70 years ago, when the Donato’s remodeled the house into a two-family home, they replaced the original front door and entranceway to make room for a new doorway that provided two distinct doors – one that led to their newly-installed staircase to the second and third floors of the house and the other that opened to the hallway on the ground floor. During the removal of the original single front door and framing, they significantly damaged the stone on one side of the entranceway, removing many stones to make room for the wood framing that would hold the doorway.
Restoring Stonework
The stonework on our house is unique not only because of its use of dressed stones but also because of its ribbon pointing. Most houses in Southeastern Pennsylvania built in the 18th and 19th centuries were built with rubble walls and not dressed stones. Our home, being constructed in the very early 20th century, would be one of the first homes to bring the look of large dressed stone to the local area. The stone itself is all hand-carved Pennsylvania blue granite and mica schist, most likely extracted from a nearby quarry belonging to Thomas Leiper. Around each stone is ribbon pointing, with a raised bead of pointing which pulls moisture away from the stone and gives the house its ornate look.
Timing is Everything
During the restoration of the front entrance, we had a huge gaping hole where the front doors used to be. We had started this project in late summer but ran into delays ordering and then fabricating the new door, transom window above the door, and finding the appropriate stone (Pennsylvania bluestone was heavily over-quarried and difficult to find in the large blocks we needed). Weeks quickly became months and delivery dates slipped from late autumn to mid-winter. We were now facing a harsh winter with absolutely no proper front door.
Now, I like to think we’re a resourceful family, We decided that the judicious placement of several sheets of plywood over the opening, with drapes of really thick (doubled up) 6 mil plastic sheeting covering the plywood from inside and out, as well as some well-positioned space heaters, would do the trick and keep Old Man Winter at bay. Our front “hole” did sit inside an enclosed (unheated) porch, so the area is secure and protected from the elements, but its actual R-value was a hotly debated topic in our family.
Initially, our rudimentary weather-proofing proved effective. But as December turned to January and the temperatures really dropped, it got freaking cold in the front section of our house. We began to experience breathtaking heating bills month after month. Just when we were certain that PECO would call to personally thank us for single-handedly pushing their profits into the stratosphere, the weather broke and our front door arrived.
It’s The Little Things That Make You Smile
Once I saw the restored doorway installed, the transom screamed out to me that it needed a house number. I’m sure the house would have had something similar on its original doorway. I’ve always wanted a doorway with a house number, so I set to work to have one created.
Signwriting was once an in-demand profession but interest waned in the 1980s with the advent of computer printing on vinyl. I couldn’t locate a local artist who could paint the house number, so I opted for a company that could produce the self-adhesive numbers on vinyl. Installation was quick and easy and the look, if I do say so myself, is great!
