Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Porch Reconstruction topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Commission tables side-porch rebuild at 501 South Street after stop-work order; owner to provide architectural elevations
Summary
The commission tabled a request to rebuild a side porch at the contributing 1872 house at 501 South Street after commissioners said the submission lacked required architectural elevations and detailed material documentation; a stop-work order was issued earlier when parts of the porch were removed without a completed permit.
The Historic Preservation Commission on Oct. 21 tabled an application to rebuild a historic side porch at 501 South Street after commissioners found the submission lacked the architectural elevations and material documentation needed to approve reconstruction of a contributing property.
Staff described the property as constructed in 1872 (plaque notes 1871) and as a contributing resource in the historic district. The owner, Chad, explained that he had begun work to replace rotten decking and screens and encountered deteriorated structural members; during removal the porch's decking and some columns were taken down. A stop-work order followed after staff determined parts of the historic porch had been removed without a permit for the broader repair.
Chad said he has carried out extensive prior restoration work on the house (he described spending roughly $110,000 restoring windows, doors, trim and a rear patio) and that some original decorative trim pieces were saved and will be reinstalled. He described the proposed rebuild: new subflooring and 3-inch Douglas-fir tongue-and-groove decking, cedar-clad 8x8 replacement porch posts to match the prior profiles, 4x4 screen-frame uprights wrapped in cedar, and aluminum screens. He also said he would have structural sign-off from a contractor and that the building department would require stamped documentation for structural work; staff confirmed the building department will require structural review and permitting.
Commissioners and staff said they are sympathetic to the owner's stated intent to restore in kind but repeatedly emphasized they needed a clear set of drawings showing existing conditions and proposed reconstruction, scaled elevations, a materials list, and confirmation of which original decorative elements had been saved and how they would be reused. The owner agreed to produce architectural elevations and detailed notes on materials and profiles and to return to the commission for approval. A motion to table the side-porch rebuild application passed on a roll-call vote.
The commission advised the owner to include a front and side elevation showing the visible porch façades, a materials list (decking, post profiles, trim profiles and screen-frame details), and, if possible, photographs documenting the salvaged trim and posts to be reused. The building department will continue to coordinate on structural inspections and permit sequencing.
Provenance: Staff history and the applicant presentation begin at the property-history presentation near 3333 minutes of the transcript; the motion to table and roll-call appear later in the file at 6006-6027 minutes of the transcript.
