Thursday, October 15, 2015

The Making of a Door


One of the top things on our 'to do' list when we purchased our home was to replace the front door. It was broken to begin with, a break that was not repairable. As we set the process in motion to replace the door, we learned a great many things. 

The first one is that with a door comes a sill. The structural sill is a foundation to the integrity of the exterior wall, and of course, the door. It was suspected that a portion of our sill would need to be replaced because the brick steps built long ago were right up against the house and had no drainage, trapping water against the wall each time it rained.  

Because sills (especially rotten sills) have been a theme to our renovation, I will dedicate an entire post on them in the future. I can only write this without anxiety as we are officially free of rotten sills - having replaced portions of four during our renovation. 

Here's the old (although not original) broken door. This photo was taken after the sill was repaired and new sheathing boards patched in to replace rotten ones. There was also quite a bit of rot in a post that was right behind a poorly installed wall lantern which also allowed water into the wall. 

You can also see a mock up that our craftsman Jack Crane did for us of the new pediment and pilaster design. The mock up has been so very helpful in determining the details of the new surround. A mock-up such as this is something you do not have the privilege of having when you buy from a large door manufacturer - although you may pay just as much for the door. 

One of the themes of our renovation has been to use local craftsman as much as possible as opposed to large manufacturers. After our last house, we have the experience of both approaches and have to say that returning to sourcing local millwork and materials to the extent possible contributes significantly to the essence of our renovation. 

Among other items, our restored stairs and railwindows and front door came from small workshops made by true craftsmen. The energy that is embodied in these handcrafted items create their story. For each element, the story starts with the hands that craft it, and the thought, consideration and care that went into it. It makes a regular old door come alive with a personality that becomes a part of our home. 


Jack Crane comes from a family of boat builders. Their legacy of working with wood is one that will be forever instilled in the windows and entry he has made for our home. In some ways, it lends the newly-crafted items a spirit of age when you put into context the generations of hands that lead to them. 


Tools of the trade....

Our beautiful new door is nearing completion in Jack's millworks where he has the fortune of an equally-talented supporting cast in Wade and David. The door has been crafted in the Federal style, which Jack is very knowledgable of. 


Like any artist's studio, it is fascinating to see the tools of the trade.


Each plane has its own story. These hand planes each have an individual profile that is used create time-period mouldings ranging in size and character

Here is the mock up that Jack and Wade created so that we could get an idea of the proportions of the pediment and pilasters. 


Discussing the cornice edge finishing details with a sketch. 

Here is the raw material for our future frieze. The frieze is the wide horizontal band over the door and beneath the cornice. 



Mr. Jack Crane. 

His work extends throughout and beyond New England. 

23 comments :

  1. I would buy a book about your home renovation! You certainly have been directed to amazing craftsmen. Just from the mock-up, one can see that the door will be very handsome, indeed.

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    1. You are very kind! Thank you.
      Best, Catherine

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  2. You see! Listen to Isabella
    This post takes my breath away.
    xoxo
    Lisa

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  3. What a fascinating article, thank you so much for taking all the wonderful photos and explaining it all. Woodworking is such a skilled craft. We had French doors made to measure by a local carpenter in our village here in France, it took months but the end result was so worth waiting for - modern technology, firm fitting, no draughts, double glazing etc, all fitted inside timelessly elegant hand crafted doors.

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    1. Sounds beautiful and yes, worth the wait indeed! Sending warm wishes from our village, to yours! Best, Catherine

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  4. The details of your renovation are fascinsting. The best parts are your dedication to authenticity and quality and your use of experienced, invested local craftsmen. The smallest details are forever insightful and fascinating to those of us who are privileged to be included in the beautiful process. Thank you!

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    1. "Mom" I was trying to find a way to say the same thing when I came upon your comment that says it so well. A privilege it is!

      -Flo
      Amelia Island FL

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    2. Thank you so much! Best, Catherine

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  5. I too would purchase a book about your home restoration.
    I love that you are embrassing craftsmen . . .
    Honorable and Excellent it will be, I can see . . .
    I love following your journey . . .

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    1. It's so true, I do think I may embarrass them but they so deserve the praise. A wife of one of our craftsman (Darryn) mentioned how lovely it was to see her husband at work when reading the posts. I agreed as I really didn't know what Mike did until there was a video made of him! Best, Catherine

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  6. Absolutely beautiful! Jack is a craftsman and an artist I enjoyed this post! Thank you for sharing!
    Warm regards,
    Greet

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  7. Just amazing! <3 I love this renovation and am so excited to see the finished home as I'm sure you are :-)

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  8. Beautiful! It's going to look just lovely! And that photo of the planes is fabulous!

    If your husband has never paid a visit to the cabinetmaker's shop in Colonial Williamsburg, he would love it! My husband visits there every time we've been to CW, and always enjoys talking with them.

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    1. I haven't been to Colonial Williamsburg in years - since I was in my teens. What a wonderful field trip to plan indeed! Best, Catherine

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  9. Catherine,

    I hope you heard the sigh of relief from your house when you and Mike acquired it. You gave the best example of restoring vs. renovating, which makes me tears eyed at the thought. You are preserving that house for the next 150-200+ years.

    Best,

    Tim

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  10. So interesting Catherine, I love the time you take for the littlest details-I agree with Tim above-that house is breathing easy!

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  11. Catherine, do you think you will mount sconces directly on the pilasters as per your inspiration photo?

    http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4b5WhxgBTTU/VZCeiS3j17I/AAAAAAAARGU/hvWXC_1qcHA/s640/DSC09146.jpg

    -Flo

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    1. I thought we would all along and then I realized after driving around and looking at other historic homes, most did not have lanterns on the front of the house. I think I prefer that, especially since Mike found a great deal of rot behind the old front door lantern he removed. I may go with a post and light instead. Always so happy to hear from you Flo! Best, Catherine

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  12. Great post. I truly admire these craftsmen and the work they do. My husband and I currently live in a suburban neighborhood, and although they are nice homes, with huge open floor plans, we have continually felt something was lacking. So we are purchasing an older home and will soon begin our journey of restoring a brick Tudor to its original warmth and charm. Also, I must add, every time I read the name Jack Crane on your blog, I think of "Frasier." Have you seen the episode of "Frasier" where Niles and Daphne are discussing the name of their future baby and Niles declares his feelings about "the dreaded glottal stop "JacK Crane", "JacK Crane?" It's such a funny scene and I imagine that your craftsman Jack Crane has heard about it many times. :)

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    1. That is so funny, I didn't recollect that from "Frasier." Of course, I'll have to mention it to Jack - Jack Crane - next time I see him. Best, Catherine

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  13. These renovation posts have been fascinating. I'm learning so much. I'm so glad you are documenting this for yourselves and for all of us.

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  14. Great post! I think your door is going to be gorgeous!

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Thank you for leaving your thoughts. Kind regards, Catherine

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