Homeowners Judith and Julia Aidoo-Saltus with Judith’s mom, Nora Aidoo
One of our projects in Charleston, South Carolina has been awarded the prestigious Carolopolis Award for exceptional exterior restoration by the Preservation Society of Charleston. This house was one of two homes featured in the second part of This Old House’s 39th season on PBS.
The two-story Victorian wood-frame house owned by Judith Aidoo and her wife, Julia, was built circa 1890. Prior to its recent rehabilitation the home stood vacant for thirty years, resulting in severe deterioration of all wood siding, trim and framing that necessitated considerable leveling and stabilization.
Rehabilitation work included the removal of a structurally unsound 1960s addition, the shoring up of historic roof framing, and the replacement of a failing roof with a new hand-crimped metal roof. Severely deteriorated wood siding and windows were preserved where salvageable or replaced in-kind, and the trim profile of failing porch members was measured carefully to allow reconstruction following the original design. Differentiated with square columns rather than round, a new rear porch was added that draws from the design of the front porch.
The Preservation Society of Charleston created the Carolopolis Awards in 1953 out of a desire to celebrate exceptional efforts to save historic structures. Recipients affix a circular plaque to the awarded building. The plaque’s presence on a facade means the building has been restored and rehabilitated under the society’s highest standards of excellence.