5- New Storm Drain Cost: $7,100 Percent Complete: 100%

The architects were worried about "rising damp" coming up through the foundation stones particularly on the west side of the main farmhouse. The concern was that, if this were not corrected, it could endanger the integrity of those stones over time. The solution was to put in an under ground storm drain drawing water away from the foundation and channeling it to a dry well in a nearby field. This was accomplished.

In a previous restoration effort ten or more years before, a steel I-Beam supported by concrete and steel pillars had been installed in the cellar to support the main floor above. There was no historic justification for this unsightly, modern structure that destroyed the integrity and character of the 18th c. cellar. The problem was that, if the I-beam were removed, how could the original wood beams be reinforced to carry projected loads on the main floor of the farmhouse? The solution was to: 1- remove the I-Beam and supports, along with the modern 2x8 sistering, bolts, and bolt holes put through the (now) structurally damaged original beams; 2- carefully remove the bottom of the beams up to solid wood; 3- rout out a two inch wide, ¼ inch thick section in the bottom-middle of each beam into which was epoxied a nine foot Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer (CFRP) strip; and 4- reattach the bottom of each beam that was carefully removed in step 2 so that the CFRP strip and its installation would be as invisible as possible. This is the first time this European-originated technique has been used in the United States. All evidence is that its use at Hancock's is very successful.

The farmhouse had an extended brick patio that ran along the east side of the 1850s kitchen and summer kitchen. Over the years it had become buried under several inches of dirt and grass. In addition, previous archaeological excavations had removed a fair number of the original bricks. This patio was cleaned off, its very uneven surface removed, the subsurface evened out, and the brick relayed, filling in the missing bricks with matching brick found locally.

After the original plaster was stabilized on the main floor of the farmhouse and kitchen, and before the interior whitewashing was done, a considerable amount of plastering was required to close gaping holes and cracks. This was accomplished with especially prepared plaster provided by the Virginia Lime Works. More >>