Village Craftsmen

170 Howard Street 

The Homer & Aliph Howard Home

Click on photo below for an introduction to our rehabilitation project:

A record of work done in August,  2004 (click on most photos to see a larger image):

After numerous delays carpenters began working on Monday morning, August 16, 2004.  Their first goal was to set pilings for the new screened porch on the rear of the house.  Soon they will remove the existing roof on the rear shed portion of the house in order to replace that roof and fully integrate it with the new porch.   More rehabilitation work will follow.

New Pilings:

(Click on photo for a larger image.)

New Deck for Back Porch:

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In the week of August 22, 2004 Jim O'Brien and his crew made considerable progress in the restoration of the house.  After removing the roof on the rear shed portion of the house they discovered the reason for the many problems in that section of the building.  The original roof rafters were only 2 1/2" X 2 1/2", hardly sufficient to support the roof adequately these many years.  As a result, the roof had sagged, water had pooled and leaked into the kitchen, and the ceiling boards were badly rotted.  

View of the Sky Past Old Rafters:

(Click on photo for a larger image.)

After some consultation we devised a plan to replace the deteriorated rafters with larger members, while at the same time retaining the original defining lines of the house and integrating the new screened porch on the rear of the house.   

The news was much better when they opened up the main roof.  Although the rafters there are only 2" X 4" (a full 2" X 4", however) they are remarkably well preserved.  At the peak, each pair of rafters is put together with a mortise & tennon joint (secured with a wooden peg) and they are straight and solid.

Jim & his crew vacuumed the accumulated dirt and rodent droppings from between the rafters and scabbed new, wider rafters alongside the original members to make room for insulation and air space.  The original interior bead board ceiling can now be saved without removing it from the upper rooms. 

The Rrafters on the Porch are now integrated with the Original Structure:

(Click on photo for a larger image.)

The Original Lines of the House are Retained: 

(Click on photo for a larger image.)

A Close-up View of the Opened-up Main Roof:

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Roof Sheathed and Covered for Protection:

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Side View of House with Rear Roof Nearly Complete:

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Jim and his crew of Aaron, Mark, & Steve are doing a wonderful job of rehabilitating this old island home.  We are hoping now to have the new roof completely installed by the end of next week, or at least before the next big storm.

Update, August 30, 2004:

The front porch has been sheathed (original lath preserved), and workers have begun removing shingles from the front, main roof.  The goal is to repair the roof and cover it with ice shield by the end of the week.  This should protect the house from rain.  We may wait to install new shingles until hurricane Francis (now moving toward the Caribbean) is just a memory.  

Front Roof & Porch being repaired:

(Click on photo for a larger image.)

August 31, 2004:

New Rafters scabbed alongside the old (almost ready for sheathing):

(Click on photo for a larger image.)

Since hurricane Frances looks like it may not pose a direct threat to Ocracoke (at least not before the beginning of next week), we're planning to lay the shingles this week.

Go here for links to ongoing rehabilitation work on the Homer & Aliph Howard home.

Check back periodically for additional photos and more information about the progress of this project.