antique schoenhofen beer bottles were discovered in the attic of our historic Howard Van Doren Shaw home

Support Walls, Beams, and Beer Bottles

Building a new structure is pretty straight forward. Building a new structure that ties in  to an old one seamlessly is full of complications. First, if you like your existing house, you have to create temporary support for it so it won’t collapse when you tear down the existing walls transitioning into the new space.  In addition, the weight of the new construction, and the … Continue reading Support Walls, Beams, and Beer Bottles

Windows And Doors

The awesome team is back at the Bassett House looking for clues, only this week, Jeff Ediger, from Oak Brothers is with us. Today, it’s about windows. First, we had to figure out what is original and what is not. Sometimes that was easy. These windows are clearly not original. And Neither is this front door. But sometimes it was a little more difficult. We thought the … Continue reading Windows And Doors

Dave Knecht lookes over the pieces damaged by the fire and pulled from the Orland P bassett House in Hinsdale Il

Where Did All The Cool Stuff Go ?

The Orland P Bassett house has been transformed from a A Hot Mess to a neat construction site. But what happened to all the stuff? The fire destroyed much of the interior, but anything that could be saved was carefully labeled and sent to appropriate restoration shops or storage facilities. Much of the woodwork like mantles and paneling ended up at Furniture Medic in Carol … Continue reading Where Did All The Cool Stuff Go ?