Carriage House Doors Restoration and Reproduction Project

Although we're in the midst of a historic deep freeze now, these photos of our garage doors were taken on a sunny day not too long ago.

The doors were built about ten years ago using
1 x 4 tongue and groove fir wood. I chose to replicate carriage house doors because they fit the look and size of the original doors previously found on this garage which is attached to the original shop and green house. The lumber on the old doors was rotted beyond repair, otherwise I would have restored the existing doors. We try to follow this rule whenever possible; restore first, replicate only when absolutely necessary.

Because the quality is much better than what could be purchased locally today, I utilized the garage doors' original track and hardware which was installed in 1936. Little work was required to refurbish the hardware; primarily all that was needed was a light, non-abrasive cleaning. The original electrical buttons (typically found inside the home serving as what would later be light switches) are still working and located on the wall inside the garage.

There are four doors on this garage, which means I have two more to refurbish, though the two on the north side are in much better condition than those previously on the south side. The four doors allow for driving through to the back entry way.

Because I've always had at least one project going on at the Old Pine Manor, I've lost count of how many restoration projects we've completed since living here. It's all been done to the best of our abilities, which means everything has taken more time than the average home repair project. My wife worked as a museum director/curator for over 16 years, was a member on the board of local representatives for the Northern Indiana Historic Landmarks as well as being involved in a number of projects related to historic preservation and restoration. She's been my consultant and a constant source of encouragement. Though she admittedly isn't patient with the time frame issues, she does know the correct procedures for structural restorations and we've spent the past couple of decades learning and implementing restoration techniques at The Olde Pine Manor.

The previous owners of our home were great people; a personable couple with four young children. He  was a pediatrician whose hobbies included woodworking and she was a stay at home mom with a master's degree in education. They put a great deal of loving time into the home as well as the financial amount necessary to do what my wife would call, "securing the envelope of the structure(s) and making the internal electrical system safe." This included putting on a new roof, installing a new cement floor in the garage and having the old electrical wiring replaced, to name but a few projects they tackled in the three years they lived here. To keep things simple, we'll say the doctor was being relocated. His wife said they'd believed this was going to be their "Forever Home," and in a sense it is because we are forever grateful to them for the work they put into this place before we purchased it. Before leaving, the doctor, with his arms open as he gestured emphatically had said to us, "Who better to own this home? A museum director and a contractor who knows about building construction. It's perfect." This was the blessing we needed to hear as they moved on and we moved in.