Little bit of a psychological setback today. We went up to take down some stones that were about to fall and… thought better of it. Once again, we find ourselves in a spot where we don’t want to move any stones because there is no certainty that they are not supporting others. We are going to spend some time contemplating our next move but the tower is in worse shape than we wanted it to be. We aren’t necessarily surprised… just a little set back. We are putting up a few pictures. The red circles are where the stack of rocks are.
Mooreland House 
😲
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I think you are wise in being extra cautious, Better to be safe than sorry. The tower from what I have observed from the videos, is a challenging project at best. I’m wondering if you could contact a good mason in the area that could give you a professional opinion. I know you want to complete the work yourself, but he or she might at least be able to tell you what you could be up against and give some possible options.
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Just to rebuild the front portico when it collapsed in the early 2000s was about $100,000. There is no stone mason that would be worth hiring that wouldn’t charge $200,000 to rebuild the tower. The Mooreland House isn’t worth $200,000. If we don’t do it ourselves… no one is going to do it. This is our hobby. We love it. We are smart with our money and the Mooreland House is not worth what it would cost to have her restored by contractors. There is a reason why our low bid was the highest and accepted bid. We are the only ones crazy enough to tackle it. As an aside, it was masonry professionals that repointed the lime mortar between the stones with cement mortar and caused the masonry to deteriorate.
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I learned also that all masons are not equal. I did some mortar work on an 1870’s house. I researched the type of mortar used in that time period. I was hoping to get a mason to complete the work. A couple of contractors wanted to use the cement type mortar. I felt that was incorrect for the house. Finally, I found a man who had been a mason for many years and had worked on several homes that were over 100 years old. He was too busy to help me in the time frame I required but was kind enough to give me some great tips on doing the work myself. My project was no where near the size of what you have taken on. I guess my point was that I appreciated his information. I thought perhaps you could find such a person as well.
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Absolutely agree that there are varying degrees of professionals. We have found our wealth of information off of YouTube and other online sites that give out the information for free. Free information also has varying degrees of worth. Without the online resources, we would have no idea what we were doing and we would have to seek out someone. We still plan on getting quality professional help if we run into a problem we can’t solve.
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Bless your hearts!!! Both of you are amazing!
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We are just taking one step at a time.
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Have you considered duct tape…many color options…just saying….
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LOL! Duct tape holds the planet together!
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Actually, if we used it, we would have to call it historical adhesive strips.
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YES!!! I think you’re on to something!! Maybe if you present this to Johnson and Johnson…..
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Truly amazing to watch you guys work on Moreland House, I really enjoy watching your videos, so thanks!
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Thanks Todd!
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I am not saying this will work . But i have used this in the past . I have used foam spray behind the walls to anchor the outside wall to the inside wall on a temporary basis. I have been in restoration , remodeling and building for 38 years and keep learning more every day. As you well know there is a surprise waiting behind every wall.
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Yes, we have contemplated using spray foam. We are headed back up there today to make something work. With the lime mortar… the spray foam would hold in moisture and rot it out even more. We are hoping we can stabilize it just enough to make it through the winter. Once it warms up we will have many more options.
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Prayers for a mild winter and early spring. You have an enormous challenge. I enjoy watching how you all approach it. It is definitely a lesson in patience.
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We are glad that people are understanding. We know that there are some that have looked at the 2007 pictures of the house and wonder why it is taking so long to paint the inside and start giving tours. Others, like you, know how monumental this task is. One of the challenges is to break it down into small manageable chunks. There are no small chunks… =)
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