A Modern Renovation

A Modern Renovation

In 2021, we were asked to do a modern renovation of a house in Leesburg.  Because we had renovated a previous house for the same owner, and had also worked with the architect Bill Deegan, we took it on.  It was outside of our usual design, but the core of the job was...
Window Sashes

Window Sashes

Traditional wood window sashes are such an important part of an old building.  When they are right, they add so much character and quality to a building. We just finished a batch of window sashes for a log cabin project in Tennessee.  These are Sapele, and we used our...
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...
Barleywood Restoration

Barleywood Restoration

We are restoring the front door and a window of an antebellum solid brick house in Jefferson County, West Virginia.  The house is called Barleywood, and it is a beautiful Greek Revival home; still quite original. The door and window construction are still sound and...
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...