I love old homes and architectural history.  I have restored a number of older homes and endeavor to preserve and even re-create details that are historically accurate.

I purchased 405 E. Lincoln in 2007. One of the first things I did was insulate the attic.  Looking at the timbers and framing in the attic we decided that the house was likely built sometime in the middle of the 19th century.  Later renovation work would pin the date down to somewhere between 1860 and 1878.

       During Renovation                                After Renovation

In 2017-18 I undertook a full renovation of the

front part of the home and installed air conditioning.

I worked on the dining room, living room, entry hall,

stairs (stripped and refinished the banister and newel

post),and renovated the upstairs hall and bedrooms.  

I re-did the walls and ceilings upstairs and down, opening

up spaces for running AC and new electric to code.   I

created the closets in the master and middle bedrooms. 

It was during that process that I was able to date the house

more accurately, based on the framing and type of nails used.

I also had the original random width floors re-finished.

They’re Beautiful

John Dorchester has applied his artistry and work ethic to renovating a number of Media’s historical homes with an eye toward preserving the heritage of the building and creating a living space that is as beautiful as it is functional.  He has restored five homes in Media and played a major role in restoration details of a sixth. 

Interior spaces were also restored, painstakingly replicating trim and moldings.  Walls and ceilings were re-done and where ever possible, the original plaster was preserved or replicated (see below).

Rear Garden with custom made double French doors, deck, garden shed and raised beds..

13 South Manchester

A beautiful 1923 “workers” Town Home.   Purchased in 2013 and fully restored and renovated in 2014. 

This project was incredibly rewarding.  The building is full of light and the floors are gorgeous.

As is typical, over the 160 years of it's life, the building had settled some. The dining room wall had drifted out of plumb.  I called an engineer just to be safe and he determined the wall was stable.He gave it the thumbs up but we furred it out and hired a contractor to secure it with giant metal plates and bolts to prevent  any further drift. The Bolts were installed by a certified contractor who got permits for the work.

I also re-build the basement stairway wall to support and partially correct a little sag on the floor.  It was a similar situation to my 1887 Victorian on Gayley Street

When I purchased the home in 2007, the kitchen and bathroom were done.

RENOVATIONS that I completed:

Insulated main house.

Removed “popcorn” ceiling and refurbished all walls and ceilings throughout the original brick building.

Refinished the original random-width floors.

Installed new electric wiring in most of the house as needed.

Replaced much of the baseboard heating.

Installed programable switches in the living room for light and fan.

Raised kitchen ceiling, added downlights, under-cabinet lighting and insulated the ceiling.

Installed new lighting living room and dining room.

Installed new heat in kitchen.

Insulated floor in kitchen and installed electric pipe warmer.

Replaced plumbing drains in kitchen and powder room.

Refinished the stairs, newell post and banister and spindles.

Added a custom made replica of period “coat catch” and storage bench.

Made rear wall plumb and secure.

Replaced the rear roof and the front porch roof.

Recoated the main roof.

Painted the exteriors of both the house and garage.

Rebuilt the garage roof framing.

Installed concrete floor in garage.

Added closets to front two bedrooms.

Installed new High Velocity Air Conditioning.

This recreated portico is one of my favorite

details.

405 East Lincoln Street,Media PA

Circa1865-75

306 Gayley Street

1887 Victorian. 10 rooms including the 3-season sunroom.

Meticulous attention to the historical details of this Victorian treasure were honored during renovations.   The front of the house was completely returned to its original design, complete with standing seam roof, gable details, and re-created rails and post.  New corner post turned on a giant lathe that exactly replicated the original was installed and along with the creation of an exact replica of the original porch rail which was custom manufactured by John.

As with everything, I try to preserve as much of the character as I can.  Some of the doors still had the original brass hinges, which I removed from the doors, and cleaned off decades of old paint to reveal “hinge art”.

Partial  list of renovations:

New electric

Refurbished all walls and ceilings

Re-created pulled-in-place plaster moldings

Refurbished original windows

Insulation

New main roof (2009)

Rebuilt front porch, recreated post and rails

New built in gutters front and rear

New standing-seam porch roof (2014)

New main bath, with towel warmer, tile shower, clawfoot tub.

Re-created replica woodwork as needed.

New kitchen 2005

Converted back porch into sunroom with double French doors.

Deck and landscaping.

Re-pointed brick

Basement French drain system

Powder room

Laundry room

Restored stairs and floors

The “Home Depot” railing and rotted corner post were replaced with accurate custom built replicas of the original.

The kitchen, which still included a 1943 Amana Deluxe electric range, was too small to fit modern appliances. The original doorway was partially blocked by a refrigerator.  We removed the doorway and the entire wall and let the maple cabinetry “bleed” into the large dinning room for an open feel that still feels like two defined spaces of Kitchen and Dining room.

The rear and side

before restoration.    

   

         

Replicated 1860’s coat rest and bench