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.

This house was featured in The Times Picayune’s Inside Out section last week.  Check it out and you will be amazed by the transformation:

Hal Collums renovation in the Times Picayune

Thank you to Central City Millworks who completed all of the new millwork in the house.

Before...

...After!

Renovation of a New Orleans cottage.

Bathroom renovation

Leah Glade - Project Manager

Working on a property of historic significance is always exciting for us, but it does present its own set of unique challenges.  We must work closely with the architect and the Historic District Landmarks Commission (HDLC) to ensure that any changes made and any details added are true to the history of the house.  Every detail, both interior and exterior, is important.  For example, on this job we went through an extensive design process to ensure that the newly milled interior doors matched the original doors.  The panels, casings, mullions, stiles and rails all were examined to make sure to be completely true to the originals.

We are very proud of this job and plan on posting additional blogs about it in the near future.  In the meantime, please enjoy the following photos of a great New Orleans renovation.

Renovation of a grand New Orleans house

All marble bathroom

Completed double parlor

New Orleans stairwell

Open kitchen area

]]> http://www.halcollums.com/greek-revival-renovation-in-new-orleans/feed/ 0 http://www.halcollums.com/new-orleans-restoration-at-st-annas-church/ http://www.halcollums.com/new-orleans-restoration-at-st-annas-church/#comments Thu, 07 Jan 2010 13:05:26 +0000 Bryon http://www.halcollums.com/?p=1308

St. Anna's Church

When Father Terry and the Sister’s of St. Anna’s asked Hal Collums Construction to help them restore their 1840’s house attached to the church, the request excited and challenged us.

Initially, they wanted us to re-shore the large two story house which was noticeably out of level in every room on both floors. One staff member in the building had a chair that rolled her right into her desk! Max Mendoza, our Operations Manager using a laser level, recorded the level of both floors and used the data to determine where the structure had failed and why.

The chair no longer rolls into the desk!

It was clear much was soil settlement, some was structural deficiencies and some was poor maintenance. Structural problems created by termites or wood rot had to be repaired before we attempted to return the structure to its original level condition.

The poor maintenance included an old addition attached to an out of level house. The addition floor, installed level at the time, had to be removed to reveal the original floor underneath. Using strategically placed hydraulic jacks, we reversed the settlement effects and returned the structure to its original level condition.

Bryon Cornelison and Father Terry

One day during the re-shoring process, Bryon Cornelison, HCC’s Project Manager received a frantic phone call! “I think you should come over here quick!” Father Terry phoned, “I think the house is coming down!” After so many years of being out of level, the sheetrock had been fitted to the house and, of course, several large cracks appeared in the remuddled areas around door casings and corners, all of which was shocking to the Father and the Sisters! Bryon, however was very excited, “look the floors are level! This chair is no longer forced to roll into the desk!” noting the second floor office with the previously severe floor drop.

Upon final reattachment to the church and foundation, the stately house–attributed to Henry Howard–took on a new feeling of strength and firmness! In addition to the new firm foundation, the house received rebuilt balconies, repaired and replaced windows and doors and a fresh coat of bright Banana Cream yellow Sherwin-Williams paint.

Ironically, the church had utilized the resources of Christmas in October volunteers in the late 1990’s to make minor repairs and paint the house in Renwick Beige. Bryon Cornelison was a volunteer with Christmas in October then and later became the Director at CIO which became Rebuilding Together at The Preservation Resource Center.

It was exciting for Bryon to work on the same project in two different capacities 10 years apart. He was especially happy to know his work had reversed over 160 years of deterioration and had given a historic New Orleans building a new lease on life.

The floors are completely level now.

First, the problem…no stairway:

See the ladder? A stairway goes there.

And here is our solution to our client’s problem:

Stairway completed...elegant utility?

Here are a few more photos showing the progress of the installation:

Hal guiding the next step of stair installation...

An opening in the ceiling has been cut.

The stairway begins to take shape.

Gracious handrail installed.

Coming along nicely!

Wood finished and ballasters painted.

Complete!

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.

Before the remodeling...looking a little shabby

But this New Orleans renovation included a facelift

Inside, we started from new, bare wood

Then we created a lovely view from the bath

And we ended with a beautiful space to live in

Hal reviews the plans during construction

This New Orleans renovation is complete!

The home gets a kitchen remodeling, too

A view across the living room