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An Icehouse
Client: Boyd Walker, Walker Real Estate
Location: Alexandria, Virginia
Project Manager: Brendan Jones
This historical property sat direct in the heart of historic Alexandria. Originally built as an icehouse, the building had been used in the 1970s as a plumbing supply yard, and abandoned after that. The Portuguese cork interior for insulating the blocks of ice was still on the walls. There was no floor, and the roof leaked.
So we piled in the truck and headed south. We ripped off the old roof and built a new one, framing out for four skylights. We then rebuilt the canopy as per specs from the Board of Architectural Review (Mr. Walker had been fined heavily for having torn the original down). This involved framing out for the built-in copper gutters, and furring out for the custom-made galvanized tin cornice.
This job might have been our most fun. Although days were long, and we had to eat Brian's cooking for one night, trips to Trader Joe's, late-night games of chess, and a night out with Boyd playing pool and drinking Guinness made it all worth it.
Client Testimonial
"Brendan Jones and his crew from Greensaw Design & Build did an excellent job completing my project in Alexandria. Having already underbid a local contractor for the job, they camped in my office, worked long hours, and even worked Sundays to complete the job and finish on deadline. When there were questions about how something should be constructed, or on details of the architect's drawings, they called me right away instead of assuming it should be done a certain way. They would carefully explain the pros and cons when these choices came up, and they helped work through problems to make the right decision. The crew showed a genuine interest in replicating an original feature of the building, figuring out how the new elements would fit in with the old, and working with the roofer, to make sure the final product was what was called for. There were numerous challenges to this project, including working in a Historic District and adhering to the specifics approved by the local Board of Architectural Review. I know Greensaw has done a lot of interiors so I think they really enjoyed doing a very visible building on a busy corner, talking to people as they came by, letting them know about the building, and what the plans were for its use. The team should be really proud of the product. I am looking forward to them coming back to work on the interior, and to work on other projects in the future."
— Boyd Walker |
