DIY Network

1909 Queen Anne Restoration: Balusters and Door Glass From "Restoration Realities" episode DRTR-201

	The project house: 1909 Queen Anne in Portland, Ore.

DIY's Restoration Realities visits Portland, Oregon and the home of Francene and Tim Grewe. When this couple went house-hunting, they were looking for something special and historic. They found it in this unusual home that looks something like a stone castle--a 1909 Queen Anne constructed of poured-concrete "stone" blocks.

Tim and Francene had previously restored the interior walls and repaired windows where leaking water had become a problem. Their biggest restoration challenge now is on the outside where the original poured stone porch is deteriorating.

The house also has a second but smaller issue the homeowners would like to fix: a rattling and less-than-attractive plexiglass panel that had been previously installed in the front door.

DIY's restoration specialists help the couple learn the techniques necessary to take on these home restoraion projects themselves.

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Project Overview: 1909 Queen Anne

The Grewe's house has a wrap-around porch made of the same material as the exterior walls: poured concrete made to resemble stone. This treatment is often referred to as "cast stone." But though the concrete mix used in 1909 has served this house well, time and exposure to the elements has finally begun to take effect. Now the parts of the porch most exposed to the weather are beginning to crumble away (figures A and B ).

Figure A

Figure B

Francene loves the look of the original cast-stone and wants to restore the porch. Unfortunately, the cost of having the job done professionally would be nearly as much as the cost of the house itself. Francene teams up with restoration specialist Bill Click to take on this project herself. But first, Bill and Francene visit a factory where concrete castings are made to learn the techniques they'll need to take on this ambitious project. They learn how a mold is made to pour in concrete into in order to create new concrete replicas of the original balusters. It's a multi-step process and the guidance of a specialist is helpful.

The homeowners: Tim and Francene Grewe.

Figure C

The stone house also has large beautiful front door (figure C) with a single opening for a large glass pane. Only the door's "glass" is no longer glass. It's been replaced by clear plastic which now rattles and has taken on a cloudy appearance. Tim teams up with Chris Babcock to remove the plastic window and replace it with beveled glass.

The glass that Tim selected and ordered features an etched pattern that complements that of the wood floor in the house (figures D and E)

Figure D

Figure E

RESOURCES :

Selecting and Renovating an Old House: A Complete Guide
Author: United States Department of Agriculture
July 2000
Publisher: Dover Publications
ISBN: 0486409562
Order this title from Amazon.com.

Renovating and Restyling Older Homes: The Professional's Guide to Maximum Value Remodeling
Author: Lawrence Dworin
Publisher: Craftsman Book Company
ISBN: 1572180293
Order this title from Amazon.com.

Renovating Old Houses: Bringing New Life to Vintage Homes
Author: George Nash
Publisher: Taunton Press
ISBN: 1561585351
Order this title from Amazon.com.

Architectural Reproductions Inc.
Website: www.archrepro.com