Andrew J. Rugg Residence
Leominster, MA


Built in 1880, the Andrew Rugg residence is of the Mansard style of architecture.  Repair work
included replacement of 100' of sills in the carriage house, installation of new lally columns,
foundation repairs, structural and framing repairs, new staircase, and finish carpentry work.

Carriage House Sill Replacement & Repairs
The sills of the carriage house have rotted from the outside and have collapsed, resulting in structural problems.

Rear Sill: Before Restoration Work
    

As shown in the photos the entire rear sill of the carriage house has collapsed on the outside, and has caused
the rear of the carriage house to sag by several inches.  Past attempts at bracing the wall have failed to
fix the problem.  The wall was jacked up and braced, the old sill removed, and a new sill installed, as
well as additional structural repairs.

Restoration Work On Rear Sill
              


A New foundation of reinforced concrete was poured and anchor bolts installed to hold the new sill in place and
tie the sill into the rest of the structure.
           

Completed Restoration of Rear Sill
Additional work included replacement of jack studs, reinforcement of support beams with metal brackets and additional
structural work.  The new sill consists of a base foundation of 7" of reinforced concrete, 6" of pressure treated lumber,
 2" top plate.  The original sill was 7" of oak.  Cement filled steel lally columns were added at load points for 
additional strength.



         
Metal brackets added for structural strength.

Left Sill, Before Restoration Work

Sill failure here has caused the wall to bow outwards.  In addition, poor drainage has
undermined the granite slab foundation, which will be rebuilt, as well as the entire wall
being reframed and straightened out.

Completed Restoration of Left Sill
As in the case of the other sill work, a reinforced concrete foundation was poured, followed by
a new sill of pressure treated lumber, followed by replacement of all jack studs, rebuilding of
the granite slab foundation and additional work.  A French drain system was also installed
to divert rain water away from the foundation.

Right Sill: Before Restoration Work


A previous attempt at sill replacement and foundation repairs by a contractor who was both not licensed and
lacked experience with structural restoration work  resulted in cracked floor joists, and the entire ride side of the 
carriage house "jacking" or being pushed out of alignment.  The damaged foundation was repaired with epoxy / grout, 
floor joists reframed properly, and a custom made sill plate installed and mechanically fastened to the concrete / granite 
foundation.

Restoration Work On Right Sill
    
A majority of the floor joists were cracked as a result of the previous failed restoration work, and were replaced.
A new sill beam was made to replace the former sill beam.
Fasteners were used to tie all the framing lumber and sill together.

Completed Restoration of Right Sill

Lally Column Installation
The structure of the 3 story carriage house is supported by a mix of timbers, temporary lally columns, and
a solitary granite post, resulting in structural problems, and failure to meet current building code.  All of the
timbers and temporary lally columns were removed and replaced with steel lally columns and proper sized
concrete footings.

Basement of Carriage House Before Construction
      

Installation of New Concrete Pads for Each New Lally Column
         

Installation of New Lally Columns
Steel/Cement Lally columns, and special mounting brackets were used to tie the new columns to the main
carrying beam.  The granite posts were also reinforced with concrete to add strength.

         

Additional Structural Repairs
In addition to the sill work, structural repairs were also done to the attic and front entrance to the carriage house.
 A common "re-muddling" mistake with Victorian carriage houses is the enlarging of the front door to accompany
 automobiles.  The front entrance to most Victorian carriage houses was no wider than 10' - 12' to allow 
carriages entrance.  With the advent of the automobile, on many carriage houses the entrance has been
 widened, and modern style garage doors installed.  

In all of the carriage house restorations Renaissance Restorations has performed, this "work" has end resulted in 
structural problems with the carriage house, including sagging roofs, cracked support beams and additional
problems.  By having an understanding of Victorian construction methods, and applying modern building
code rules & methods, Renaissance Restorations has been able to correct these problems.

As shown in the photo below, there is a noticeable sag just to the right of the basketball hoop.  The arrow
in the photograph shows where the opening was enlarged, end resulting in structural issues.



Restoration Work
The 2nd floor support plate was found to be cracked due to stress and insect/water damage and
removed.  A new beam was fabricated and installed as well as additional structural repairs

    

Replacement of Exterior Staircase
A "re-muddling" effort resulted in the installation of an exterior set of stairs that failed to meet
building code.  A custom set of stairs in a Victorian theme was installed.

Stairs Before Reconstruction


New Stairs Installed
    

A custom made door to the basement of the Carriage House was also made