Restoring the French Legation Part 1

Chris from Volz and Associates stopped by last week with several potential bidders, including Texas Construction Company (pictured), to walk through the restoration of the French Legation.

Several obstacles were pointed out by the different contractors, but one of the contractors had actually worked on the house during the 1983 restoration and remembered working with the canvas on the ceiling at the north end of the house.

Obstacle Number 1. Two Red Comet Fire Extinguishers potentially full of hazardous Carbon Tetrachloride. These early twentieth-century grenade style fire extinguishers are still mounted to the rafters in the attic, and must be taken down prior to the restoration of the roof.

Obstacle Number 2. Joist Irregularity. The joists supporting the cedar shakes on the roof are all of different widths and are spaced irregularly. Joists that have to be replaced will need to be measured and cut almost on an individual basis. This will slow the work on the roof considerably, and may make it necessary for an extra carpenter to be on site to cut the joists to size.