Montpelier Restoration Update – 11/21/2007 and 11/28/2007

General

Mark Gooch continues to install window sashes and re-hang the sash weights.

Paint Conservator Susan Buck was back on site on November 15. She was investigating the possible locations of curtain pins and roller blinds on the surviving Madison-era window surrounds. The evidence she finds will help the curators to eventually accurately restore the Madison-era curtains and drapery. She also opened up one more chair rail reveal on the side of the M-104 (Mr. Madison’s Room) in hopes of discovering more information the how the chair rail intersected the side of the mantel.

Plastering

M-206 (Drawing Room Chamber) has been completely whitewashed and the masons have finished installing the white coat in M-209 (Upper South Passage). M-209 was the last room on the second floor to be plastered. The masons have also started to install the brown coat on the ceiling of M-100 and they are scratch coating the walls of the North Wing Closets (M-101 and M-103). M-104 (Mr. Madison’s Room) is also being prepared for plastering.

 

Millwork

The chimneypiece for M-118 (Nelly’s Chamber) has been finished.

 

M-105 (Dining Room)

Wayne Mays has installed the reconstructed sandstone surround for the fireplace and Ed Gomez is fitting the architrave and recovered chimney shelf/cap onto the chimney breast. The sandstone surround is similar to the period II surround that survives in M-201 (Large Bedroom) and it was installed using the original metal hooks or cramps. These cramps had been bent backwards when the Madison mantel was removed and a Victorian mantelpiece was installed in its place. To restore the cramps, they were sent down to the blacksmiths in Williamsburg who heated them and hammered them back to their original shape.

 

M-106 (North Passage)

Mac Ward has instlled the door frame for the door to the cellar stair and he is currently building a shelf that will be installed in the closet above the doorway.

 

M-112 (Old Dining Room)

Gene Lyman continues to install the reconstructed wainscot. As the wainscot is replaced, the room’s mid-18^th-century appearance is becoming more prominent.

 

M-117 (South Wing Passage)

Keith Forry is installing the door frames for the doors leading to the south wing closets (M-115 and M-117).

 

M-118 (Nelly’s Chamber)

Bill Bichell is installing the door frame between M-118 and M-116 (South Wing Passage). A piece of the Madison-era trim that the duPont’s reused was found to have originally been install in this door opening. It is currently being restored and will soon be re-installed.

 

M-210 (Upper South Passage Closet)

Dino Copeland is preparing this room for painting.

 

Exterior

The roof of the colonnade is being prepared for decking. After the decking is laid, the Chinese railing will be installed

Montpelier Restoration Update – 11/14/2007

 

General

Mark Gooch is installing the last of the original window sashes. For sash cord he is using a six-strand hemp cord that was found surviving in the single-hung side lights that flank the main doorway into the mansion.

 

Plastering

The masons have installed the brown coat in M-209 (Upper South Passage) and have put the scratch coat on the ceiling and the walls above the chair rail in M-100 (North Wing Chamber). This is the first room on the first floor to be plastered. They have also troweled the scratch coat onto the ceiling of M-103 (north wing west closet) and whitewashed the walls above the chair rail in M-206 (Drawing Room Chamber).

 

Millwork

Blaise Gaston and Nick Oster continue to work on the reconstructed mantel for M-118. The architrave (the wooden surround that the mantel shelf will rest one) for the mantel in M-105 (Dining Room) was delivered last week.

 

M-105 (Dining Room)

The carpentry crew from Mustard Seed Construction Company, with help from mason Wayne Mays, is preparing to install the reconstructed architrave and recovered chimney shelf on the chimney breast.

 

M-106 (North Passage)

Ed Gomez is installing the chair rail. A particularly complex joint is needed where the chair rail meets the corner bead.

 

M-112 (South Wing Passage)

Gene Lyman has re-installed the circa 1765 paneled fireplace surround and is making replacement studs for the wall between M-112 and M-114 (vaulted closet).

 

M-118 (Nelly’s Chamber)

Bill Bichell and Nick Oster are installing the legs for the reconstructed window and door openings on the south and east elevations.

 

M-205 (Upper North Passage)

Dino Copeland has finished priming this room.

 

M-207 (Old Library)

Dino Copeland has started to prep this room for priming. To prepare the room, he is gently scrapping off all loose paint and then lightly sanding to smooth out the transition between the different paint layers. By not aggressively scraping the existing paint from the woodwork we hope to preserve as much of the historic paint as possible for future study.

 

Cellar

Mac Ward has finished repairing the door frame for the doorway between Nelly’s kitchen (M-009) and the south cellar passage (M-008). He is also installing the doorframe between M-001 (Dolley’s Kitchen) and M-002 (North Cellar Passage).

 

Exterior

Martin Roofing continues to install half-round copper gutters on the Mansion. Currently they are installing the downspouts on the western façade.

Montpelier Restoration Update – 11/7/2007

Plastering

The walls above the chair rail in M-209 (Upper South Passage) and M-206 (Drawing Room Chamber) have received their finish coat and are being whitewashed. We will be leaving portions of the walls and lath in M-206 exposed to serve as an architectural exhibit room that will showcase the restoration process. The masons have also started to prepare M-100 (North Wing Chamber), M-101 (North Wing, East Closet), M-102 (North Wing Passage) and M-103 (North Wing, West Closet) plastering and they should start plastering on the first floor next week.

 

Millwork

Blaise Gaston and Nick Oster have finished milling the framing members and plank partition boards for the cellar stairs and they have been delivered.

 

M-100 (North Wing Chamber)

Ed Gomez is finishing installing the baseboard and chair rail in this room.

 

M-104 (Mr. Madison’s Room)

Keith Forry has installed corner beads and chair rails on the north elevation. He has also started to install the nailers that will be used to install the chimneypiece. The chimneypiece for this room was reused by the duPont’s in their 1901 additions and it is being returned to its Madison-era location.

 

M-112 (South Wing Passage)

Gene Lyman, a recently hired addition to the Montpelier Carpentry Crew, is assembling and installing the doorframes for the eastern closet and the doorway between M-112 and M-111 (Rear Chamber).

 

M-118 (Nelly’s Chamber)

Bill Bichell is assembling and installing the splayed plank jambs for the windows.

 

M-205 (Upper North Passage)

Dino Copeland has started to prepare this room for painting.

 

Cellar

Mac Ward is repairing the doorframe for the doorway between M-001 (Dolley’s Kitchen) and M-002 (North Wing Passage).

Les Lamois and Thomas Taylor are treating the boards for the cellar HVAC enclosures with a low-toxicity, borate-based wood preservative named Boracare.

 

Exterior

Martin Roofing continues to install half-round copper gutters on the Mansion. Currently they are working on the northeast corner.