Singular Details

Rebuilding the cornice of the Octagon house

To restore an ornate octagonal Gothic Revival near the bank of the Hudson River, Scott McBride and his team started at the top and worked their way down. Its dome-shaped roof had split along each of its eight hips, and the cornice surrounding the verandah roof, which included a built-in gutter, needed rebuilding. The first step of the process was to tear down the old cornice, shore up the structure, and assemble the new cornice straight and plumb along the frieze. Brackets support a split soffit serving as a level foundation for the gutter. Finish work included, among other things, cutting and installing both two-piece crown and dentil moldings.