Field Notes:

On-the-job challenges and how we solved them

At Trade31, we don’t back down from a challenge. In fact, many of our precision builders believe the challenges are part of what makes the job fun.

“For many of us, the tougher it gets, the more interested we are,” says Vice President Bill Smith.

We asked a few of our dedicated team members to tell us about unique problems they’ve encountered in the field and how they led to some of their proudest accomplishments. Their stories show us that many of the best solutions arise from unexpected challenges.

Historic window replication at Vanderbilt University’s Kirkland Hall

As part of extensive renovations to the oldest building on Vanderbilt’s campus, Trade31 was tasked with updating all exterior windows to meet modern energy efficiency standards while maintaining the historic integrity of the facade. To achieve this, we recreated 240 windows based on 19 custom templates and installed them with expert precision and craftsmanship.

“They wanted windows that looked the same as they would have looked historically but were also energy efficient. This meant using glazed, insulated glass instead of single pane glass, to protect against the thermal properties of UV rays. But insulated glass is thicker than single pane glass, so the original sashes weren’t deep enough to hold the new windows. So not only did we recreate entirely new windows, but we also recreated the sashes so they’d be deep enough to fit them. To make everything look historically accurate, we used samples of the original windows to match designs to the exact shape and detailing of every window.”

– Bill Smith, Trade31 Vice President

“These windows passed a curtain wall test. That’s amazing. Typically, you wouldn’t perform any type of water test on historic wood windows. The frames are held together with nails and screws and wood glue, and water finds all sorts of ways to get through that. But the construction manager and the owner wanted to test these windows — so after initially thinking, “You can’t do a water test on these!” we said, “Ok, let’s do it.” As we anticipated, the first one didn’t pass, so we figured out where the leaks were coming from and made adjustments and fixed those issues on every single window. So now Kirkland Hall has historic wood windows that passed a curtain wall test with flying colors.”

– Steve Lanham, Trade31 Superintendent

Expansion of the Mercantile Library

Located on the eleventh floor of the Mercantile Building, this historic library was founded in 1835 and is home to 85,000 volumes and counting. As they expanded into the twelfth floor to accommodate their growing collection, the Mercantile Library partnered with Trade31 on the interior renovations and exterior facade improvements — including custom casework and millwork, an iron spiral staircase, and replications of historic windows — to bring their vision to life.

“Safety was a primary concern with installing the twelfth floor windows. Ordinarily you’d use scaffolding and do the demo outside, because the area directly below would be cordoned off. But in this case, below was a city sidewalk that was still wide open to pedestrians. So instead of scaffolding, we designed a protective case of rigid styrofoam that we installed on the outside of the windows and pulled the windows inside the building for demo. This was a unique solution we created for this specific challenge.”

– Kris Ackley, Trade31 Superintendent

“In order to build a staircase from the eleventh to the twelfth floor, we needed to cut a hole in the twelfth floor and build a support system that could hold the impressive spiral steel staircase. The engineers initially planned for all new steel being used for that structural support, but we discovered that many of the steel beams we uncovered between the two floors could be repurposed and eliminate the need for new materials. This not only saved the library money but it also contributed to the overall sustainability efforts of this Historic Preservation project.”

– Greg Warner, Trade31 Senior Project Manager 

Historic Preservation of the Taft Museum of Art

Built around 1820, the Taft Museum of Art is a National Historic Landmark and the oldest freestanding wood structure in its original location in Cincinnati. This 200-year-old house, which holds a priceless art collection, was in dire need of structural renovation. To restore the museum to its former glory and preserve it for generations to come, Trade31 contributed to a meticulous restoration effort that included interior casework and millwork installation and extensive exterior facade improvements. 

“An interesting solution on this project was how we handled the siding. We were tasked with repairing the historic siding, which was wood installed in a tongue-and-groove pattern. We were expecting to remove it, repair it, and reinstall it. But what we discovered when we began peeling it back was there was much more damage and decay than anyone initially expected, particularly to the tongue pieces of each board. By removing the rotting pieces and preserving the healthy wood, we were able to create shiplap siding out of much of the original wood. Ultimately we recreated a historically accurate style of siding while preserving 70 percent of the original siding, which was a huge win from a Historic Preservation standpoint.”

– Bill Smith, Vice President for Trade31

Trade31 is a carpentry-driven construction partner specializing in facade improvements, finish carpentry, specialty contracting, general trades and other custom services. Backed by a century-old tradition of doing it right, our precision carpenters and speciality builders thrive where complex environments meet high expectations.