What We Did
Water gets into a house through the roof and the openings, and it takes the rest of the house with it. At E. Lemington the work started at the top: a complete new roof, with new soffit and fascia.
The before photographs show why the roof came first. Worn shingles, failing edges, and window openings that had stopped keeping the weather out. The aerial shots of the finished roof show the result: a clean, continuous surface over the whole structure, including the porch, with the flashing and edge details done properly, because a roof is only as good as its transitions.
From there the crew replaced the windows and exterior doors throughout the house. Eight of the photographs on this page are windows and doors for a reason: openings are where older houses lose their heat, their security, and eventually their structure. The new units close the building envelope, bring down heating bills in a climate that punishes drafty houses, and include secure storm doors, so the house is weather-tight and safe at every point of entry.
Envelope work like this is the least glamorous renovation we do and among the most important. None of it shows up in a staged real estate photo, and all of it determines whether a house is still healthy in ten years. A family buying at 60 to 80% of Area Median Income is often investing most of what they have; a sealed, dry, secure shell is the first promise we make with that money.
