Wren’s Nest Conservation Update — Last Day of Foundation Repair
Now that you know how to prepare your historic masonry and how to repoint it, let’s skip all the hard work and catch up with the folks repointing the Wren’s Nest masonry on their last day.
Please recall the situation our bricks were in about a year ago. That is, not all there –
Here’s the same wall today, sans explorers –
Seems like we could have saved a lot money using LEGO bricks instead of real bricks, but what do I know? (Answer: “Not much,” according to those who have heard this idea.)
These bricks could have used some LEGOs too –
But Richard and his crew fixed us right up with historically accurate mortar –
Richard prepared two different kinds of historic mortar since the brick and the stone were installed at different periods.
Note in the above picture: the ruddy mortar near the top. Richard reckons this is Georgia Red Clay, straight up. No mortar mixture — just mud. How comforting.
We decided not to mess with it both for historic preservation purposes and the house not falling down purposes.
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Amber Suitt
Program Director
Lain Shakespeare
Executive Director
4 Comments to Wren’s Nest Conservation Update — Last Day of Foundation Repair
Awesome.
Sounds like a song: “I built a house out of Georgia Clay”. Glad the foundation is coming together. This renovation would make a good book someday — wonder if JCH wrote anything referencing the building process?
The band name could be the one I came up with this morning-’Shaving a sunburn’.
Not sure I like the lego stuff-I mean, it draws attention to needed repairs, but it also ruins (get it?) the look of the buildings until repairs are done. If the folks doing it had permission, then great, but otherwise…
I’m cool with the LEGO stuff as long as it’s not glued in there. Lodging is a-okay with me. Then again, I like graffiti, and I understand that I am usually in the minority on this one.
ATLHistoryJoe — that’s a great question that I don’t know the answer to. Records of it might be at the Emory Archives. Maybe one day when I’m feeling like I need to get out of here, I’ll mosey on over and check it out.
I wonder if any records of Humphreys (the architect) survive? He did a designed a few notable buildings in Atlanta before he was killed by jumping off a moving train.