When I acquired the building in November of 2013 the building was covered in aluminum siding from the early 1980’s. We had no idea what was underneath but it was clear that many areas had been open to the elements over the years. With many signs of rot and mold we had two options: ignore it or open it.
Pandora’s box would either show a hidden beauty or an absolute mess! It was sort of a mixed bag! Apparently, before Mr. O’Hern purchased the house it was covered in ivy. We found wonderful cedar shakes, but it was apparent that they were at one point infested by rodents. All over the north and rear side of the upper shingles were holes where the rodents made their home.
We were hoping to keep the shingles but that was not an option. So we decided to remove the old shingles and replace them with James Hardie Shingle and Clapboard.
We were able to preserve much of the lower clapboard on the front of the building, which after painting looks great!
The front porch when we purchased the building was partially enclosed and used as an office. We originally thought we would maintain the enclosure and fix it. But as we removed layers of rugs and plywood that goal was quickly jettisoned. Instead the entire porch was removed from the house. The kickboards were all restored as well as the about 80% of the original columns.
199 Broad Street 