One-piece stone countertop on its way to the 2nd story

Since the kitchen cabinets fit exactly in the space available (with no soffit, trim molding, nor fillers) the rough framing and drywall had to be square, level and plumb.

The island cabinet was rather large and the stone counter-top installer insisted that the island stone could not be installed in one piece. However, the client and the designer wanted the stone in one piece without seams. We ended up removing a window sash, renting a boom forklift and delivering the one piece stone through the second floor.

The owner of the downtown loft frequently hosted guests who wanted to sleep late after a long night of exploring the Crescent City’s diverse nightlife. He requested that the shutters be designed to block out daylight when needed, be easy to operate, and have a modern look to match the design of his condo.

CCM’s design met all of the owner’s criteria, including having a hidden operator mechanism that allowed the shutters to open and close in unison without having a prominent operating rod that is common to most operable louver shutters. And the shutter design had concealed pivot hinges to maintain the clean, modern look that the owner desired.

The shutters were fabricated and installed in less than 3 weeks to have them available for a party the customer was throwing.

In the fall of 2006 we were asked by a client and a friend of ours to help with a phased New Orleans renovation of an incredible French Quarter townhouse on Royal Street. The friend had been a repeat customer of Hal Collums Construction over the years. The owner, born and raised in New Orleans, was a successful oil industry business owner now living in Houston. He and his wife had purchased their French quarter dream home and were ready to begin renovating it to match their tastes.

The phases included:

1. Structural Repair
a) Inspection and water testing
b) Window remediation plan/execution
c) Flat roof remediation plan/execution
d) Close cornice remediation plan/execution
e) Re-pointing exterior walls where water is indicated
f) Removal and replacement of rotten fascia, railing, newel posts at both balconies
g) Emergency remediation of water intrusion at masonry walls

2. Renovation/Redecoration
a) Elimination of rustic exposed beams on 2nd floor service quarter
b) New shutters
c) New kitchen
d) Redesigned laundry room
e) New wood floor on 1st floor
f) Re-finish wood stair steps
g) Re-painting of interior
h) Repainting of exterior front and courtyard walls and millwork
i) Master Bath vanity design challenge/solution

This first blog post in a series will address phases 1a, 1b, 1c, and 1d:

Initially we needed to investigate suspect areas of water intrusion. The building inspection indicated several suspect areas where water was entering the structure. Infrared inspection had identified moisture around several windows, around a flat roof where HVAC equipment was installed, an interior common wall on both floors of the service quarter, and a rear service quarter balcony.

This project gave us an opportunity to enhance old world building details with modern materials

Visual inspection confirmed deteriorated leaking windows, suspect flat roof details, suspect rear balcony flashing, water intrusion in the rear service quarter balcony structure and rotten railing, fascia and columns on both balconies. Follow up physical inspection including destructive testing explained most of the problems and guided our repair and restoration plan.

The wood bucks embedded in the windows were completely obliterated by chronic water intrusion from brick borne moisture entering through washed out mortar and wicking up from the spread footings. Reliable moisture invited in termites and the destruction of the wood bucks was complete long before being revealed by our inspections. Our solution involved removal and replacement of the wood bucks with matching pressure treated wood, replacement of all needed window components, re-pointing of surrounding masonry, back-priming all new and existing wood, re-fitting and reinstallation of restored windows, and properly detailed caulked expansion joints. Replacement of the wood buck gave us an opportunity to enhance an old world building detail with modern materials by using vinyl shower liner to provide a tough permanent moisture barrier.

The flat roof was an infill roof added during an later remodel, probably in the early 1900’s. Initially a metal flat seam roof, it had been reroofed with a torch-down roof in the last 30 years. Our solution was to reroof with redesigned flashing details and a modified bitumen single ply roof. Being a small area prone to frequent service traffic, It was worth reroofing the whole area with a modern roofing material more suited for the demands on it. Modern glue seam materials are easy to use and economical. Most important they are a durable, reliable low slope roof surface when properly installed.

The New Orleans French Quarter Courtyard Balcony

Early builders used a course of slate as a “wick stop” with some success, but rising dampness must always be considered when renovating a spread footing building.

Each subsequent course would step in slightly until the wall reached ground level where it would only be as wide as the finished brick wall. This allowed early builders to build impressive structures on our soft soils but it also allowed ground moisture to wick up into the structure through the masonry foundations. Early builders used a course of slate as a “wick stop” with some success, but rising dampness must always be considered when renovating a spread footing building.

With several possible reasons for elevated interior moisture we decided a controlled testing protocol would be appropriate before we could formulate a comprehensive remediation plan. This involves strategic placement of water tests with controlled timing and scientific recording of data to prove (or disprove) our hypothesis of moisture entry. Testing always needs to start at a low point and control the moisture delivery. We began by recording a grid of moisture readings on the interior sheetrock wall on squares of blue painter tape. The moisture reading is our baseline and we look for increases in the moisture content as it is tested to help us graph and see the moisture intrusion occurring during our test. We open some areas in the interior sheetrock and the balcony closed cornice structure for visual observation during our testing. By beginning low and moving our testing up in levels at predetermined time intervals, we can easily see and record leaks and moisture wicking as it occurs. The moisture content is a clear indicator of water intrusion easily mapped across a wall to visualize the mechanics of the water intrusion.

We decided a controlled testing protocol would be appropriate before we could formulate a comprehensive remediation plan. This involves strategic placement of water tests with controlled timing and scientific recording of data.

By beginning at the lowest possible water entry level and moving up in timed stages, gravity will not contaminate our results allowing us to do comprehensive, conclusive testing usually the same day. Our testing on the rear balcony service quarter wall showed us that the balcony flashing was indeed leaking, but we were also receiving moisture from the masonry wall and from around the windows.

The water testing did show rising damp wicking up from the footings was not a problem on this wall. Our final remediation plan included new porch flashing, re-pointing the exterior masonry wall, replacement of damaged window sill, and new caulking with backer rod around window.

The closed cornice balcony structure of the rear service quarter had signs of chronic moisture intrusion, a common occurrence due to a flaw in a closed cornice detail. The closed cornice balcony has an enclosed soffit on the underside of the deck to hide the structure. It is usually highly decorative millwork with a painted finish.

New Orleans Construction French Quarter Courtyard

Modern replacement decking that satisfies historic material requirements (such as the Vieux Carre and HDLC districts) require a replacement wood deck.

Tongue and groove decking should never be installed if it has more than 12% moisture content

Modern commercially available exterior wood is usually pressure treated wood. Cut from new growth southern yellow pine, it is kiln dried, then pressure injected with a waterborne preservative chemical, and either air dried or kiln dried again. The resulting decking is often job delivered wet and needs to be further dried before installation (you should never install tongue and groove decking with more than 12% moisture content).

The next concern with modern material is that lead free paint does not have the body or the bonding of some historic paints. The recommended paint is porch and deck enamel. Pressure treated decking must be edge-primed with the selected color P&D enamel thinned 50% with mineral spirits before it is installed. Once properly nailed and top-coat painted and correctly flashed, (with an adequate fall away from the building built in) the deck is adequately water tight to keep moisture out of the assembly.

All finish porch material should be fabricated from weather resistant materials (pressure treated wood, hardi-board, or preferably Spanish cedar if being milled). All wood components in the closed cornice assembly should be liberally back-primed before assembly to further protect against wood rot. With proper details, good execution and proper paint and caulk maintenance a closed cornice soffit can last a lifetime.

The photos below document the three primary steps that transforms heart pine beams into flooring boards and then into beautiful New Orleans floors.

Click on the links above to find out more.

The heart pine beams prior to shipment down to New Orleans

100+ yr old beams milled into flooring

...and finally installed

Central City Millworks started a holiday tradition in 2007 when we designed our first CNC Router Christmas Card that we mailed out to over 200 friends and customers.  In 2008 we were so busy with the World War II Museum project we did not have time to use our CNC Router for the 2 days it takes to custom carve the cards from solid wood sheets. This year we were determined to continue the tradition.

Our CNC router cutting the 2009 Christmas Cards

The cards are made on our CNC router, which operates similar to a printer but for wood.  First we came up with a drawing of what we wanted the card to look like and then our CAD design department exported it into our CNC router. We selected figured Birch veneer 1/8” plywood and prefinished it with catalyzed varnish (the same finish we sealed the World War II Museum woodwork with). The CNC router then takes the design and custom carves it into the wood veneer plywood.  We can cut 150 cards per 4×8 sheet of plywood, each sheet taking up to 5 hours to cut the intricate design into all 150 cards. This year we sent out over 300 cards as our satisfied customer list is growing rapidly.

Our 2009 Christmas Card depicts a door we made for a Greek Revival house we renovated on Chestnut Street this year.  The address in the arched transom above the wreath signifies Christmas 2009. NOLA Noel is our way of recognizing how much we love our special city and how great the holiday season is here in New Orleans.

As General Manager of Hal Collums Construction, LLC my job is to ensure all departments are working in harmony to achieve our project goals accurately and efficiently.  I have at least 1 weekly meeting with all workgroups, focusing on improving the delivery of  service to our customers.  Production is my main focus,  reviewing every current job daily with project managers to ensure maximum job progress.   I work with Estimating, Accounting and Design workgroups mostly to review and edit final drafts. My first and foremost job is to communicate to our existing customers regarding their job progress and to meet new customers and review new projects.

DesCours Digital Fabrication being cut on Central City Millworks' CNC Router

The contemporary architecture and art festival, DesCours, uses cutting edge new media and interactive installations to lure culturally adventurous art aficionadas into new visual experiences. This year’s DesCours, presented by the New Orleans chapter of the American Institute of Architects, is the third annual week-long event. Twenty-six architects and artist teams have prepared 11 sites in the French Quarter and Central Business District.

The installations are in unseen, abandoned and underutilized buildings, giving the viewer the added sensory opportunity to appreciate the art in normally unavailable architectural gems. These hidden areas become a natural “art gallery” to display art and media to showcase works from nationally known artists. This week-long celebration of architecture and art is completely free to the art patrons willing to seek out the installations.

Twenty-six architects and artist teams prepared 11 sites in the French Quarter and Central Business District

Central City Millworks frequently works with artists and architectural students to achieve their design goals with the use of our CNC router. A CNC (Computer Numerically Controlled) Router is similar to a printer for wood. Instead of creating a computer file and sending it to a printer, the CNC file is sent to our CNC Router that uses sheets of plywood as a printer would use paper. The plywood is hand loaded on a 5’x 12’ table with a powerful vacuum to hold it down.

The computer controlled router moves in 3 axis to cut out any shape to close tolerances. Complex concepts can be converted into reality easily with a CNC so many architects and artists design with it in mind. CCM has worked with Tulane Architecture Professor Marcella Del Signore cutting digital fabrications for art installations so when NanKo Studios asked her for a local shop to cut their 2009 DesCours fabrication, she recommended CCM. Nanko Studios emailed an autocad file that Rob Thornton (one of CCM’s CAD expert) then converted into a CAD file. The attached pictures show the project being cut on our CNC.

Typical Working Class St. Ann Street Shotgun

The house at 2404 St. Ann is a marvelous New Orleans “shotgun.” I am totally amazed at how well preserved it is and how it has dutifully carried the soul and story of the original builder into the 21st century. The magic is in how well defined the original details are and how these details have lived through hard, neglected times to tell an important story today. Hal Collums Construction felt lucky and honored to have been the New Orleans construction company chosen to prepare this special shotgun for its second century.

Rarely preserved original rear porch

The impact of how standard the lean-to addition is as the rear facade of the “typical” shotgun double was really driven home when I saw the almost perfectly preserved rear porch and rear lean-to of this cottage. The front façade of this St. Ann Shotgun is the typical working class shotgun, built with the front right on the sidewalk, no porch and a shallow roof overhang. Decorative brackets, carved quoins, cornices, and shiplap front siding identify this structure as a working-class shotgun with an “upgraded” exterior trim package.

Clearly the original wood frame and deck of the back porch had rotted off and had been replaced with a well-designed and skillfully executed concrete deck and concrete stairs during a previous modification. The house has been fortunate over the years as its original builder was a craftsman familiar with the New Orleans building environment and a subsequent porch rebuild was skillfully constructed by a master artisan.

Large Pocket Doors are typical New Orleans Millwork

The Preservation Resource Center of New Orleans working with the Prince of Wales Building Crafts Apprentices Program needed a house ready for plaster in time to take advantage of the apprentices’ time in New Orleans. Master Plasterers would use the St Ann shotgun as a training lab for the apprentices.

We have been tasked to have the house ready for the apprentices within five weeks. We started the last week of November 2009 and intend to have it ready for the plasterers by January. To accomplish this we must complete all structural repairs, restore the historic roof, repair all exterior trim and siding, and then have all mechanical trades complete their rough-in.

Original indigenous cypress windows

The structure had a earlier termite infestation that went unchecked and the insects obliterated the sills, many floor joists, wall studs and even the original heart pine flooring.

The structural work is well underway with most of the damaged sills and joists replaced. Bryon Cornelison, HCC’s project manager, working with Max Mendoza (HCC’s operation manager), is responsible for maintaining this fast track schedule. Check back as we will keep you updated on our progress.

This French Quarter apartment is one of the best condo deals ever! When the owners approached us this summer to update their condo it was clear that this was a very unique property. It was part of a seventies expansion of a Luxury Old World French Quarter Hotel featuring over 100 rooms and suites, all decorated with antiques and authentic reproductions.

The lucky owner’s condo is managed by the hotel, providing them the services of a luxury hotel: daily housekeeping, room service, valet parking, concierge, world class dining, etc. When they are not in town, they get a return on their investment as the hotel can use their unit for overflow booking and for hotel guests looking for a suite upgrade!

The owners contacted us looking for a renovation to bring the unit up to date. The original floor plan was fine but the owner wanted to make a few upgrades.  The idea was to add an additional Powder Room and to renovate the Kitchen, making it more versatile and user-friendly.  They also wanted to replace the out of date 30 year old fixtures.

Hal Collums Construction contracted with Central City Millworks to design a new kitchen to better serve the owners as well as the frequent hotel guests. The old kitchen was completely gutted and redesigned with all new fixtures and custom made cabinets to work with the new kitchen plan. The new kitchen features a dishwasher, a microwave/ hood vent, a trash pullout, and a under counter washer/ dryer combination. A cooktop and an under counter refrigerator completed the new kitchen giving it the versatility to handle almost any guest’s culinary needs. The wall cabinets were designed with glass front doors using LED lighting to illuminate the interior and under counter. The kitchen was topped off with custom granite countertops by Everbright Countertops of New Orleans. (http://www.everbrightgranite.com).

The new powder room was achieved by converting an underutilized laundry room off the stair landing. This corrected the inconvenient original design where the only bathroom was the master bath. Once the owners realized they had a completely private master bathroom, they decided to redesign it!  After completely gutting the existing bath Hal Collums Construction installed a new walk-in shower, a custom vanity, stone countertops and a  frameless glass shower enclosure.   To enlarge the confined space the ceiling was raised and the walls were mirrored.

 The renovation included new exotic slate flooring to replace a dated pergo floor on the first floor, new carpet on the second floor, all wall surfaces upgraded to a level 5 finish and new paint throughout. The renovation took 3 months from start to finish. Now the clients are thrilled with their French Quarter hideaway and guests find it to be a perfectly appointed home away from home.

HCC workers replace Algiers Courthouse clock

Bryon Cornelison watched as an HCC crew installed the fourth face on the clock tower of the historic Algiers Courthouse. This was a goal he had worked to accomplish for the previous six months. As treasurer of the friends of the Algiers Courthouse, Bryon accepted the task of researching and replacing the clock tower. Unsure of how to proceed, Brian made his first precarious trip up the multiple ladders to the top of the clock tower. The numerals had completely faded, the mechanisms no longer kept accurate time and the backlighting was a corroded mess. Luckily, Bryon was able to find the name of the previous clock manufacturer. Soon upgraded, new clock assemblies were being custom made for the courthouse.

The install required a 65’ extension lift and some of HCC’s most experienced aerial workers

Bryon contracted with Hal Collums Construction to install the tower clocks when they arrived. Since the tower clock faces were over 50 foot high, the install required a 65’ extension lift, and some of HCC’s most experienced aerial workers. Two workers rode the lift up with the clock face while two more assisted from inside the tower.

After two days of work on the installation of the new atomic, satellite syncronized clocks the Algiers Courthouse once again displays accurate time for the timeless neighborhood it serves.