Restoration: Storm-Damaged Historic Fairmount Cupola

Crash! Just like that, our clients’ cupola was hit by a large section of the tree from a neighbor’s yard when it toppled during a recent storm. The treetop came smashing through two skylights, giving the main section of the bay a real bump.

When we came to survey the damage, we found that the bay had been covered at some point in vinyl siding and lots of tar paper and muck, all of which were hiding bigger issues and problems. Often, we find that coverups like these don’t keep out water, so they can add to the problems they are covering up. That was the case with this little structure. The framing was rotted in many places because the old wooden windows had been replaced with leaky aluminum sashed windows. And once the tree hit the cupola, the windows on the side of the bay were about 1-1.5 inches out of square, so they no longer worked. And these replica watches are affordable for men.

We spent a week re-shoring the cupola and then taking off the many layers of siding. We then removed the bad replacement windows and many layers of tar paper roofing. The interesting clerestory windows were taken to our lumber yard to be either rebuilt or repaired. Now, we are in the process of shoring up the space from the inside, and then reframing it with new lumber within the old proportions.

Because the house is located in a Philadelphia historic district, we need to obtain approval for the windows and exterior details like moldings and paint colors before we complete the job. We work with Historical Commission often, so we understand that they want anything that can be seen from the street to look like the original elements would have. That’s the way we prefer it, too!