Restoration 2010

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Venoge Restoration

Phase two, 2010

This house is one of the few remaining examples of the French colonial architecture that once characterized the first settlement of Switzerland County. Once common throughout the Mississippi Valley, the house was built ca. 1805-15 on property bought and developed by Swiss native, Louis Gex Oboussier in 1805.

Our restoration work this year began in March and is continuing through October. Bringing the house from a nearly bare framework to a building that is livable in the early 19th century manner took many hours of work and asking the right questions of the right people. The house itself held many answers to questions we asked...but not until we had taken it further back to a skeleton form were some of the answers known.

The foundation over time had lost some of its continuity and so stones were laid to fill the gaps. The failed chimney footer was removed and replaced with a poured reinforced concrete one. The stone removed from the original footer will be reused in a workspace pavement around the house. A concrete footer was poured to form a pad on which to support the center of the floor joists.

Traditional lime mortar was used in building the fireplace. Concrete block was used and will be concealed by plaster.

The support for the hearth was found, it was done differently than most: the hearth brick was laid on stone and the wood ledge. We were able to determine the hearth size by the existing opening.

The remaining original siding was found under the front porch ceiling and concealed under the rear kitchen addition. There is a bead on the lowest board in the front. All new siding was run in poplar 1/2 " x 8" as was the original.

The original siding was poplar 1/2 inch thick. Two sections remained and were found hidden under the kitchen addition and under the front porch ceiling. Our siding was the same dimensions and species.

The original location of the stair to the second floor was a question from the beginning. The stair that was in place when Venoge was acquired had been put in front of a window and a large beam had been removed to do so. That stair was of a much later date.

It is not unusual for stairs to be exterior on houses of this type. A short wall of nogging in the front wall was a puzzle and when a row of nails was discovered in the flooring going to the fireplace wall plus the discovery (when second floor boards had been taken up) of a notch for the stair rail, the answer became apparent. Measurements were taken which led to the placement of the stair beginning on the porch or what the French call the gallery.

Interior view of the west wall. We were fortunate to have found the original mantel used as a shelf in an outbuilding.

After the floor was leveled the ceiling was jacked up 3.5 inches. The 24 foot long beams above were strengthened by sistering steel and bolting every twelve inches. The beam that had been partially removed for the later stair was repaired with a half lap. A single layer of poplar flooring was installed on the second floor. The original had been two layers of 3/4 and 1/2 inch poplar with all horizontal joints staggered.