MEMORANDUM December 1, 2011 TO: FROM: Mrs.

Susan Reynolds, PE, RA, LEED AP, Instructor Group 6: Zachary Beasley, Rolyn May

SUBJECT: Varner House Preservation Recommendations for Wood Joists That Are Detaching From Supporting Beam in Corner of Porch This past semester, the Historic Preservation class has been afforded the amazing opportunity to investigate the Varner House, a vacant and deteriorating Greek Revival house located at the intersection of Old Montgomery Road and Fonville Street in Tuskegee, Alabama. For Group Project 3, group six has been assigned the task of recommending an intervention on wood joists that are detaching from the supporting beam in the corner of the Varner House porch. Our recommendations are based on physical, historic and economic observation and research. Background One of the finest antebellum places in town, the Varner House was recently purchased by Tuskegee University. Built in 1853, the one-story Greek Revival-style home was once a residence for a wealthy Tuskegee family. The last resident was William Varner who was a judge; however, the home has been vacant since the 1950s and has fallen into disrepair.
(Sources: http://preservationscoreboard.uwa.edu/inplay/varner.htm, http://www.tuskegee.edu/Articles/students_present_design_propos als_for_varner_house_renovation.aspx))

It is fitting that plans to rehabilitate the property into a Alumni House and Visitors Center are underway as the house is nestled just where the community kisses the college: Fonville and Old Montgomery. Contact with Varners descendants has proved invaluable to the ongoing research, and recent strides have been made in contacting additional members of the Varner family.

 Observations One of the most prominent construction methods used in the Varner House framing is the mortice and tenon joint (Fig. 2) The use of this joint may or may not have been specified by the architect, as the craftsman of these years were well skilled in connections of these types. (Source: The Design and Practice of Joinery, John EastwickField, 1958) Overall, the condition of the joists and like elements is stable. Commensurate distress is observed in areas exposed to the elements. Most problems with structural assemblies are related to deflection and can be attributed to a number of deficiencies, including beam strength that has been reduced by extensive notching at joist-framing connections and joists that are excessively cut at ends where they frame into girders (typical in pre-1900s houses); joists that have been excessively cut, notched, or bored to accommodate material changes, pipes, wiring, or ducts etc. (Source:
http://www.toolbase.org/PDF/DesignGuides/rehab5_part.pdf)

The wood joist separating from the beam as shown in Fig. 2 may also be a result of foundation displacement. The observed rotting (Fig. 3) may come as a result of water infiltration due to the unstable joist connection causing damage to the supported porch deck. Moisture most likely played a role in the observed corrosion of the nails as well. Suggested Action The foundation [is] particularly important to the preservation and structure of a historic porch yetless attention than more ornamental features. (Source: http://www.nps.gov/history/hps/tps/briefs/brief45.pdf) We feel that special care should be taken to preserve the materials of the structure of this porch while ensuring the structural integrity thereof and while being cost-efficient. We recommend the existing historic material be stabilized. Existing joists can be reinforced by adding wood reinforcement (sistering) along the existing members to develop additional load-carrying capacity. The reinforcing, sister member must be attached to the supporting beam.

 Another option for preserving and stabilizing wood members is epoxies and wood consolidants. These are low-viscosity and can be soaked into rotted wood in order to restore its solidity and sometimes even its load bearing function. They can be molded as well as painted for aesthetic consolidation This type of solution is more expensive than comparable techniques. (Source:
Epoxies for Wood Repairs in Historic Buildings, Morgan Phillips, 1978)

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