Historic Restoration Division

    The Durable Slate Company's sister company, Durable Restoration is a fully licensed and insured general contracting company. Durable Restoration is a very specialized construction company – with the knowledge and expertise needed for complex and historically appropriate restorations or renovations of residences, churches, and civic buildings.

    Durable Restoration brings knowledge and experience to all phases of strategic planning to ensure that your project flows smoothly. This includes historic research, design, bidding, construction and final quality check of the completed work.

    It is Durable Restoration's policy to fully explain the details of every job. Our project managers spend a great deal of time at the work site, and consult with you every step of the way.

    Every project Durable Restoration undertakes is important to us and our skilled employees perform most of the work. That is why we choose our employees carefully and use licensed, specialty subcontractors only as needed. We always demand the highest quality work from everyone contributing to your job.

• Structural Stabilization. Basic to the integrity of any structure is ensuring that it remain upright and intact against the force of gravity. Soil erosion, water intrusion, structural modifications due to prior remodeling, and deterioration simply due to aging of materials are all threats to the stability of a building. Using the correct techniques, all these situations can be effectively handled with solutions which require minimal sacrifice of materials original to your historic property. See our Structural Stabilization section for more information

• Specialty Roofing. Protecting the building from the elements is the first step to undertake in preservation or adaptive reuse projects. We provide unbeatable service in the restoration and installation of slate, tile and metal roofs – including steeples. Replication of metal work, such as steeples, spires, cupolas, and cresting, is a forte at Durable Slate. With degreed artists on our production staff, we have successfully executed such replications with nothing more than an old photo for reference. See our Roofing Services section for more information.

• Masonry Restoration. After the roof, exterior masonry is the second most critical part of your building’s exterior envelope. Modern cement mortars can cause adjacent brick or stone to chip or crumble. Durable Slate is certified in the application of historic lime mortars and stone patching materials – the only materials which should be used with historic masonry. See our Masonry Services section for more information.

• Statuary and Monuments. Durable Slate is the company to call for the restoration and repair of monuments and mausoleums. With special training in the preservation of statuary and monuments from the National Center for Preservation Technology and Training, and certification in the use of the same historic materials used in Europe for the restoration of centuries-old masonry and stone, we can assist in restoring and preserving monuments and statues of any age and type.

• Wood Restoration. Much can be done to retain original doors, windows, and wood trim of historic buildings. Even in situations where significant water damage or dry rot has taken its toll, these building elements can be restored by replacing damaged portions with new wood or through the proper application of wood epoxy restoration materials.

• Custom Historical Woodworking. In situations where an addition is planned or adaptive reuse calls for additional windows, doors, or other wood trim, it may be necessary to create trim features from new wood. Our expert carpenters can reproduce wood features such as windows to match original windows in another portion of the building for your addition. Or they can create a new design in situations where that is desired.

• Historic Plaster Restoration. Water damage, whether due to leaks from roofs, chimneys, exterior walls, windows, or interior plumbing, is the most common cause of plaster deterioration. Proper plaster repair must follow the Secretary of the Interior’s guidelines. With fourth and fifth generation plaster craftsmen on our restoration crew, we ensure that our plaster restorations meet those standards.

• Code Compliance. Of particular concern in the restoration of public buildings is coordinating the goal of retaining original elements of the structure with the necessity of bringing the structure into compliance with modern building code requirements. We have experience with the tricky issues that are encountered on such projects – from hiding modern HVAC ducts and plumbing lines inside walls, to providing handicap access in a Civil-War era mansion destined for a second life as a museum.