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Historic Restoration

Whether you want a museum quality restoration or a historically sensitive renovation we can meet your needs.

 

A true historic restoration would return your structure to it's origins, looking inside and out how it did when first built.

 

If looking to modernize your structure ( a historically sensitive renovation), we work diligently to find ways to retain the original character of a building while introducing all the modern conveniences of today.

Timber Framing

Timber framing has been around for centuries as a time tested method of construction. A Timber frame is constructed of large and small timbers joined by various versions of mortise and tenon and lap joints.

A mortise is a rectangular shaped hole made in a timber with drill bits and chisels.

 

A tenon is a tongue shape made on the end of a timber with saws and chisels. The tenon is made to fit into the mortise.

 

Both the mortise and tenon have holes drilled in them slightly offset. After the tenon is inserted into the mortise a peg is then driven into the drilled holes. As the peg goes in the offset of the holes draws the joint tighter together.

 

Lap joints remove materials from one side of each timber being joined together. This is done with saws and chisels. After they are together they can be joined by pegs, wedges, and later nails.

Structural Repairs & Straightning

From adding structural steel in a historic commercial building making it code compliant to replacing failed / rotted structural members in any timber frame, we have done it.

 

We understand historic structures and their intricacies, such as where to jack, how much to lift at once, and how to make the new repairs appear as if they've been there since the structure was originally built. Our team of specialists can assist your architect and engineer to keep your repairs cost effective and visually appealing.

Types of repairs:

 

Rotten sill plates

Joint failure

Timber failure

Sagging roof line

Bowing walls

Timber replacement

Shoring and stabilization

Jacking and leveling

Custom metal brackets and other fasteners

Tie rod fabrication and installation

Building Relocation

Virtually any structure built by man can be dismantled for relocation (i.e. The London Bridge was dismantled in 1967 and relocated to Arizona).

Benefits of dismantling a structure for relocation:

 

A structure that's been dismantled can be moved any distance.

You will have time to locate a new site as the structure can be put in storage.

Repairs can be made more easily and cost effectively.

All mechanical systems can be updated (wiring, plumbing, heating, insulation, ect.)

It is cheaper to relocate a structure than to build a new one of equal quality.

Most historic structures are built from materials not easily replaced.

It preserves our architectural history.

Adaptive Reuse

Restoration Technologies specializes in finding new purpose for outdated and undesirable structures. With creative outside the box thinking these structures can be converted and given new life to become valuable assets.

Historically Sensitive Demolition

Restoration Technologies offers a full spectrum of services in what we have coined historically sensitive demolition. An alternative to the wrecking ball, we can dismantle a structure while honoring it's historic past by preserving any salvageable materials.

These materials can be reused in restoring other historic structures. Not only do we recycle historic materials but any other material that can be used as well. We recycle and find new uses for brick, stone, metal, lumber, old fixtures, and other miscellaneous materials that make up a structure. Although this process in very labor intensive we are able to stay competitive with normal demolition costs. The materials salvaged are sold or recycled and repurposed for use in our other projects which helps us to keep costs down.

Salvage

When tearing down or renovating an old building many of the materials that would usually be sent to the landfill can be reused. Whatever can be salvaged saves on disposal fees, which in some cases can be very significant. We are available to evaluate your project and remove unwanted items, some or which have a value higher than the labor cost or removal and we are able to pay for them. Most often the materials salvaged benefit you by saving on labor and disposal costs.

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