tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-64308799072411166582025-04-16T19:24:46.070-07:00Obscure and lost details on how to build a house in 1905jehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07082396901549568248noreply@blogger.comBlogger20125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6430879907241116658.post-28259902947694051392010-08-31T17:56:00.001-07:002010-09-13T22:33:08.646-07:00

When the roof shingles were removed, we hoped to finally solve the last big architectural mystery of Comstock House - but what we found was completely unexpected, and has led to other questions we still can't answer for certain.The puzzle concerned the rain gutter system in the front of the house. We knew that there were downspouts inside all three of the columns, which were (presumably)

jehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07082396901549568248noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6430879907241116658.post-74248536265464216212010-08-02T19:30:00.000-07:002010-08-06T00:13:57.631-07:00

In the months leading up to the roofing project, most attention was over something no one will ever notice. Hopefully.Besides the failing shingle roof that had us playing attic shuffleboard with buckets during every rain, there was clearly serious problems with the bargeboard - namely, that most of it was either gone or rotted.Bargeboard is the trim along the edge of the roof; when it's

jehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07082396901549568248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6430879907241116658.post-57743887064833240002010-06-13T21:19:00.000-07:002010-06-14T09:55:14.396-07:00

As Jim Scotchler began shingling the back of the house, the "things" became a consideration. The things had to come off the wall, then the things had to go back in place once the shingling was done. And what in the world are the things for, anyway?The "things" are 5-foot lengths of 2½ inch cast iron pipe, as seen at right (CLICK on this and any other image to enlarge). The downspout (currently

jehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07082396901549568248noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6430879907241116658.post-41866158473572165522010-02-21T19:03:00.000-08:002012-07-04T21:50:58.336-07:00

The bones of Comstock House may be made of old-growth redwood, but the soul of the grand old place is its light. The daylong sunshine that fills the south and east bedroom windows; the warm green pastels that wash through the stained glass an hour before sunset; the twilight orange glow from soft electric lights in evenings. The home at night could seem gloomy because the rooms never

jehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07082396901549568248noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6430879907241116658.post-705127119779739962009-12-12T14:37:00.000-08:002014-08-14T17:22:20.802-07:00

Santa Rosa weather usually gives no reason for complaint, so the recent cold snap, where thermometers struggled to climb much beyond freezing even in afternoons, came as an unwelcome surprise. When it's this frigid, Comstock House can seem like a big old barn of a place that sucks in the chill - or, it can be reasonably warm, even comfortable. It all depends on how well you understand the

jehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07082396901549568248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6430879907241116658.post-31931010626654558102009-12-08T14:16:00.000-08:002009-12-08T14:19:08.792-08:00

The first in a series of essays on the architectural background of Comstock House is now available. Behind the Design, Part I lays the groundwork by covering the Colonial revival fad and the emergence of the Shingle and Queen Anne styles in the late 19th century; the next entry will cover how these elements further evolved in the 20th century San Francisco Bay Area.

jehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07082396901549568248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6430879907241116658.post-64833157649110861562009-02-11T16:03:00.000-08:002010-03-07T08:54:17.847-08:00

Demolishing the front steps meant removing the handrail as well, with no tears shed; it was a plain wooden pole added in the 1990s, and we know from historic photographs that no earlier rail existed. But when we rebuild the steps, should we install another handrail, albeit something nicer? There was also pressure that decisions needed to be quick coming; if a support post was to be added, a

jehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07082396901549568248noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6430879907241116658.post-12339444942414209202008-12-06T18:15:00.000-08:002008-12-07T11:11:54.453-08:00

As the reshingling of Comstock House began, we found a few old shingles with a faint maker's mark stamped on the back:ABERDEEN LBR. & SHINGLE CO.6/2EXTRA* A *ABERDEEN, WASH. This discovery resolves a question from this blog's very first post re: the "Star A Star" shingles that architect Brainerd Jones demanded in his specifications. Sure enough, here were old cedar shingles with

jehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07082396901549568248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6430879907241116658.post-87158652353697082512008-12-03T23:26:00.001-08:002010-02-11T22:41:50.130-08:00

After weeks of research on cedar shingle treatments and testing four products (see: "Preserving the Aging Shingle"), I had enough information to write a book on the topic (well, a lengthy blog post, anyway) but still felt that there was no obvious best choice. A TWP formulation that appeared to last about a decade in this Mediterranean-like climate seemed to be the better of the bunch, but it

jehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07082396901549568248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6430879907241116658.post-70059634833550620752008-07-23T17:07:00.000-07:002010-02-11T22:43:34.305-08:00

Reshingling the house was a project we hoped could wait for a year or two, but porch repairs left the southeast corner with exposed new plywood sheathing that needed to be covered before the winter rains. There was no question that we would use unpainted white eastern cedar shingles, as architect Brainerd Jones described in his plans. But without paint, how should the new shingles be protected?

jehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07082396901549568248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6430879907241116658.post-9430300829178047892008-05-01T20:51:00.000-07:002013-08-28T16:51:47.529-07:00

What if you could take a delicate thing like a house shingle and make it last forever, never losing its color? Well, maybe not "forever," but certainly for decades beyond its expected life? Such a technology existed once, and played a nearly-forgotten role in the pageant of American architecture. Creosote, or more specifically, coal tar creosote, to distinguish it from the nasty and dangerous

jehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07082396901549568248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6430879907241116658.post-48181973280528102112008-04-16T15:01:00.000-07:002008-04-26T09:27:38.541-07:00

Once the original blueprints were scanned at 400 DPI by Draftech, we experimented to find the best way to convert them back into positives, better to view them as originally drawn by architect Brainerd Jones. With Candice's extensive knowledge of image processing theory, we developed a seven step Photoshop "recipe" to filter and enhance the images. The results can be downloaded from the

jehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07082396901549568248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6430879907241116658.post-22364076704014429482008-04-10T20:09:00.000-07:002008-12-10T13:23:53.448-08:00

As noted earlier, no wood was supposed to be painted, inside or out, but there's at least two coats on the exterior trim. We'll strip that paint, of course, but what should replace it? What color would 100 year-old redwood be? I actually pondered this question for a couple of days before realizing that we had a house filled with examples.But the question still wasn't easily resolved. The interior

jehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07082396901549568248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6430879907241116658.post-70328063745811516362008-02-17T21:26:00.000-08:002009-12-12T15:04:13.762-08:00

Besides the fireplaces, Comstock House has a radiator in every room except for the kitchen and servant's bath. (The servant's bedroom also has the tiniest one, so any cynical observations about the Oates' disregard for employee welfare may well apply.) The system works, but takes hours to raise the ambient temperature into the comfort zone after it has gone cold. Left on constantly during winter

jehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07082396901549568248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6430879907241116658.post-67366284940041707722007-12-10T13:12:00.000-08:002008-12-10T13:23:54.670-08:00

Leonard Clawson had several 19th c. patents for chimneys that mostly related to safety improvements. The Comstock House contract specs twice require "Clawson patent[s]" be used, and it's even fully written out on the blueprints. While Jones often specifies products that are trademarked or patented, this is the only time where "patent" is routinely used as part of the name.On page 5, Jones

jehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07082396901549568248noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6430879907241116658.post-10055397967467094442007-11-24T13:21:00.000-08:002008-12-10T13:23:54.966-08:00

The only mention of paint color in the contractor specifications is on page 19, which directs the dining room be painted with "old gold" tint. According to the Modern Painter's Cyclopedia (1910,1918), the formula for Old Gold was "White lead for base; add medium chrome yellow, French ochre and a little burnt umber." The Wikipedia entry has additional information and identifies it as the color

jehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07082396901549568248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6430879907241116658.post-91383507374546240112007-11-24T13:20:00.000-08:002007-12-10T21:04:38.849-08:00

As the exterior redwood trim was supposed to be only oiled, "all interior finish throughout the building, not otherwise noted, will be given two good coats of white wax, well rubbed each coat" (pg. 19). But what exactly is "white wax?" It doesn't appear to be a brand name, but rather a wax formula that was common knowledge at the time. It certainly was NOT pure beeswax.Mrs. Beeton's (c. 1860)

jehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07082396901549568248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6430879907241116658.post-16705679528169740632007-11-24T13:17:00.000-08:002007-11-24T13:20:25.244-08:00

Jones was emphatic in the contract specifications that there should be no paint used on exterior wood. Although he capitalizes words sometimes, he only underlines on two occasions, both to specify NO PAINT (pages 9, 11). Today, almost all of the outside wood is painted a flat brown -- although the two doors on the front porch retain their original finish.The specifications are clear that "all

jehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07082396901549568248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6430879907241116658.post-62893293419865338962007-11-24T13:10:00.000-08:002008-12-10T13:23:55.429-08:00

Jones demanded "Star A Star" shingles be used, and we were unsure if this was a brand name or a quality ranking, similar to how we use "Grade A" today. The answer was found in a 1924 handbook of lumber inspection rules, which detailed "*A*" as a grading specification for a "Forty-one Year Roof." The directions from the Northern White Cedar Shingle Manufacturers Association also contain detailed

jehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07082396901549568248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6430879907241116658.post-9656146070788564722007-11-20T16:21:00.000-08:002008-12-10T13:23:55.773-08:00

On page 21 of the contract specifications: "Provide and set where shown Budde's slop hoppers and bell traps at same to be removed." The wording here is wee ambiguous, but we interpret Jones as intending to say, "take out those (temporary) bell traps and put in the slop hoppers."Bell traps (see right) were considered old-fashioned and unsanitary by the turn of the century, but were obviously still

jehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07082396901549568248noreply@blogger.com0