Build It and They Will Come... We Hope!
January 27, 2005
Contributed by Richard DeWolf, Founder, Arciform LLC

If you haven't made it out to the 1909 house recently, now is a good time to see the most dramatic changes. The interior finishes are being installed and the exterior painting is commencing. Everything is starting to come together. We are actually running out of work for some people. Heritage Painting is doing a wonderful job on the exterior paint provided by Miller Paint. The weather has slowed us down a little, but for a January, we really can't complain. The Heritage Colour Collection colors are gorgeous and the finish is making Eddy's exterior woodwork and siding look beautiful. Eddy framed and installed the new front stairs and columns. We will leave the treads off until the end so they do not get damaged during the construction.

Trevor is installing the interior woodwork at a steady pace. His work defines each space and accentuates all of the wonderful character that this vintage home once would have had. Scott is following him quickly with paint. Scott is a wonderful painter and detail person for Arciform. His precise work represents the finest in detail and craftsmanship.

Unlike working with sheetrock, many have found us installing and painting the woodwork prior to the walls being plastered. This gives us the best finish possible for the woodwork and the detail of the old world hand troweled plaster which is being applied by Christian.

Gracen's work seems to be the most noticeable at this time. Gracen is installing the entire tile throughout the house. Talk about a man with patience. He can take a crooked room and make it appear to be perfectly straight. Today, he discovered the original hearth is still in good shape under the red tile that somebody installed over the top of it. That is one good thing about poorly done past remodels, sometimes we can undo the work and save what was underneath. Just like vinyl siding, bad glued on tile is actually protecting the vintage stuff underneath until somebody comes along to appreciate the beauty of the original home.

The counters have been templated and Nu-Art will be installing them on Tuesday. By a good twist of fate, the company was out of stock of the material we requested, so we are getting thicker material at the same cost.

Gary and Jeff have been crafting the cabinetry for the house and all but the display cabinets in the living and dining rooms have been installed. We will be using different cabinet building techniques throughout, representing the best methods for different uses.

Brainstorming is a good technique sometimes, and that process has lead us to an incredible entry way. I wish we could keep it covered until the end, but those of you who come out this Saturday will get a sneak peak at some well crafted curved woodwork. Bring your mug, have some coffee,
and best of all, come out for a visit. We'd love to see you.

Two New Surprises!
January 18, 2005
Contributed by Melissa Fryback, Writing on behalf of Arciform LLC

There are a lot of things going on out at the house this week. The exterior has been prepped for paint by Heritage Painting. The tile in the downstairs bath has been completed (including the '1909' in the bathroom floor in hex) and the cabinets in the upstairs bath and the kitchen are slated to go in tomorrow or the day after. That's good as it's right in time for Saturday's open house on cabinetry and woodworking.

Speaking of Saturday - it seemed only right to cancel last weeks event as we had quite an episode of freezing rain here in the Portland area. As news stations began to report that the main highways were requiring chains, it made me feel we made the right decision. I hope none of you ventured out that day to the house! We weren't the only ones to cancel an event. Heck, even the Portland Bridal Show was cancelled! :)

So onto the 2 big surprises! The first was that Arciform's crew uncovered a pocket door that lead into the front parlor area... bad news... it was completely hacked up as past electrical and duct work were chopped right into it. (Tear in my eye as I write this.) We do however have 2 "original" french doors that at some point were added to the doorway and then again removed. We will be refinishing them and reinstall in that space, but we all agree that the pocket door would have been nice to have. Hey, it happens

And surprise number two! One of the past homeowners son's came to call today! His name is Robert Wiglesworth and he was one of the 3 sons and 1 daughter of Victor Thomas & Ada Zelma (maiden name Thayer) Wiglesworth who resided in the home in the 1940's. See the history on the occupants of the home for more detail. We do know now that the information we had can be refined a bit more. Victor passed away in 1958 and Ada in 1961 - the best I can reckon is that the siblings kept the home until 1964.

Lucky for us, Robert had read about the story in the Portland Tribune and stopped by to see what was going on. Richard met him and had a delightful conversation with him. I will ask Richard to comment more on that conversation in a later entry. Richard also asked him if he had any photos of the house in the 40's he could share... stay tuned and let's hope that Mr. Wiglesworth comes through with some for us to share with all of you on the website! I found a picture of his parents tonight on a website - not very large, but it's wonderful to be able to match their faces to the place they once knew, loved and called home.

A True Test of Teamwork.
January 10, 2005
Contributed by Richard DeWolf, Founder, Arciform LLC

The Arciform project calendar shows that we are ahead of schedule on the 1909 House - and THAT'S music to myears!

Now that we can count the weeks on two hands, we are making sure that final overture is a reality. The exterior will be completely wrapped up this week and ready for Miller's Evolution paint.

Eddy and crew have installed the new James Hardie Hardiplank Lap siding in a unequal coursing (Commonly associated with the North American Arts and Crafts style this pattern is achieved by alternating a narrow and a wide course) with the dormers being the Hardishingle, Jeld-Wen lo-e custom wood windows, Tyvek house wrap and Grace water-shield products. Tyson has given care to the original leaded glass windows in the parlor and dining room - making them operate again as they once did, and Heritage Painting is washing the exterior and prepping it for paint.

The interior is coming along with new plaster by Christian Wolstencroft, woodwork and cabinetry utilizing formaldehyde free wheatboard built and installed by Arciform LLC and the flooring is being prepared for its new life using Environmental Building Supplies' product the one hundred percent plant and mineral based AGLAIA.

We can't believe the luck we are having with the weather this time of year. Knock on wood. (Pun intended) Siding isn't usually the most fun in December and January, but we will take the cold over the rain any day. With the weather, we have had been taken very good care of by all of our subcontractors and suppliers. Being on time and delivering promises are the easiest way to gain respect in the construction field. I'm proud to say our team is definitely living up to that.

New Year - A New Home
January 3, 2005
Contributed by Melissa Fryback, Writing on behalf of Arciform LLC

I've taken time off the last 2 weeks to be with my family, but it's almost been more than I can stand being away from the house. As I rolled up on New Year's Eve to the house, I was blown away by all the work that's taken place! No rest in spite of the holiday I suppose.

The most noticeable change in my opinion is outside. The guys have cut open the front porch wall to make way for the stairs that will access the front door and yard. There used to be stairs up the front - a sign of this was some of the old deck paint in a segment that was cut away. Of course it was over a bit more to the left as it was aligned with the position of old front door. Part of the timber cut away was in beautiful shape, saved no doubt by the porch overhang, and Richard intends to use the 2" X 12" clear fir for use in a piece of furniture. The column was removed as well and temporary posts were positioned on both sides to support the weight. The other two original squared columns were removed as well to be refinished and put back in place. I may have mentioned it in an earlier post (or not) but the entire weight of the dormer above it rested in this precarious position - so undoubtedly the most significant aspect of this isn't the aesthetic improvement, but the structural engineering one.

Another MAJOR improvement is the siding. Thanks SO much to James Hardie's Siding Products for making such an excellent material. The sustainable exterior lap and shake siding James Hardie makes is manufactured from cement, sand and wood pulp fiber mixed together to create an incredibly durable product. The look of wood without the waste. With the addition of Miller Paint's new Evolution Paint, this will be a virtually maintenance free exterior... something that was the reason for so many old homes receiving vinyl siding. The lap siding has been put on in a unique, historically appropriate manner (detail images will be uploaded soon) and the shakes are on the front and back two dormers.

Inside Portland Chimney & Mansonry, Inc. has rebuilt the firebox (An efficient 18th Century Rumford Firebox that has a high and shallow curved back that better reflects the heat back into the room and doesn't allow for cold air to enter as easily. For more information on this, please visit this website. I wasn't there to see them finish it, but the gentleman working on it said that it was completely deteriorated and the bricks were just falling away. I just heard today that the firebox was finished over the weekend and I can't wait to see it on Saturday.

I also heard that the house's interior is almost completely plastered and all of the gypsum should be up by the weekend. That will definitely give the rooms a final sense of space.

Arciform's shop is gearing up for all of the custom cabinetry that will be in the home - we'll be sure to get some photos taken of the work and get them posted!