Restoration Greek Revival Project—Custom Doors
One of the worrisome issues about contracting restoration work is that we may lack the tools or skills to reproduce the details needed. Architectural trims and designs can be complex and often were made with equipment we simply do not have today.
Energy Efficiency
The entry ways for this house are additionally complicated by the need to make them energy efficient with good door thresholds and weather stripping. Those needs forced us to do significant adaptation, melding the new with the old designs.
Restoring and Rebuilding Historic Details
When it comes to matching the historic details we find there is a little room for changes. It is not, however, acceptable to build what we would like to see instead of what the architect and owner have ordered. With restoration projects we are more copy cats then designers. We work with the architect and owner to produce a style-consistent project. We sort of re-invent the project with as many authentic architectural moldings and details as we possibly can, on the equipment we own (which is substantial).
We also invent or substitute style consistent details as needed. For instance, on this entry way the original glass was held in with glazing putty. Glazing putty can do a great job but the look tends to be undesirable on many projects. Hence we created a stop for the glass that is so consistent with the original details that even the best trained architectural moldings expert would never detect that a change has been made. The project is more beautiful while retaining design integrity. If you want to tackle custom moldings there is plenty to learn, but these little paragraphs are all I can write today.