Heritage Restoration, Inc. is pleased to announce a new division called Rhode Island Found, which are objects from projects we are working on, or found scraps we discover in historic buildings. Reclaimed timbers, doors, hardware, and other historic objects are…
Getting it done without droplets In the blink of an eye the world changed and many found themselves at home. We became more familiar with our surroundings, seeing things we did not have the time to notice or maybe we…
An old house can be there by accident but most of the time it’s because someone cared. It could have been the craftsperson from 200 years ago. Or it could have been the handyman that cleaned the gutters. Or it…
View our project at the Quaker Meeting House in Newport, RI. Rob Cagnetta first visited the Meeting House 30 years ago in a class at Roger Williams University.
Our house has failing lead paint on the original horse hair plaster walls. The firms contacted thus far have stated that, given the size of the job, the most sensible way to proceed is through the removal of the plaster…
Buildings are more than just design and assembly. They are a snapshot of life. The parts are the technology, skill, and materials of a time, while the style is the culture. As buildings age, some get overlooked, fall apart or…
We live in a culture of impatience and instant gratification. But for the first European American settlers, nothing was instant. When the Pilgrims finally landed in Plymouth of December 1620, they were hungry, weary, and desperate. They arrived without a…
Monuments are left to recognize a person or event. We inscribe epitaphs defining their social relevancy to our cultural heritage, be it artistic, historical, political, technical or architectural importance. We have plaques on old houses identifying historical figures that had…
Every old building has a story. That story is told through what we see now, but sometimes there is a lot more to tell. We can certainly understand a building’s evolution by physical clues, but sometimes the clues are masked…
Once and awhile I get a frustrating call about someone hiring a contractor where the skills did not match the promise. Sometimes the work is poor, isn’t finished, or is in such a state that it needs to be redone. …