Pandora’s Box? No, Best Day!
Sunday was the big day. The project I’ve been waiting 5 years to start. The great reversal of architectural vandalism.
We had to work from the bottom up. The giant awning downstairs made it impossible to access anything above it, including window glass (ew). Looking at the giant awning from underneath, I could see 3 big bolts holding the straps at the bottom and about 10 hex screws at the top. I was scared that if the awning moved one I got most these screws out, the last couple would rip the brick and marble apart.
I was wrong! They hung from a Z channel that was mounted to the wall first, so we could fully unscrew the awnings and they wouldn’t move until we lifted them off. So this is a big first: a job I asked friends to help me with promising it would be quick and easy… was. Pictured: a very happy scene with my 2 favorite men.
And then we were awestruck by how it looks without them. No more claustrophobia on the front steps! The pretty scalloped marble lintels are visible! And in the living room… direct sunlight!
By the way, the are too caked in peeling paint to photograph well. Here’s a view of one next door so you can see what I mean by “pretty scalloped.”
Everything about this was South Philly in reverse. We are working on my house to REMOVE tackiness. And we put something that is NOT a car in a parking spot. (Usually people put cars in spots that are NOT parking spots… and don’t get ticketed.) So, they were easy to take down but I did get a small surprise in how many screws I had to take out to break these down.
We let it sit there and took a break for quiche and mimosas. Totally normal to have brunch in the middle of construction, right?
And the horrible vertical aluminum siding over the cornice? It’s ready to go to the scrap yard and I must say it looks far better inside the Suburban than it did on my house.
Now, it’s cruel of me to keep writing things to leave the removal pictures for last. I know. I’m sorry. Here you go.
Can you believe how good it looks after being under there all this time?
Like, if I had known, I would have uncovered it ages ago even if I had to leave it in this condition. Even peeling it is WAY prettier than the aluminum. I’m thrilled. Truly. There’s a little minor weathering that I’ll need to patch up after I’ve stripped the paint. All the corbels are still extant although there were little wooden balls that appear to have been hacked off to install the aluminum. I can screw new ones on and no one will be the wiser. The very top piece of the aluminum siding covers a small gap and returns into the crown molding in a clean looking spot, so I’m leaving it in place. I thought I might have damaged the drip edge and needed to call the roofer back, but I won’t even have that expense!
The only thing I will have to replace is one of the little rosettes at the bottom. You can see the missing one toward the back in the picture above. The windows are horrendously dirty. I can’t wait to wash this less-sad facade down and some paint stripper test patches!
12 Responses
Every time a South Philly house loses its awning and aluminum covering the cornice, an angel gets its wings.
Congrats on this major change to the front of your house. We are fortunate that our house did not receive the South Philly treatment, but our next door neighbors has, and he loves his damned awning. 😛
Check which paint strippers are not recommmended for fiberglass and spill some on them
I love Devyn’s comment. I do like awnings (see the courtyard of the Plaza Athénée hotel in Paris), but not like these.
Bravo to you for taking off the tacky!!!
So gorgeous, Chad. I have often had to talk my family out of “just covering it up” and being “practical”. You’ve done a wonderful thing here. Can’t wait to see the finish but love it like it is. Jo @ Let’s Face the Music
When I uncovered my cornice it was those same brown and tan colors. Why were people attached to those colors. They were so awful!!
Pure joy… I’m so very happy for you – AND your house! It looks sooooooo much better than before (even with the yellow and brown which I kind of like in a purist, historical, sort of way). I’m glad that your cornice is in such good condition; your house is an asset to the street. Getting rid of those awnings was another victory. Congratulations!
The cornice is SOOOOOOO beautiful!
I am amazed by your patience. That is something I would have had to expose week 1!
So exciting!!!!!!!
I kept it because I needed the awnings to protect degraded brick and poorly installed windows and I had no idea if it needed a lot of work and I wasn’t ready to take that on
WOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! totally freaking amazing! love the whatchamacallet under the metal siding. so pretty! with the little balls and decorations. beautiful! also am jealous of your cool wooden extension ladder. never seen one like that! how high up is your roof? like, how high up did you have to be to remove the aluminium?
The house is about 16 feet tall total. I got the ladder up to the bottom of the cornice about 14 feet up and then laid on my belly on the roof to get the last bit
cool! my husband would NEVER let me lie on the roof to do anything. even a flat one. i guess that’s a good thing, but i’d love to try.
When I was sidibg the back of the house my dad moved the ladder over while I was on it in spite of my screams. I told my mom about that a year later and saw the divorcing look in her eyes. But they’re still together because I didn’t die