Staff recommends approval of the removal and replacement of the porch flooring, with the condition that the flooring material be pressure-treated, tongue-and-groove wood; approval of the removal of porch capitals, with the condition that the replacement capitals match in design, size, and scale, with approval by staff; and approval of replacement in-kind of the square porch column bases.
- After-the-fact review of replacement of wood tongue-and-groove porch flooring with tongue-and-groove extruded PVC flooring (Aeratis Heritage brand)
- After-the-fact review of removal of Ionic capitals on porch with square wood capital
- After-the-fact review of replacement of wood bases under columns in-kind
One-story residence with a hipped roof with lower gables projecting to the front and sides, clad in asphalt shingles. House has an exterior of wood clapboard siding and rests on a brick foundation. A front-gable roof dormer, featuring full cornice returns and a double-hung wood sash window, is centered on the façade roofline. A gable-and-hip porch projects from the right half of the façade, supported by round wood Ionic columns. Decorative wood shingles and full cornice returns on front gable field. Interior brick chimney.
1. The house is a contributing resource to the Fourth and Gill Historic Overlay and National Register Historic District.
2. The porch exhibited sufficient deterioration to warrant repair.
3. The porch demonstrates a form and detailing typical of a Queen Anne cottage, and is a character-defining feature of the house and neighborhood. The porch is covered by an intact roof with wide eave overhangs.
4. The proposed flooring materials are composed of solid extruded poly-vinyl chloride (PVC), and are faux wood-grained in an attempt to better simulate the texture of wood flooring. The Aeratis Heritage material can be painted, which is recommended for composite porch materials in Preservation Brief 45.
5. SOI Standard #6 states "replacement feature shall match in design, color, texture, visual qualities, and where possible, materials." The concepts of compatibility, visibility, and visual effect are identified as considerations in evaluating alternative materials. The proposed material, at 3-1/8" wide and 7/8" thick, is similar in size to wood flooring boards. The texture attempts to resemble faux-wood grain but, as it is a PVC material, appears somewhat flatter with a shiny surface. The flooring is on a primary façade and therefore substantially visible from the public right-of-way. Regarding compatibility, the PVC material is not compatible with the remaining elements of the existing porch, which are all wood. Replacement in-kind of the previous wood tongue-and-groove boards would be possible, as such materials remain available.
6. The Ionic capitals on the porch columns were character-defining features that contributed to the porch, house, and overall neighborhood. While the existing capitals were sufficiently deteriorated to warrant replacement, replacement with simple wood blocks is not supported by the guidelines.
7. Replacement of the square wood bases below the columns in-kind is a minor repair, and appropriate within the guidelines.
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