Historic Zoning Commission

Old North Knoxville H-1: Level II

8-H-18-HZ

Applicant Request

Level II. Major repair or replacement of materials or architectural elements

Replace the rotted non-original tongue-and -groove flooring on both the front and back porches with Aeratis or Azek composite tongue-and-groove porch flooring. Additionally, install the Azek or Aeratis railing system on the back porch ONLY, with top rail to be similar to the earlier one and utilizing 2x2 square balusters.

Site Info

Two-story frame with weatherboard wall covering. Hip roof with lower cross-gables, asphalt shingle covering and imbricated wood shingles in gable. Double-hung one-over-one and two-over-one windows with stained glass window on south elevation bay. One-story wrap -around front and side porch with turret at corner with standing seam metal roof covering, round wood columns with Ionic capitals and turned wood balustrade. Two interior offset brick chimneys. Brick foundation. Irregular plan. Projecting bay on south elevation. Recessed transoms over doors. Rear upper-level porch. Garage under house with entrance facing the north side-street.

1) The house is a contributing structure within the ONK H-1 Overlay and the National Register Historic District.

PORCH FLOORING
2) The proposed flooring materials are composed of solid extruded poly-vinyl chloride (PVC), and are faux wood-grained in an attempt to better simulate wood decking. While the use of synthetic boards have been approved for rear decks in the city's historic districts, it should not be use on front porches unless the material can be painted to reduce sheen and prominence of the faux-wood grain in order to better simulate wood.

3) The proposed Aeratis product provides a 3 -1/8" tongue-and-groove porch flooring that is designed to be painted; therefore, staff believes that this type of flooring is appropriate. Aeratis Traditions is paint-ready (with a 5-A paint adhesion) while Aeratis Classic may also be painted. It appears that an edge trim or nosing must be utilized with this product.

4) The porch floor is not highly visible from the from the right-of-way for the obvious reason that it is in the horizontal plane and not the vertical. It is not highlighted by sunlight as is a vertical surface. The front setback in this case is approximately 24 feet from the street.

PORCH BALUSTRADES
4) The rear porch balustrade is visible from the Cornelia Street right-of-way since the house is on a corner lot facing Scot Avenue.

5) Rear porches were typically constructed with more simple components than those of the front porch, so the proposed 2x2 square balusters are appropriate. The current rear porch balustrade with turned balusters is not original. (The front porch balustrade appears to be original and will be repaired in-kind.)

6) The guidelines and the Secretary of Interiors Standards state: "the new feature shall match the old design, color, texture, and other visual qualities and, where possible, materials."

7) The proposed extruded PVC material for porch balustrades does not altogether simulate wood in texture and visual qualities because it does not have the imperfections or undulations of a hand-crafted wood balustrade and the material is very smooth; however, a paint-coat may somewhat mitigate only the texture issue. All of the Aeratis products may be painted but the Azek products are not recommended for paining. (Additionally, some PVC balustrade products have exposed fasteners; however, the proposed Aeratis and Azek products offer hidden fasteners.)

8) The top rail profiles shown in the samples offered by Azek appear to adequately duplicate historic profiles.