An 1873 Gothic Revival Home in Albany, Oregon

Charles Royal House, circa 1873
140 SE 5th Avenue, Albany, Oregon

Making Repairs in 2004

Much of the work done in 2004 was on the garage and foundation, and this work is described in the Garage and Foundation repair pages.

Table of Contents

December 2004: Moldings, stairs, dining room hutch
May 2004: Painting, pantry, doors
April 2004: Wood trim, door repair, bathroom
March 2004: Roofing, kitchen ceiling
February 2004: Painting, windows, hardware
January 2004: Drywall, tile, windows, cabinets

December 2004: Moldings, stairs, dining room hutch

	December 2004: We decided we didn't like the wall paper in the living room, so it came down. Bill Cutler painted the walls a soft beige color. Most of the trim will be a chocolate to match the wainscoting.
	December 2004: This crown molding has quite a history. It began as a couple of huge Hemlock logs on our timberland. Since these huge cull logs were largely rotten, they would have cost more to ship to a mill than we would have been paid. So we had a dump truck drop them at Gene Cooper's ancient sawmill in the coast range. Gene is an ex-logger with a 50-horsepower circular saw mill. He cut the logs into 6 by 6-inch cants. Next, the cants were shipped to Pacific Rim Remanufacturing where they were into 2 by 6s, sorted, and kiln-dried. The best ones were cut into 1 by 6-inch clear wood which we took to Dave Helton's in Carlton. We used his Grizzly Planer/Molder to make the crown molding. Finally, Barb and Bill have primed and painted the moldings. We are proud these moldings came from local wood and were made the same way moldings were made in the 1880s when the house was built.
	December 2004: We purchased these moldings from Heritage House Parts in Philomath. They are made from Douglas Fir and were milled in Dallas.
	December 2004: OK, this photo is out of focus and the stairs look dirty. But because they have been stripped of carpet and painted with primer, they are in much better shape than when we purchased the house.
	October 2004: Bill Cutler and I (Dave) move a corner cabinet from the Allen house kitchen to the Althouse dining room.

May 2004: Painting, pantry, doors

May 9, 2004

Top: Bill Cutler, Dave, and I build new walls in the utility room to create the pantry.

Middle and Bottom: Dave Helton installs new doors into the bathroom, pantry, and utility room.

May 9, 2004: Trimming out the pantry

Top: Glade and Barbara examine our handiwork. As with the kitchen ceiling, all the wood siding came from old-growth snags from my timberland.

Middle: Under the stairs, I found ancient coat hooks.

Bottom: A view showing how we trimmed out the new pantry and stripped off the existing paint to reveal nearly identical wood in the existing trim.

May 9, 2004: Bill Cutler has been busy painting the upstairs with an oil-based primer coat.

April 2004: Wood trim, door repair, bathroom

	April 25, 2004: The living room door is original, but it had a cracked wood panel. A previous owner had tried to repair the panel with wood putty, but the repair had only made matters worse. We decide to replace the panel, so we removed the door, took out the wooden dowels holding it together, removed the old wood panel, and inserted a new plywood replacement panel. These pictures show Dave Helton carefully replacing the wood trim around the new panel.
	April 24, 2004: We tackle the living room. Top: The original Doug Fir wood trim is hidden by many layers of paint, so we began removing them with a heat gun and a wire brush. Middle: Barb finished painting the new ceiling medallion that she bought on eBay, and I reinstall the living room light fixture once the medallion has been attached to the ceiling with a chalk gun. Middle and Bottom: Barb and I begin putting up wall paper. It was slow going ... trying to make everything line up correctly.
	April 18, 2004: We lost our digital camera and had to buy another, so some of these "April 18th" items were done earlier in April. Top and middle: A bathroom fan is installed. Bottom: We finally get a functioning toilet.
	April 18, 2004: Dave Helton helped put up the new kitchen ceiling. It is made from an old-growth, cull, Douglas Fir snag that I salvaged from my timberland outside Corvallis. This is exactly the sort of wood that would have been used originally in the home.
	April 18, 2004: The living room gets a make-over. Top two photos: Bill Cutler put two coats of Kilz primer on the living room walls and ceiling, and what a difference that made. Middle photo: Chris Reiter puts linseed oil on the wainscoting. This removed a layer of soot and made the wood glow. He also put the used paper towels in a plastic bucket in the dining room. They caught fire a couple hours later when the house was empty and filled the house with toxic plastic-smelling smoke. Fortunately, we went back to the house after dinner and opened all the doors and windows. No permanent damage was done. Bottom photo: We begin to strip layers of paint off the front door.

March 2004: Roofing, kitchen ceiling

	March 29, 2004: I had to work at OSU, so Bruce Taylor and Bill Cutler finished the roof project (described more below) without me. They did a super job: this roof won't leak again in my lifetime. Bruce is an experienced, highly competent roofer, and Bill is a hard worker. I recommend both highly. Top four photos: Bruce and Bill use a propane torch to weld the new roofing to a fiberglass base sheet. Bottom photo: the finished project as it looks from the back yard.
	March 28, 2004: Bruce, Bill and I decide to repair the kitchen and bathroom roof area. It leaked during the winter. We initially thought we might be able to patch up the roof, but closer examination suggested the only way to do it right was to tear off all the existing roofing, rebuild the support structure, and start from scratch with a brand new roof. Top: Alicia (Bruce's daughter) watches as we begin. Later, she helped with sweeping and clean-up. Middle: The existing roof looked like it might have been made from tent or window awning material. Bottom: Bruce begins to tear off the old roof.
	March 28, 2004: Tearing off the roof was troublesome because it had so many layers of existing roofing. Top: Fortunately, Bruce had a pitchfork which he shoved underneath the layers to pry them all up at once. Middle: Messy ... messy ... messy. Bottom: We've removed all the old roofing ... new we need to begin rebuilding.
	March 28, 2004: This valley posed a special problem. When we tore off all the old roofing, we could see that the valley had leaked, but it wasn't obviously how to fix it. Top: Bruce rips into the old roofing while trying to determine the best solution. Middle: Bruce has built a new, wider floor for the valley that has more slope than before. Here he installs base sheet for torch-down roofing. Bottom: the valley is ready for torch-down roofing.
	March 28, 2004: We were pleasantly surprised: no rot! But because the decking had gaps and was uneven, we decided to install a 1/2" layer of particle board. This will make the new roof flat and provide for a consistent nailing surface. Top: We begin laying out the particle board. Middle: Bruce rolls out base sheet. Bottom: We installed plywood to cover the vertical drop from one roof level to the other. This will provide a solid surface for the torch-down roofing.
	March 28, 2004: We also installed the kitchen ceiling chandelier -- yet another eBay purchase.
	March 20, 2004: Dave Helton talks me into strengthening and leveling the kitchen ceiling. It originally had 2"x4"s that spanned 12 feet -- they sagged quite a bit. So I purchased a bunch of 2"x6"s and joist hangers. The result dropped the ceiling height by a little over 5 inches, but it made everything flat and sturdy.
	March 20, 2004: Next we ran coax and Cat-5 wires to both upstairs bedrooms. This makes sure these wires run along a different path from the power wires, so they won't pick up an alternating current hum. Once the wires were in place, it was time for insulation.
	March 20, 2004: Dave takes a needed rest break ...
	March 20, 2004: Bill helped throughout the day. He packed the trailer with trash, and we took another 1,800 pounds of junk to the dump. Along with Dave Helton, Bill and I installed the finished ceiling.
	March 13, 2004: Barb puts primer on the bare wood surfaces of the new door and windows.

February 2004: Painting, windows, hardware

	February 8, 2004: Jim at Architectural Salvage in Philomath suggested boiling hinges and other hardware to remove layers of paint. So I gave it a try.
	February 8, 2004: The result is astounding. These items had so many layers of paint, I had no idea the cover plates had patterns and a brass-looking finish.
	February 1, 2004: David Helton worked all weekend, and we made a lot of progress. We finally installed a back door. Note the porcelain door knobs that came from a spare door in the Allen House. We installed the door a bit too high, so we will need to put a bit of molding or weather seal on the bottom. And because we haven't installed a lock set yet, the door is "locked" with a wood slat and four sheet rock screws.
	February 1, 2004: Barb began using Killz paint on the living room walls -- what a difference it is making!
	February 1, 2004: We installed the sink and hooked up drains. So for the first time since buying the property, all the exterior doors are in place, and a sink is working.
	February 1, 2004: The major weekend project was installing five wood windows. According to instructions from the Landmark Advisory Commission, we used simple trim made from 5-1/2 inch Douglas Fir boards.
	February 1, 2004: Another view of the new windows. They will look better with putty and paint.
	February 1, 2004: This view shows more of the new windows and the newly installed kitchen door.
	February 1, 2004: Framing for the utility room window. We used a 10-inch header. It seemed like a bit much to me, but at least that way, no one will be able to complain about whether the header is sturdy enough.
	February 1, 2004: This bathroom window doesn't open, so it was easier to install.
	February 1, 2004: The breakfast nook window, with a 6-inch header. It was wet installing this window as the shed roof and wind was blowing water all over the place when we tackled this project. So we did as much as possible by reaching around from inside.
	February 1, 2004: The new kitchen window. Collectively these windows make the kitchen seem much brighter and cheery.

January 2004: Drywall, tile, windows, cabinets

	January 20, 2004: We have been considering whether to place the property on Oregon's special property tax program for historic homes, so it was a real treat to have David W. Skilton spend 90 minutes visiting the home discussing restoration strategies. He is a Design Review and Tax Incentives Specialist for the Oregon State Historic Preservation Office. His only real objection came to my plan for getting a cold air return upstairs. Rather than place this ductwork through the corner of the front parlor, he suggests putting it next to the proposed bath addition -- a clearly superior approach. He also suggests retaining the floor vent in the small upstairs bedroom and possibly adding a floor vent to the other upstairs bedroom. Interestingly, he didn't see much worth salvaging in the wood part of the original garage which is quite rotten. So the best strategy there may be to tear it down and start over with a compatible building build around the original cold-storage room.
	January 17, 2004: Bruce arrives first, and he finishes screwing down the concrete backer board in the bathroom.
	January 17, 2004: We begin putting down tile in the kitchen.
	January 17, 2004: I straighten a piece next to the bathtub.
	January 17, 2004: Finally, the last piece of tile goes in! Time to celebrate.
	January 17, 2004: Bruce finished putting on the roof on the porch. It still needs moldings and trim, but it looks MUCH better than with the tarp.
	January 15, 2004: Ron Johnson of Dallas built five wood windows from lumber which originally came from an old-growth snag on my timberland. They look great. You see him and his son delivering them to my house.
	January 15, 2004: They walked the windows into the basement of our house se we could paint the outside before installing then in the Althouse house.
	January 15, 2004: I put on a coat of primer.
	January 11, 2004: We decide to lay concrete backer board before laying tile in the kitchen and bathroom.
	January 11, 2004: You can see the first two sheets on the floor in the kitchen.
	January 11, 2004: The bathroom took slightly more than three sheets.
	January 11, 2004: David Helton and I screw down backer boards.
	January 11, 2004: We finished laying the backer board in both rooms in slightly more than four hours. The wall behind has been prepped with new electrical circuits for the washing machine, disposal, outlets, and lights.
	January 11, 2004: David Helton stands in front of the new cabinets he made.
	January 11, 2004: David illustrates how he plans to trim out the kitchen with moldings made from wood milled from lumber from our timberland.
	January 6, 2004: Sweeping and cleaning makes the dining room look better.
	January 6, 2004: The front bedroom has about half the walls covered ...
	January 6, 2004: Compare this picture with the December 27th picture showing Joel putting up sheet rock on the ceiling.
	January 6, 2004: We put sheet rock on one kitchen wall so we would have a place to receive David Helton's custom-made cabinet.

The Allen-House.Com and RoyalHouse1873.Com websites are maintained by Dave and Barbara Sullivan who live in the N. H. Allen House at 208 6th Avenue SE, Albany, Oregon. Our home phone is 541-924-5983.