
Lime Mortar vs. Portland Cement

Lime Mortar vs. Portland Cement

Last week, I posted these pictures on Instagram of a repointing project at Saint Andrews Church in Roanoke.  Our masonry partner, Dominion Traditional, is doing the work.  The church has not been repointed in over 120 years, and the original lime based pointing is due...
Building Materials in China

Building Materials in China

 Ever since visiting Yunnan province, in China, I keep thinking about all the long lasting materials they were using.  In China, all of the buildings were built with traditional materials: stone, plaster, tile, and wood.  (The modern high rises and mediterranean style...