This Fall, I've been spending a few days a week working to restore one of the oldest houses in our area. We have been doing foundation repair, replacing the rotten floor joists beams, rim beams and siding.
Because the house was built in 1755, we have been finding many interesting details. One of the more intriguing things we have found is birch bark flashing. We had been removing some rotted clapboard siding boards and underneath we found strips of birch bark applied around the window trim and over gaps between siding boards to help with weatherization.
Because the house was built in 1755, we have been finding many interesting details. One of the more intriguing things we have found is birch bark flashing. We had been removing some rotted clapboard siding boards and underneath we found strips of birch bark applied around the window trim and over gaps between siding boards to help with weatherization.
As I looked more closely at the surface texture of the siding boards, I noticed that they were cut with a water powered up-down saw mill. I believe these siding boards and birch bark flashing were original to the house. It has been really exciting working on the old house that has weathered so long and so well.
In preparing the underlayment for our new cedar clapboard siding, we carefully installed tar paper and battens over the undisturbed bark. I have no doubts the bark flashing will last for another 200 years.