Ridgedale Restoration

One of the exciting things in following the restoration of an old home is the finding of old photograps that show the  building in its grander days. However, it is also important to see the pictures of its declining years so that one appreciates even more the dedication of the restorers who are working to bring the house back to life and make it a home once more.  The dates of these two photos is not known.

Below is a photograph taken in xxxx before the Shaws bought the house.

Photo of house in color taken in 2002 before the Shaws bought it.  
Note large roof patches and missing bricks over left front window.

    
Here we see the outside view of one of the basement doors on the left. On the right is the back basement door shown from the inside. Note the old strap hinges. Photos taken Oct. 30, 2007.

 

 

On our last visit we noted the stainless steel frame and copper cover for the new chimney caps. Here we see a cap in place. These are custom fabricated by Hampshire Metal & Industrial Services in Romney for each of the five chimneys. It can not be seen in this photo, but there is copper screen around the opening so birds can not get into the warm chimney or build nests under the cap.

The main house was once part of a group of buildings making up a wealthy farm estate. This brick building is behind the main house. It had a chimney and second floor.

The restoration of an old house requires many skills and requires numerous man hours of tedious labor. Here we see the master restorer with an old radiator element on the left and a newly painted one on the right. Each radiator has to be dismantled and each element must be cleaned and painted.  Then the unit is reassembled.

This is a view looking southwest from the cupula on the roof. The French and Indian War era settler fort at the William's home was in the distance in the field beyond the first tree line. In the trees between the silo on the right and the old barn in the distance is what is believed to have been the earlier house on the property where the Washington's lived while the main brick house was being constructed. That log house was in a very dilapidated condition just two years ago. Now one of the workers on this project is restoring the log house. For the story of the log house restoration, click here.