We have a hard and fast end date to the restoration of the Gadsden House and the reason is that we have a wedding booked in early June. We have, as it seems, made a commitment to this bride and as such, in our eyes it is fixed and immutable.And so as it goes, that we have seen setbacks and surprises all along the way. As if this grand old home is trying to say “No, on MY timetable. ” We have discovered that doors to the piazza were not in fact doors, but windows and to make it worse they were not attached to the walls but to the wainscot. We have found all 20 columns for the piazza are rotten on the base due to poor repairs in the last 20 years. The piazza second floor is not properly attached to the house – imagine that with 300 guests dancing the night away! Almost every window in the house is in dire need of significant repair and that’s not all of it.
In essence, whatever plan of attack we had when the renovation project began, it is now a forgotten forethought. As one of the best renovation and restoration companies in Charleston we have one card to play here. Our extensive subcontractor base is highly skilled.
We have 5 men dedicated to scraping 200 years of paint off window frames. 3 additional skilled carpenters repairing window sills and Dave Dick’s team of three repairing the sashes. We have 4 men on the second floor piazza repairing and readying the removal of the columns. 2 men are framing walls, the attic and new restrooms. A crew of 2 are laboring over 5 stories removing debris, cleaning and supplying materials. One cabinetmaker is repairing doors and wainscot. We have one project manager in Tim Sites and one in overall co-ordination with Luke Morrison. 27 men and counting. Our one saving grace is the house is so big we can isolate one team per floor so they do not fall over each other all day.
Historic renovation or historic restoration is really not for the faint of heart. But a promise has been made to a bride and for that reason alone, we will make that date.
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