Historic Preservation Specifications

Log Out | Topics | Search Moderators | Register | Edit Profile

Author Message David G. Axt, CDT, CCS, CSI, SCIP Senior Member Username: david_axt Post Number: 2075 Registered: 03-2002 Posted on Thursday, April 25, 2024 - 11:56 am:    It has been about a decade since I wrote historic preservation specifications. I am currently working on a project that has teracotta, stone, wood windows, stucco, and interior plaster. I know those specifications should have lots mockups with approvals. I also know about the National Park Service's Preservation Briefs. Are there other tips that you use when writing these specifications? Thanks. David G. Axt, CDT, CCS, CSI, SCIP Specifications Consultant Axt Consulting LLC ken hercenberg Senior Member Username: khercenberg Post Number: 1626 Registered: 12-2006 Posted on Thursday, April 25, 2024 - 02:29 pm:    Consider contacting Patrick J. Morrissey. You can find him on LinkedIn. Very good resource. Jeff Leemhuis, CSI, CCS, A-SCIP, LEED AP Senior Member Username: jrlbarch Post Number: 50 Registered: 07-2005 Posted on Friday, April 26, 2024 - 09:50 am:    David: Contact me and I can give you my approach to these specifications. Brian E. Trimble, CDT Senior Member Username: brian_e_trimble_cdt Post Number: 140 Registered: 08-2005 Posted on Monday, April 29, 2024 - 01:48 pm:    This is a little self-serving, but from a quality assurance standpoint you can use our specification language to get qualified contractors and craftworkers on your project:https://imiweb.org/specification-language/. This is a hands-on class for craftworkers to show they have the right knowledge and skills to use on historic properties: https://imiweb.org/historic-masonry-preservation-certificate/. T.J. Simons, CSI, CCS Senior Member Username: tsimons Post Number: 46 Registered: 08-2005 Posted on Monday, April 29, 2024 - 08:06 pm:    I am by no means an expert in this area, but I can share some comments from colleagues with a lot of expertise in this area. Their insights and comments helped me a great deal with the 4 projects of this type I've done: 1. Gather as much information as you can about the existing conditions on the project, and the required level of preservation/rehabilitation needed for each area of work. This will inform a lot of what you need to include in individual Sections. If your team does detailed drawing notes, that's a big help, but if they lack experience in this type of work, you'll likely see a lot of notes that just say "Completely Renovate...." 2. The Preservation Briefs are helpful, but as you know they aren't specs. Not everyone is clear on this; they need to understand these can be very expensive specs to produce due to the specialized nature of the work. 3. Since your work involves wood windows, you may end up writing two or 3 wood window sections; one for repair, one for new windows to replicate the historic windows that are too deteriorated to repair and must be replaced in kind, and possibly one for removing the paint before refinishing. 4. Assume there are some degree of hazardous materials present in just about everything.