Thursday, August 27, 2015

A New Bulkhead


One more quick task that was completed recently involved addressing the old peeling leaky plywood bulk head. 

The new bulkhead. 

Nate and Darryn used Douglas fir tongue and groove beaded planks for the doors. This is a material that should hold up to deep New England winters. Very similar material has a long pedigree of usage for many applications extending back to the 19th century. To paint the new doors, we used a classic very black green color that is used regionally for features such as this, also suggested by Nate and Darryn. The color is Black Forest Green by Benjamin Moore.

For those who wondered what is behind those bulk head doors...



22 comments :

  1. I love that you share the pretty, but the not-so-pretty too! These things are very real, and you don't shy away from the less exciting parts of a restoration. Love the new bulkhead, and the Black Forest Green.

    Best, Tim

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  2. As much as I love the old worn weathered ply, I see the need for a stronger newer fit for restoring the old to the more fitting new bulkhead. Your home is going to be jaw dropping, adding new history to a home that will build you....not sure if you will love your home as much, or if your home will love you more.
    Beauty and grace in the restoration days ahead of you.

    I would love this challenge I'm restoring an old home, yet see myself leaving some of the haunting beauty alone, like old wall paper and just white washing over it. :)

    I am embracing the last part of summer and creating in my latest post getting ready for cooler days.
    Hope nothing is holding up your progress and you will be settled in and making up the morning beds.

    Fondly,

    Dore

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  3. Yours is one of the few blogs I still check into with regularity. I adored your old farmhouse and I am absolutely smitten with this new Federal project. I'm also a big fan of your personal lifestyle and appreciate when you share additional goodies outside the realm of renovations. Your tastes are genuinely timeless. Thank you for allowing a glimpse into your world.

    Kelly
    Minnesota
    1870 Farmhouse

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  4. Doesn't that look nice! Bet it makes you feel better already.

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  5. I agree with Kelly- your site is just about the only restoration blog I bother with. The threat of tragic over-restoration and history-trampling trends is too great! Now, I still think you guys are the best but I have to ask- what happened to that glorious, glorious hinge? It's a flight of fancy in metal....also, might you paint new hinges black? If they're galvanized, they're unlikely to patina (verb!).
    Keep the excellent posts coming please....Katie

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  6. That is a wonderful color. The new bulkhead looks great.
    xo, lissy

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  7. I would love to see you re-use the hardware on that old bulkhead. That's one pretty unique hinge. Also, are black hinges available to match your new handles? The silver looks a little out of place, but maybe it's because it's easy to focus on small details in that pic. It's so exciting to watch your transformation. I love your blog!

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    1. My husband is a blacksmith, and he loved that very impressive hinge. Hope it can be reused somewhere.

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  8. I am going to look for uncoated brass hinges and handles to replace the metal ones. We didn't have enough time to order those before it had to be installed. The bulk head also needs one more coat of paint. Mike only had enough time to do two coats of primer and one coat of paint. So more to do...

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  9. I love seeing the updates and watching the transformation unfold, one layer at a time. There's always more to do and it takes more time than expected when doing a renovation but it will be well worth it. I can't wait to see the end result and especially what you do with the kitchen.
    Oh... and lets not forget the gardens :) Deni in NC

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  10. What a difference! Love the color! linda r (phila burbs)

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  11. I loved the old hardware; it was very unique. I would love to see the bulkhead open...Are their cement stairs or what?

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  12. Catherine, I have no experience with bulkhead doors, so my question comes from my own ignorance. If you were to grab those handles and open out both bulkhead doors, what would we see? Would we see just a big dark hole, or is there a little stairwell in place to walk down? Why does that particular entrance to the basement have to be there? Code requirement? Will there be a latch or lock on the [very beautiful new] doors later?

    -Flo
    Amelia Island FL

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  13. Dear Flo,
    I added another photo that shows what is behind the doors. There are stairs that lead to another door to the basement, which is locked. I'm not sure why older houses have bulk heads. It's an interesting question I'd like to know the answer to myself.
    Best, Catherine

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    1. Oh wow, I would never have guessed an interior door was behind that pair of exterior doors. So interesting. Thank you for educating me/us!

      -Flo

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  14. O.K. I did a little research to better understand the purpose of bulkheads and if they are still required. From surfing the internet lol, there seems to be a few reasons for them. First, in a normal weather pattern going from west to east, the west and sometimes south sides of the structures was hit with more rain and that weathered the doors and windows a lot. In addition to weathering the doors and windows, the water tended to hit the hardest and the drains weren't always so great and would back up so to prevent a flooded basement, bulkheads were used so that the drains didn't back up. Even though bulkheads aren't waterproof per se, there is less water that would drip down onto the stairs than there would be if the space was left open and all of that hard hitting rain went right down the basement stairs and potentially flooded it due to the poor drains.

    In addition, having a bulkhead keeps the area cleaner so less maintenance is involved with cleaning out leaves and anything else that might get into the basement stair area.

    One other person mentioned that the bulkheads were also used so the fire department would have access in case of boiler fires. Someone mentioned that bulkheads were still a requirement by FDNY. How much of this is still true, I don't know. Anyway, that is the best information I could locate on the purpose of bulkheads in a home.

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    1. Thank you so much - so good to know! And it makes so much sense about the boiler. Ours is being replaced (switching from oil tank to propane) and getting that oil tank out of the basement will be a huge relief. It will, of course, go up the basement stairs from the bulk head. Another good reason to have one....
      Best, Catherine

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  15. Another beautiful improvement, although I agree that those are some VERY COOL HINGES! Hopefully you can use them somewhere. I enjoy so much the progress of your house. Please keep the posts and pictures coming. Whatever will I do when your house is finished ? ? ? Blessings!

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  16. What kind of camera do you use to take pictures for your blog?

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  17. Thanks for evoking memories of my grandparents house!

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  18. Gosh, I would love to have those old painted boards for my biz!

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Thank you for leaving your thoughts. Kind regards, Catherine

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