
When Peter Galloway's uncle suggested moving an old house to his empty lot, rather than building new, Peter began scouring the internet for candidates. "I found some candidates in the Southeast-but each had to stay in its original county," he recalls.
• Then he found Bill Gould, of Pomfret, Connecticut, who is a master carpenter, timber framer, and jack of all trades. Bill introduced the Galloways to Steven Bielitz, owner of the historic Hills House, which was slated for demolition.
Peter, Steve, Bill, and house-demolition specialist Dan Shields (18th and 19th Century Recycling) dismantled the house with input from preservation architect Leonard Baum, of Providence, Rhode Island.
TOP When the Hills House was found, in East Hartford, Connecticut, it had stood empty for five years. RIGHT Dismantling the house was a meticulous process, done one storey at a time.
“We labeled and numbered each room: for example, the Parlor was the “C” room and the Hall was the “A” room. The joists were thus labeled CJ1, CJ2, etc.,” Galloway explains.
This story is from the March - April 2025 edition of Old House Journal.
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This story is from the March - April 2025 edition of Old House Journal.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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