Condition Assessments

One of the tasks Arcadia Restorations is most frequently asked to undertake is the performance of a building condition assessment. These reports are designed to help historic building owners build a better understanding of the structures in their charge. The process typically entails a site visit of several hours, a brief interview about what the owners’ intent for the building might be, and then a careful examinati0n of all primary elements of the building, including exterior architectural elements, condition, interior conditions, framing if visible, and finishes and condition throughout. After assessing what exists on site, any historical information that can be gleaned will be summarized, and any conjectures or theories about what may have once been present, or a chronology of alterations, will also be compiled. Finally, any elements of deterioration or damage, as well as any other potential causes for concern, will be outlined in a prioritized manner, and rough cost estimates generated for planning purposes.

These reports are written from the standpoint of an historic preservationist, architectural historian and preservation carpenter. While we may have some comments or advice to give on matters such as hazardous materials abatement, heating and ventilation issues, or routine physical plant concerns, these are more the purview of specialist contractors in those particular fields. We are frequently commissioned to perform these assessments in conjunction with the Preservation Trust of Vermont in association with building owners, and are provided at a set rate of $500, plus an hourly labor cost for the site visit. We have had the privilege of working with some of the most important structures in the state, but be it barn, chicken house, meeting house church or bridge, we are ready to give advice which will allow owners to understand their building more, and construct a road map for the restoration and ongoing upkeep of the building’s overall historic fabric.

National Register Nominations

For individual buildings of exceptional historic merit, or meritorious historic districts, the nomination of these structures to the National Register of Historic Places may be appropriate. The register is designed to keep a record of American architectural sites worthy of preservation. Of course it should go without saying that there are countless historic structures which are worthy of preservation for a whole host of very worthy reasons, but the National Register is designed to include buildings which are exceptional under a number of quite specific criteria, be they historic, stylistic, or in terms of construction and design. A register nomination can heighten a building’s profile, give it greater significance in terms of public perception, and also help thoroughly document a building and its history and enter it into the public register, maintained by the Library of Congress. Arcadia Restorations can write Register nominations and guide them through the review and approval process. It is a much longer and more involved process than a simple conditions assessment, requiring in some cases considerable research, and is charged at a nominal labor rate plus travel expenses.