by Richard O. Aichele
One hundred years of weather and water penetrating behind the stone
retaining wall that is 13 ft. high at its highest point had taken its
toll. The wall supported the large terrace along the front of the former
Trask Mansion at Yaddo in Saratoga Springs, NY. Bast Hatfield Inc. of
Clifton Park, NY was awarded the restoration contract late in 2001 and
began work in January 2002.
The structural deterioration was
considerable. “Slabs were heaved and the soil below the slabs was
failing,” said Phil Russo, masonry division manager at Bast Hatfield. The
original builders had built the stone wall straight up and over the years
“that also created a problem,” he noted. By late 2001, one end corner of
the wall was six inches out of plumb and a center section “had bracing
against it to keep it from falling over because it was bowing out a good
12 inches,” said job foreman Peter Tuczynski. Total reconstruction was the
only option.
The reconstruction plans required reusing all the
Bluestone masonry. In the first phase, Bast Hatfield’s crews began taking
the masonry wall apart stone by stone. Each of the approximately 5,000
stones, weighing several hundred pounds each, was marked with a letter and
number key to locate the exact spot it came from on the wall. The stones
were then stacked on pallets making locating them easier during
reconstruction.
After ground preparation, Bast Hatfield constructed a
new concrete retaining wall built on a new 7 ft. wide concrete footing.
Russo said about 300 cu. yds. of concrete were poured for the reinforced
footing, retaining walls and the new stairway to reach the terrace from
the ground level. Total thickness of the retaining wall including the
re-installed stones is about 30 inches.
Refacing the concrete wall with
the original Bluestone is an exacting part of the job. Working from
photographs that show each stone’s location allows Bast Hatfield’s crew to
replace every stone in the exact location it had been for 100 years. Not
all stones survived intact. Tuczynski showed one example: stone A75 had
broken in two but was replaced in the original space with a new mortar
joint between the halves. Some other stones completely self-destructed “so
we had to recreate them. You have to carve each one and make them fit,” he
explained. Looking at the stones waiting for reinstallation, Tuczynski
noted “we had a massive pile but it’s now quickly dwindling.”
A minor
downside of re-installing the existing 100 year old Bluestone was the
discoloration from the years of exposure. Tuczynski noted cleaning the
re-installed stone with different additives added to wash water was tried
but the best results were achieved by straight water at high
pressure.
The new construction design includes adequate drainage on the terrace
area to prevent future water damage. The old drains were not adequate
according to Russo so the new construction includes a better drainage
design including new catch basins. As part of the aesthetic improvements
to the upper terrace area, old concrete pavers will be replaced with new
Bluestone pavers.
Rebuilding the stairway was another part of the
project that required specification changes after the work began. Wear and
damage of the old Bluestone stair treads was apparent at the beginning of
the project. However, as the treads were removed several fractured due to
the old Bluestone de-laminating. The owner decided to have new Bluestone
treads installed but the decision’s timing and the lead time for a vendor
to supply new stair treads will put off that installation until September
because the mansion serves from mid-May to late August as an artists’
retreat. The summer period is a blackout period for all construction
activity. Temporary tread substitutions will allow use of the stairway
“until September when we can come back in and install the new materials,”
explained Russo.
Masonry restoration work requires skilled, dedicated
professionals. Tuczynski and two brothers who also work for Bast Hatfield
are among the company’s experienced stone masons. In the past, some
contractors around the U.S. have imported skilled stone masons from Europe
where the skills are still being taught. “Why can’t they do they here?”
asks Tuczynski and then answers his own question: “It’s a lost art. No one
wants to bother or take the time. New construction is based on production
and laying 100 blocks in minimum time. This work takes time to lay each
stone. Sometimes you have to cut it, carve it and fit it. It takes time
but when it’s done it looks nice.”
“I’ll tackle the masonry renovation
jobs,” said Russo. Yaddo is just one example. “When it’s completed,
everything will look exactly like the original. All put back exactly as it
was. That was the intention of the entire
project.” |