Case Study:
Coolidge Road, Elizabeth, NJ
July 2007
This home on Coolidge Road in Elizabeth presented several challenges,
cosmetic and functional. Mainly the owners wanted to preserve the
integrity of the home's original 1925 architecture while improving the
degree in which it provided shelter and energy efficiency. As always
budget concerns were always under consideration. The following is a
breakdown of how the improvements were made by Joe Percario General
Contracting.
1. The Roof
The Roof The first concern was the roof, which was deteriorated and
leaky do to age. It had two layers of asphalt shingles nailed to the
original cedar shingles. All three roofs were removed and replaced with
a dimensional shingle that closely resembled the original cedar roof.
The new GAF/ELK mfg. Dimensional Designer Shingles are replicas of the
original wood shake and, made from an asphalt and fiberglass mixture of
material, represent the latest in technology. The roof was installed
with new absolute insulation and ventilation in mind.
2. Siding
Siding Between heat escaping through the roof and the moisture, cold
and heat creeping behind the siding, the owners were paying a premium
in fuel bills in order to heat and cool their home. With the advantages
of the new roof's ventilation and insulation, half the battle to keep
the house energy efficient was done.
The siding presented a different challenge. It had no insulation
behind it and blowing in foam, fiberglass or cellulose was an expensive
option. The house had clapboard siding on the lower half and cedar
perfection shakes on the upper half. Both portions were splintering and
loosening. The owner originally called to have the home painted, but
because the siding was in such bad shape the paint job would have been
wasteful and the cost of repairing the old wood was prohibitive.
The solution to the siding and trim challenge started with picking
a clapboard and cedar shakes product that matched the exact projection,
dimensions and textures of the original constructed classic home that
was almost a full century old.
Stripping the paint off of one of the panels revealed the original
color scheme. We wanted to ensure that the siding and trim were
available in the colors we wanted.
An added bonus was that we found a full back insulated siding that
could be used in leu of the blown insulation at a fraction of the
price. By using siding that had an insulation backing on it, we were
able to add a double layer of energy efficiency to the home.
The siding manufacture that Joe Percario recommended was
Certainteed. They made all the products that fit the siding and trim
criteria. Two of there products used were the 7'' Full back Insulated
CedarBoards™ and the Cedar Impressions 7'' perfection shake.
3. Windows
As bad as the roof and walls were at conserving heat, the
windows were twice as bad. The windows were also irregularly shaped but
were beautifully designed. We were able to inject insulation around the
original classic windows and cap and rap them with trims and accents
that were maintenance free but nostalgically correct.
The new design even enhanced the appearance of the authentic leaded
glass.
4. Accents & Trim
The trim work on the house was distinct. But like
most of the wood some parts were deteriorated beyond
repair. Historical restoration of the wood soffits would be very
costly. The solution to this challenge was quite simple. Percario's
maintains a huge catalog of accents and trim to fit every style of
architecture. A perfect match was found for the soffits, accents, trim
and even the columns.
5. Gutters
The gutter system was added to the house as a renovation
about five years previous to Percario's makeover. Very little thought
was given to the aesthetics and functionality of the gutters and
drainpipe. As evident in the before photo the drain pipes were
obtrusive in appearance. A study of the system in action showed flaws
in the way the rain water was funneled. Percario's reconfigured the
system to work more efficiently and ultimately divert water further
away from the foundation. As the after photo indicated the new gutter
system s virtually invisible. Of course the blue of the leader pipes
match perfectly to the siding.
6. Painting
There is a pediment above the portico that is simply
stunning. The low pitched gable had a sun burst painted on it. To
achieve the same effect it would have to be repainted.
The fact is that Vinyl would not have had the same authentic
effect, and because it is easy to reach, periodic maintenance can be
easily done with paint that is perfectly mixed to match the color of
the siding.
The design was painted by a highly trained Percario painter
capable of doing the job with the required precision. The new door to
the home was also painted, in red as was the style.
7. Energy conservation
Percario did an assessment of the energy use and
cost to heat and cool the house. The estimated difference in the owners
annual fuel bill prior to the remodeling and afterwards was $1,000 for
the year. The owner's annual expenditure on gas and electric will go
easily from approximately $2,500 to $1,500 annually. With a projected
savings of over $20,000 for the next ten years!
8. Good Neighbors
Percario General Contracting is committed to keeping
homes and neighborhoods nostalgically correct. They offer remodeling
consultation as an added value to their service. Few contractors offer
architectural design consultation and those who do attach a big price
tag to it.
It is common for neighbors to call on Joe Percario for advice on
all their remodeling needs once they see the care we put into our work.
A Joe Percario remodeling job not only improves the home but the
neighborhood as a whole. The benefit of a quality remodeling job is
shared by the community.
