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April 14, 2009
Who can do this job well?
We have a 2-part job that needs doing and needs to be done well. The bigger part is the "cornice." Our house is a mid-19th centry frame with an entirely rebuild front wall and facade, including an entirely new cornice. The GC didn't do the front of the roof properly and water got into the cornice, soaking through and rotting out parts of the cornice. Two years ago, we had someone repair the roof and rebuild the cornice. His main job was to keep the water out. Alas, he failed, and we are starting to see the damage again. We want to rebuild this one more time, make it look nice and keep the water out -- for good this time.
The second part of the job is our front vestibule, which needs some real weatherproofing (laminating with thin insulation and sheetrock and finishing it off nicely).
Any recs?
Comments
Your building is woodframe, but what material is your cornice constructed from?
It sounds to me as if you might benefit from two different contractors: a roofer and someone to do interior work. I also suspect your budget is lower, rather than higher. If you're interested in a licensed GC whose work and men are great, but whose prices are at the higher end of estimates, I recommend Dineen Construction without qualification: http://www.dineenconstruction.com
For initial information on cornices and more, here's a good place to start: http://www.traditional-building.com/RTEcornices.htm
Posted by: vinca at April 14, 2009 12:00 PM
Thanks, vinca, the cornice is really just a wood box with decorative pieces meant to look like a cornice. More of a fancy exterior crown molding. But it is all wood, painted white to go with the rest of the trim.
Posted by: slopefarm at April 14, 2009 12:14 PM
You can try the link below, too. I'm sure you understand that advertising as a Restoration/Preservation specialist is no guarantee of quality. If you hold your cursor over the "A" in the first column, you'll be able to see the company's advertisement ("P" profile; "W" website). Once you're on the BlueBook site, you can customize your search and hunt around for more links that might suit you: http://www.thebluebook.com/an/wsnsa.dll/WService=wsbrk1/mybb.htm?tab=mybb&request=listing&bkid=1&cls=3513&srch=keyword&keyword=cornice
Posted by: vinca at April 14, 2009 12:39 PM
In addition to the new roofing if you put some discreet, screened ventilation holes in the cornice it will help to dry any future moisture than does get in and minimize future rot.
Posted by: edifice rex at April 14, 2009 6:02 PM
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