[MassHistPres] MassHistPres Digest, Vol 106, Issue 4

[Diane Gilbert]

Subject: [MassHistPres] Stone walls and mortar work
Message-ID: <9402A063-07D4-4477-B413-2D45B9874502 at yahoo.com>

I've forgotten how to issue a response to the listserv but bear with me as
I respond to Nancy Robbins about stone walls and mortar work on historic
properties.

I have questions about this project in Norton which I won't go into now.

We had to do stone foundation repairs and some reconstruction at the 1762
Akin House in Dartmouth, including the center chimney. Nancy Robbins asked
about a bad repair on a stone wall in the HD in the center of town. Visible
to all who pass by.

In our case, Paul Choquette & Co. was credentialed as a preservation
masonry company with 60 years of experience. This type of masonry work is
becoming a lost art.

The Akin House foundation, obviously visible to the public, was repaired
using a mortar formula typical of the 18th century. Ideally, the
characteristics of a historic stone wall should be maintained and
replicated as close to the building practices of the era it was built.
https://www.dhpt.org

It starts with the contractor or the mason who is hired. Close supervision
by the hiring entity every step of the way is also advisable. If things
look like they may go awry or not as planned, call the project to a halt
and revisit. Perhaps not everyone is able to spend the amount of time
required, but I have been present and documented all the historic work at
the Akin House going back over 20 years. Include a "clerk of the works" in
the mix.

You know the old saying, measure twice, cut once.

Diane M. Gilbert
President, Dartmouth Heritage Preservation Trust, Inc.
(508) 965-7265
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