by Matthew Wiley | Jan 30, 2023 | Historic Restoration
Matt Wiley has 20+ years of experrience building historic homes and large scale commercial restoration projects. Matthew’s father taught and trained him in the carpentry and building trades from 12 years old and on. As his father was a general foreman builing residential homes Matt was trained in lumber calculation for project management in his early teens. Time saving job order, and the use of custom made ‘jigs’ to speed repetitive tasks was taught and practiced from Matt’s formative years. Matt moved from the rural hills of western virginia to Richmond’s most historic district – Church Hill before it was popular. Building the late 90’s and early 2000’s in Church Hill Matthew found a severe shortage in historically accurate building materials that caused a project management problem in restoring the row houses of the 19th century. From balusters to windows, historically correct materials where nearly unavailailable and using vinyl windows in a beautiful 3 story six digit home just did not keep the aestetic alive.
And in a beautiful turn of fate Matthew had the opportunity to buy “Beckstoffer’s Millwork” at 1207 N 28th Street in the early 2000’s. At that point the facility was 100 years old and many of the tools and records were still in tact. The formative experience of a lifelong craftsman was now turned to the speciaty that provides a lifetime of challenge and project variety. Throughout the real estate boom and urban return of the 2000’s Matthew ran a shop of 20+ employees supplying everything from basic kitchens to historic retrofits of much of Tobacco Row warehouse conversions. In the full market stop of the financial crisis of 09; Matthew’s operation had to re-size with the rest of the industry and it was the demand for historically accurate building supplies that carried Matthew’s interest, as well as cashflow.
The Tax Reform Act of 1986
Regulations provide a federal income-tax credit for owners of historic buildings that undergo substantial rehabilitations into income-producing uses. A credit equal to 20% of a rehabilitation’s qualified rehabilitation expenditures may be subtracted directly from the owner’s federal income taxes. A program of the National Park Service (NPS), the federal tax credits are administered by the State.
Historic Building Tax Credit Benefits
Main Street America Action Instructions
by Gepetto Millworks | Oct 6, 2015 | Historic Restoration, Project Spotlight, Richmond VA Woodworkers
Historic Construction that time travels back to the City of Henricus, the second successful English settlement in the New World.
Explore a moment in time where 300 settlers, led by Sir Thomas Dale, departed the unhealthy environment of Jamestown with the hope of establishing a strong English Colony. Learn from your visit how these brave settlers lived under the constant threat of attack by Indians and Spaniards while building their colony. Henricus Historical Park re-creates this historical journey for the visitor transporting you back four hundred years. Historic setting in a time where property ownership by the common man was a unique concept. The innovative idea of property ownership by a common man combined with the development of the first English hospital at this location. The chartering of the first college in the New World, the English home of Pocahontas, the establishment of tobacco as the first cash crop in the New World, all happened here the City of Henricus.
Gepetto Craftsmen were instrumental in construction of the crown jewel of the Henricus historic site’s replica church. From the groud up the chapel is built with historically authentic technique by our craftsmen. The opportunity to hand hew, and fit each joint allowed us to share in the same joy of craftsmanship and strong independent spirit shared by these pioneers ages ago. From the handmade glass windows to the the gothic style arches we were able to slip back in time and work with hand tools again.
Give us a call if your modern home needs an antique replica, solid wood centerpiece, or if you are a park service representative looking for qualified restoration craftsmen.
Historic Construction : Building Methods and Materials
For National Park Service and other projects that require authentic historic woodworking techniques and tools that are period specific:
- Beam Joinery
- Waddle and Daub
- Historic Joinery Techniques
- Materials guided irregularities
The advantages to using traditional joinery in preservation & restoration projects are shown in the full character of a historic building. Matching the traditional joinery techniques in construction, repairs, restorations, and other preservation activities ensures the structural integrity of a historic building by matching the existing joinery with a joinery technique that’s compatible with it’s original construction methods. Traditional joinery honors the wooden materials and makes a stronger, more durable end product. The older design methods account for expanding and contracting materials because they had such a thorough understanding of their craft. Modern joinery – on the other hand – generally prioritizes minimal time, and multiple materials like screws and glues. Pairing modern adhesives with historic joinery can compromise the structure of a historic building. Historic construction that values each trade and period specific methods add’s to that period’s methods being maintained in the trade community as well.
Historically Accurate Hand Built Techniques
Traditional joinery is a time-tested method that is much stronger than modern joinery and lasts for generations, even thousands of years. The mortise and tenon joint is the most ancient traditional joint and has been found in the wooden planks of a vessel 43.6 meters long that dates to 2,500 BCE. Traditional Chinese architecture as old as 5000 years used these methods for a perfect fit without using fasteners and glues. The gepetto craftsmen keep these skills and traditions alive in the modern and historic project they complete.
Historically Accurate Replica Construction Contractor
