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GENERAL
Will this be going on every Saturday?
Can we bring our children?
What made you decide to do this?
How much does "that" cost?
DECONSTRUCTION
What is deconstruction?
Where are the materials in the 1909 House that are being taken out
going to?
What is the benefit of deconstruction?
Are there services that can do this?
Where do I take my construction/deconstruction debris?
FLOORING
You
have hardwood floors under the carpet upstairs?
WINDOWS
What is the best window replacement for my house?
PLASTER
Why would you use plaster instead of sheetrock?
How do you keep dust from getting over the entire house?
BIODIESEL/BIOHEAT
- click here to read more about BioDiesel Heating.
GENERAL
Will this
be going on every Saturday?
YES! Except for the weekend holiday's of Christmas and New Years
Eve. We will be here from 9 am to 11 am. And out of respect for
our neighbors, we will end promptly at 11 am.
Can we bring
our children?
Please remember the 1909 House is a job site and you enter at your
own risk. Please be mindful of your children and keep them with
you at all times. Arciform LLC and it¹s project partners are
not responsible for any injuries occurring on the premises. The
1909 House will only be accessible on the days and times listed.
Remember, this is a job site and you are responsible for your own
safety.
What made
you decide to do a this?
Whole-house remodeling isn't common. According to a Qualified Remodelers'
Magazine survey taken in July 2004, 40% of remodeler's said typically
whole-house remodels make up only 10% or less of their total business.
Hence this is not the norm. And for a company like Arciform LLC,
that specializes in period home restoration/remodel, it is even
more rare. Whole house restoration/remodel is not only intrusive,
extensive, and usually requires that people move out of their home
for a period of 6 months or more, but it is also much more difficult
to determine what exactly needs to be done to the home until you
get into it.
Arciform at
the completion of a 1906 whole-house remodel in NW Portland last
year determined that while there are lots of rehab companies in
Portland fixing up old homes, their homes are not open for your
curious old-home voyeur or for the homeowner interested in restoring/remodeling
their own home. Arciform also uses a fair amount of earth friendly
building materials and practices on their job sites and felt that
this was the best way to share with the general public their materials
and practices. So why not combine the two and share an old home
being revived in our city along with educating the public on how
to do it with the materials and practices that are healthiest to
the home and our earth! The entire 1909 House project team hopes
you get a chance to come by and visit our classroom.
How much
does "that" cost?
Working on old homes with a respect for old homes, it is my opinion
that you really need a visit and a plan from a qualified designer
in the field to get this. Every counter, window, floor covering
is different, and numbers quoted are often misrepresentations until
the actual project is reviewed. Square foot costs could be a guide,
but rarely include proper installation with an old house due to
its quirky nature and special requirements.
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DECONSTRUCTION
What is deconstruction?
We've all probably seen the popular new show on ABC called Extreme
Makeover where 40+ guys stand at the ready with sledge hammers to
go in and knock an old home to the ground - that's defined as wasteful
demolition. Deconstruction is where you go in and consciously remove
items from the home to ensure that our landfills are not full up
on materials that can be reused. Another alternative to deconstruction
is cherry picking. Cherry picking is an industry termed used to
describe a process where all the easily removable items of a house
(doors, windows, cabinets, appliances, etc.) are removed before
demolition of a house commences. We always encourage full deconstruction
whenever possible to salvage as much as possible from going into
the landfill.
Where are
the materials in the 1909 House that are being taken out going to?
- Vinyl siding,
old deteriorated fiberglass insulation, and old carpet padding
will be going to the landfill. (Since doing this we have found
another resource for the vinyl siding called Quantum Resource
Recovery out in Beaverton that will take the siding and chip it
for reuse in different products. Unfortunately this information
came to us AFTER we'd tried to find some place for it.)
- Wood
Metro Recycling Center
- Plumbing
and cabinets ReBuilding Center - where people can purchase
them to reuse in their homes.
What is the
benefit of deconstruction?
Valuable landfill space is saved, as the average deconstruction
project will salvage between 60 and 85% of the materials encompassing
a home from going into the landfill.
Are there
services that can do this?
YES! DeConstruction Services here in Portland does this. The ReBuilding
Center's Deconstruction Services can help you with your next remodeling
project. The way they work is that you or your general contractor
hires them to deconstruct your residential structure. Their licensed
(CCB# 145799) and bonded crews are capable of both small and large
jobs including kitchen tear-outs, garages, roof to foundation deconstruction,
partial salvage, and more. When they complete a job, you receive
a detailed portfolio including an itemized written and photographic
documentation of the salvaged materials that you can use for tax
purposes or for historic record. They are happy to give you a free
estimate and to discuss all your removal options with you. You can
reach their Program Managers at 503-331-9875 or e-mail deconservices@rebuildingcenter.org
for more information.
Where can
I take my construction/deconstruction debris?
Metro
has a GREAT SITE with tons of information on what to do with building
waste.
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FLOORING
You have
hardwood floors under the carpet upstairs?
Yes, the 1909 House will have beautiful wood floors when complete,
but actually, they are softwood floors. Fir is a softwood. The difference
being that softwood trees are conifers and hardwood floors are deciduous.
Softwoods in the NW include cedar, fir, hemlock, redwood and the
other piney trees that are green all year. Hardwoods are oak, maple,
cherry and walnut: or trees that loose their leaves each fall. If
our softwood floors weren't useable there are other alternatives
including reclaimed floors from other deconstructed old structures.
Fir floors were the most common flooring choices in homes a the
turn of the last century. Being that they are so soft and can only
be refinished so many times, it's not unusual that they eventually
have to be replaced. - Richard
De Wolf, Arciform
LLC
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WINDOWS
What is the
best window replacement for my house?
Again,
each house (and the person that lives in it) has a different answer.
But the questions that should be asked are:
1. Why replace?
- The windows
need surgery, see option "C"
- Early Failure,
see option "A" or "B"
- Comfort or
Energy Performance, see option "A" or "B"
- Hate to Paint,
see option "A" or "B"
2. What are
my priorities?
- Vinyl or
Fiberglass is best for coastal environments and require little
maintenance.
- Aluminum
clad is durable but more expensive
- Wood can
be durable and are less expensive
- Historic
value and character of wood windows
Option "A"
is replacing the sash only. This is good if the frame is still in
good shape, and you are looking forward to stopping the breeze even
when the window is closed. It has easy installation, an energy efficient
upgrade, maintains the windows original glass area, there is no
need to disturb the existing casings and is the least expensive
option.
Option "B"
is insert a frame into the sash. It has more dependable energy ratings
than option A, is less expensive than option C and won't disturb
the existing casings, siding or wall coverings. However, it does
reduce the glass area and have a bulkier look. For a do-it-yourselfer,
it is the most expensive in materials alone, and the windows smaller
opening might violate some fire code egress requirements.
Option "C"
is replacing the entire window. This is what we are doing to the
1909 House. The interior and exterior finishes are being redone
in most areas, so disturbing them does not make a difference. It
is the most versatile because you can change the window's size.
It is the most energy efficient, and it is the most durable, because
you can upgrade the entire system down to the flashing. This method
is invasive and most difficult, but due to the siding and interior
finish replacements of the 1909 House, the least expensive in labor.
We will restore the original leaded windows in the 1909 House.
Excerpts from
this answer taken from Fine
Homebuilding, October/November 2004 - Richard
De Wolf, Arciform
LLC
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PLASTER
Why would
you use plaster instead of sheetrock?
Besides it being period appropriate to old homes, as a building
professional, I have to weigh many factors above the direct cost
of the single product. Plaster as an end result has the compressive
strength of concrete, unlike sheetrock that is paper and paint.
It is a highly skilled practice that only extremely qualified plasterers
should attempt. Its direct cost is higher, but factoring in speed
at which it is applied (no sanding or waiting for it to dry) and
the lack of sheetrock dust, it always comes out ahead on smaller
projects (kitchen, baths, and small additions). Also, faux is a
French word for "Fake." While you could do a faux plaster
finish, plaster does the real thing in usually less steps, and when
doing custom finishes, usually ends up being less expensive than
hiring a custom painter and a sheetrock contractor. Do not attempt
plaster by yourself. True plaster is only sold in limited places
and requires years of experience. If you want to do it yourself,
go with the sheetrock. Once the plaster is hard, there is no sanding.
Remember, it would be like trying to sand your sidewalk. -
Richard De Wolf, Arciform
LLC
How do you keep dust from getting over the entire house?
See "why I like plaster" above. (Just kidding) We
seal off all doorways with a heavy plastic and blue tape (buy the
best tape you can). Any door that must be accessed gets a zipper
door. That is a long zipper that attaches to the plastic and creates
an access without removing the tape. As an added protection, place
an old towel at the threshold of each door. Even the best taped
plastic gets kicked around. Shut off all ducts to that area of the
house. Turn off the duct in the basement if you have adjustable
dampers and again, place a towel in the duct then seal with plastic
and tape. Put a fan in the window pointing outside while working
with fine dust, but make sure you moved your car or are not blowing
the dust into the neighbors yard. If you can, try not to run the
system during the worst days of deconstruction and other heavy dust
days. Best of all, clean up after yourself each day with a high
quality canister vacuum and have an extra pair of shoes to wear
into the living area of the house. I wear clogs and kick them off
before going into anybody's non-remodeled areas of their house.
(I always make sure I don't have any holes in my socks so I maintain
a professional appearance.) - Richard
De Wolf, Arciform
LLC
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