We raised the Kavanagh ell last week. The frame was in rough condition, but the owners have prioritized preserving original material as much as possible. All but one tie beam received two new ends, each joined by a timber scarf. Most of the posts received repairs as well. The undercarriage and roof system were beyond repair, and will not be seen within the finished space. The roof will be framed conventionally by Williamson Fine Homes.

Dan Newman cut center tenon scarfs to repair the rotted ends of the tie beams. The shoulders of the scarf were under-squinted (angled) to prevent twist, and the center tenon was keyed and wedged to work in tension. The scarfs were cut with extremely tight tolerances because they will need to resist spread in the eave walls, and because they will be on display in the second story bedrooms.

Most of the posts required repairs as well, but Jake Imlay and Dan cut their scarf joints to preserve the maximum amount of original material. A double-bladed scarf joint attaches a new post base to an original post top, above. The length of the scarf is customized to cut out all rot and preserve the beautifully-hewn interior surfaces.

The ell was relatively small, and was erected with an “eave-wall raising” (as opposed to a “bent raising”). An eave-wall raising is typical of small 18th and early 19th-century frames, with tie beams that cross the plate with half-dovetail joinery. The crew scribed all new joinery and fit all the walls, then reassembled the eave walls on the deck, and reinforced the frame with KD bracing and gussets. Using a “4-point pick”, the crane raised the east eave into place, while the crew set the post feet into their mortises. We braced the east eave and set the house-end girt into its mortise. Then we switched sides, and assumed the same positions to raise the west wall.

This was a relatively easy crane day because Scott and the crew were so organized. After the eaves were raised and braced, we used the lull to lift the Bent 1 girt into place. The girt is connected to its posts by both ascending and descending braces, and required a pair of hands on every brace. Cut from white oak, it was difficult to tell the old braces from the new, their edges were still so crisp. But when we went to pick one up, our arms knew the difference–the new ones weighed three times as much.

Scott Lewis organized the frame raising and communicated with the crane operator. After the eave walls were standing, he rigged each of the tie beams evenly and directed them into position. This photo shows the gorgeous double-ended tie beam repairs that are the centerpiece of this preservation effort.

The crane placed a pick across the tops of the eave walls, so that Dan and Jake could fit the tie beams into cogs in the plates. The eaves were relatively straight and the joinery cut so cleanly that the hardest part was sliding the pick down the plate while staying clipped-in. The tie beams join to the plate with a stopped half-dove, visible above in Jake’s hand. This photo illustrates well the advantage of the wedged center tenon – much more of the original material is visible from below.

The northern crew has been at Kavanagh for a while now, and rebuilt the undercarriage beneath the house this past winter. Given the extent of damage in the ell, the frame repair was relatively quick, the crew dismantled the frame in late April of this year, and spent the summer cutting scarf fixes and scribing joinery. By mid-September, we were re-erecting the frame on the fine crane day pictured here.

The PTF crew has another small frame to raise on site, and is handing the reins over to Williamson Fine Homes to finish the Ell. Then the northern crew will turn its attentions back to the main house, to repair one of the most finely crafted hip roofs in the state of Maine, surrounding a glass-floored cupola. It’s a lot of work, and we feel lucky to do it.