DIY Network

Project Background: Walkway Rehab and Wood Siding Repair New wood and old brick help revitalize a 1920s craftsman bungalow. From "Restoration Realities" episode DRTR-207

Restoration Realities visits Atlanta, Georgia to help Pat Berryhill and Rick Schroeder do some restoration work on their home in the city's Grant Park neighborhood. This particular restoration involves two separate projects--one that involves new boards and another involving very old bricks.

The project house: a 1920s craftsman bungalow in Atlanta's Grant Park.

Homeowners Pat Berryhill and Rick Schroeder

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Project 1: Repair clapboard siding, including replacement of some termite-damaged wood;

Project 2: Create a brick garden-path that blends with an existing neighborhood motif.

Rick, who has developed a recent affinity for carpentry projects is joined by Restoration Realities host Bill Click to repair the water damaged siding near the house foundation (figure A) while Pat works with Chris Babcock to replace the stone walkway with salvage brick laid in a traditional herringbone pattern (figure B).

Figure A

Figure B

	Pat located some 100-year-old salvaged brick to use in her garden walkway.

Project Background

Pat Berryhill and Rick Schroeder knew they wanted to get married when they met in the year 2000. They also knew they wanted to live in an old home, even if that meant spending every weekend restoring it. They haven't minded, though, and have done quite a bit of work on their quaint home in Atlanta's historic Grant Park neighborhood.

In fact, when the couple were married, each owned their own home. The decision of where to live was obvious, though, as Pat's house suited both of their tastes and needs. Rick sold his house in "the burbs," and moved into Pat's 1920s era craftsman bungalow. It wasn't long before Rick had found a new hobby in taking on the myriad of little improvement projects around the house. While the interior had been restored by a previous owner, Rick found plenty to do outside.

Pat and Rick were more than happy to share a couple of their projects with Restoration Realities. Host Bill Click and restoration carpenter Chris Babcock visit this energetic couple at their 80-some year old home in Atlanta to help them replace rotten clapboard siding and create a beautiful garden path using 100-year old bricks.

The first project is the result of some water damage to house's wood siding. Fortunately, only the layers--or courses--of siding closest to the foundation are affected. To replace it, we need to remove the rotted sections, cut new cedar siding to replace it, nail it back in then prime and paint it. This is type of siding called lap siding because it does exactly that--each course laps over the course below. To make sure we don't damage any of the good siding, we use a nail set to drive the nails completely through and just let the rotted boards below slide out.

For the second project, Chris and Pat replace the rock in this path on the side of the home with some 100-year old bricks Pat found in order to match the original herringbone walkways in the neighborhood. Recreating the brick walkways isn't terribly difficult, just time consuming. First, all of the materials that are there now, including pavers and loose stone must be removed. Then the base must secured and leveled before the bricks can be laid.

Estimated materials costs for both projects: $600 to $700.

Estimated project time: 2 days.

I think that "old" brings with it a sense of history--of past lives that have lived in this home, of children that have played in this yard. It gives me a good feeling to know that I'm keeping this house alive, and this neighborhood alive.
-- Pat Berryhill, homeowner

"The project man," Rick Schroeder has a newfound passion for carpentry and weekend projects.

Pat Berryhill has an affinity for old homes and finds value in preserving them.

Web Extra: More on Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps

Pat and Rick know that there house was built in or around the 1920s because of the age of the neighborhood and other nearby houses, but the city records on this particular house were destroyed in a fire in the 1940s. To find information on their house, Bill recommends seeking out a Sanborn Fire Insurance map. Sanborn was a fire insurance company that created aerial maps and diagrams of neighborhoods--showing the footprints of all the houses in each. These maps date back to late 1800s. Many are still available today, and they're updated every ten years.

Sanborn has been creating maps for more than 130 years, longer than any other company in the United States. Their archives contain more than 1.2 million Sanborn maps chronicling the history of approximately 12,000 American cities and towns. These maps were originally created as a produce to help fire insurance companies assess the potential risks involved in underwriting policies and are rich with valuable and detailed information. To contact them or find out more, go to www.sanborn.com.