Restorating a 1705 House Damaged by Water
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The WORKS team includes construction project managers, carpenters and painters—and all of them are also thorough investigators when it comes to damage control. Our commitment to preserving the unique architectural heritage of towns like Essex, Massachusetts, drives us to find every possible cause of a problem, not merely the most obvious cause. This case study illustrates the thoroughness with which we find, correct and prevent damage when restoring homes.
To protect the interior of the home while we investigated the scope and causes for the damage, we hung plastic walls and set out tarps. The room’s skylight was the first structure we examined because the leak seemed to originate there. We cut out the plaster around the skylight and soon found that, every part of the adjacent wall, from skylight to floor, was (as one of my team put it) “sopping wet…. Some of the wood and insulation was so wet you could squeeze it and water would drip on your hands.” We removed the drywall and insulation; set up dehumidifiers to dry out the wood; and sprayed mold disinfectant and inhibitor on areas where we found mold, including all the edges of trim, at least twice.
The next day we returned to scrape the wood clean. We also investigated the roof and found several areas in addition to the skylight where water could penetrate. We fixed those areas. We then examined the plumbing but found no active plumbing leaks. However, we suggested that the plumbing be replaced because there were signs of corrosion.
When everything inside was dry, we went on to install new insulation and drywall. We primed, sanded, and painted the walls, including the skylight and window trim. Outside, we repaired two windows, the storm door and trim. The before and after photos show the difference.
We went beyond the obvious in restoring this historic home and keeping it safe for another 300+ years. WORKS by Jesse DeBenedictis can do the same for your home.
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