Ridgedale Restoration

   This house which is log underneath wood siding is believed to have been used by the Washington family while the large brick mansion was being constructed. The two story building is about 15 by 32 feet, but it may have had a kitchen wing. It may have been build about 1832.

One of the first jobs with an old house is to repair or replace the foundation. Here we see the new stone posts for the porch. It uses the old stones. It helps to have a dog who brings in some bones and skulls to give extra support to the building!

    Here we see (above and below) the original wall being cleaned of its whitewash and chinking. The wood pieces are put between the logs to offer insulation and to hold the chinking or plaster. In the photo below we see the more modern method of putting metal screen to hold the chinking. The wood pieces are sometimes replaced with modern insulation. The lower photo shows the section near the electric box where some wiring will be run between the logs before the new chinking is applied.

    The photo above shows the roof of the house above the second floor as it sits on the top log. Because this is an old log house with many years of neglect, it was necessary to support the walls from bowing out and ultimately collapsing. The photo to the right is looking straight up at the peak of the roof. As in a number of old houses, the roof beams were not tied well to keep the downward pressure from spreading the walls. Since the rafters are strong, they have been tied to the wall logs with heavy steel angles and bolts. This keeps the weight of the roof (and all the snow that gathers on it) from forcing the walls outward. Also shown is the foam board insulation (blue) and the covering board that will be the final ceiling.

     This photo shows an almost finished upstairs room. On the wall one sees outlets in the chinked wall and the insulation and plaster board on the ceiling. Although they are not visible, the three rafters are tied into the log walls with the steel angles that are shown in the photo above.

      Mike Dwyer is one of the craftsmen working on the main house restoration project. However, he is working on this old log house and living in it while he works on the brick house. Talk about working overtime!