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Recent and Ongoing Projects Noah Brooks Tavern- Lincoln, MA We just finished replacing a number of rotten roof rafters on this 200 year old tavern owned by the National Park Service and located at the MinuteMan National Historic Park in Lincoln, MA. Each timber slated for replacement had to be hand hewn to match the existing ones while using traditional joinery to replace what was there.
Alongside an expert roofing crew assembled by Custom Copper and Slate LTD, we flew the timbers in and they came right behind us laying down a brand new cedar shingle roof on top. Their crew, along with National Park Architect Millan Galland and Park Woodcrafter Don Muriel, even helped us simulate an old time raising by hefting in a massive white oak rafter using only block & tackle and human power. We used a crane for everything else. View more pictures of this project ---> Davis Farmland & Mega Maze- Sterling, MA The Davis Family are sixth generation farmers in Sterling, Ma. A town with a long legacy of family farming and strong community ties. One of the many structures on their land is a late 18th century barn (or "The Ark" as owner Doug Davis refers to it) that houses their rare and endangered goat collection and many other animals throughout the year. We had the pleasure of repairing this barn on a working farm full of animals and activity. Visit their website for more info about guided tours and visiting the corn maze at davisfarmland.com
Repairs were consistent with many old timber framed barns. To make room for haylofts, tie beams were often cut and removed from the frame. The end result over many years is the spreading of the barn as the rafters thrust out without the ties to hold them. Several of the upper ties had failed and the posts had spread significantly. We used traditional joinery where we could to reinstall the failed ties and cut new braces from salvaged timber.
The building had also sunk a great deal on a rotten post in the sub-floor framing. A concrete floor had been poured on the floor above this post many years ago and the whole thing sagged as the post rotted into the ground. We jacked the post up and poured a new concrete pad. Material costs were low as we were able to salvage a majority of it from our own leftovers in addition to the scrap piles on the farm.
The Historic Colonel James Barrett House: Colonel James Barrett was the senior officer and overall commander at the North Bridge in the first battle of the American Revolution in Concord, Ma. The Barrett house is listed in the National Register of Historic Places as a site of national significance. It is the most important un-restored Revolutionary War landmark in Massachusetts, and perhaps anywhere.
Our role in this ongoing long-term restoration project is the structural repair to the frame of the house that was originally built in 1705. Much of the north wall of the building (pictured bottom right) has been reduced to near compost so a new scribe-ruled wall will be built and replaced piece by piece. With respect to the protocols regarding frame repair by the Minute Man National Historic Park, all of the exposed repair timber will be hewn by hand on-site and sawn timber will be used for hidden frame members.
Save Our Heritage is leading this effort, in cooperation with the Town of Concord, Minute Man Historical Park, and the McGrath Family, owners of the property for the past 100 years. Save Our Heritage is working to pass federal legislation authorizing the addition of Barrett's Farm to the Minute Man National Historical Park. Click here to see photos of the Hewing Process Click here to see photos of traditional frame joinery Click here to see photos of frame assembly Visit Save Our Heritage for recent information and more photos Green Meadow Farm: Karen & Mark Emirizian own this horse barn in Wilbraham, Ma. built circa 1850. We recently completed repairs to the frame including posts repairs, sills, and joist replacements. We added 25 hemlock log joists to replace the rotten chestnut joist system. They have future plans for us to frame an additional bent onto the end of the barn and extend the existing antique reproduction furniture shop that Mark operates inside the main of the barn.
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