This St Paul duplex built in 1898 has undergone many renovations in the past. Unfortunately, past homeowners have wiped out signs of the past when renovating. The original architecture was removed during past exterior updates and rather than restore the past, the previous homeowners replaced with inexpensive modern easily accessible box store parts.
Our customer wanted to bring this late Victorian house back to life by restoring details that have been removed or covered up over the years.
The color scheme was kept but the shades of paint were changed to be historically correct. The paint or color placement also changed slightly.
A new wooden exterior storm window was built for the 2nd floor window to match the 1st floor window. A modern energy efficient storm door replaced the broken wooden screen door.
The homeowner’s budget did not allow for completely replacing the floor, balusters and railings during the 1st phase of restoration but they eventually will be replaced. They were in good condition and our goal was to make the existing look like they belonged until a more historically correct and proportional version could be added.
The interior of the architectural details are the same as the outside.
Old paint was chipped and peeling. We tested for lead paint, properly sanded and prepped it for paint. A special primer was used on the wooden railings designed for chipped peeling paint.
New metal stair grips were added for safety. These wooden painted stairs became slippery in the winter and the homeowner wanted something to protect the stair edge and prevent anyone from falling.
Lemke & Sons focused on adding back architectural details such as these brackets and spandrels to the top of the porch. The homeowner wanted to be able to hang baskets of flowers so spandrels were designed to allow metal chain to hang in between.
A 1st coat of paint was added to brackets. Recessed parts were painted lighter colors than the exterior green to help highlight the details and give them dimension that can be seen at a distance.
New spandrels were hand made and painted. Composite materials were used when possible to ensure architectural details would last many years to come. Extra paint was left with homeowner for future touch ups. Many people over look chipped and peeling paint on their properties for too long. Untreated wood will rot when exposed to the elements so it’s important to keep it coated.
The aluminum soffit and fascia was removed in the gable and the wood underneath had to be replaced due to rot before it could be repainted and the new gable trim could be added.
