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Old 01-21-2015, 09:34 AM
 
Location: Stanton Heights
778 posts, read 840,151 times
Reputation: 869

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Sorry everyone! Apparently I am just plaster-challenged. I retract my previous slander of plaster walls.
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Old 01-21-2015, 09:35 AM
 
3,595 posts, read 3,393,123 times
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plasterboard has been in use since the 1940's. much more stable than lath. if i could afford it i would get everything i do plastered. i trained with a plasterer, but i am not as fast as working with drywall.
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Old 01-21-2015, 09:35 AM
 
Location: Pittsburgh
6,782 posts, read 9,595,436 times
Reputation: 10246
Quote:
Originally Posted by eschaton View Post
I know you have a mid-century house. Maybe it's the difference between old plaster with wood lathe versus old plaster with metal mesh?
For a real 1915 house, you're going to need to shave some horses for hair to reinforce the plaster.
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Old 01-21-2015, 09:40 AM
 
Location: O'Hara Twp.
4,359 posts, read 7,530,984 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by guy2073 View Post
plasterboard has been in use since the 1940's. much more stable than lath. if i could afford it i would get everything i do plastered. i trained with a plasterer, but i am not as fast as working with drywall.
Last year we got quotes from a few drywall guys and a plaster guy for a small room. The plaster guy beat the price of each drywall guy.
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Old 01-21-2015, 09:45 AM
 
5,894 posts, read 6,882,782 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by theta_sigma View Post
Sorry everyone! Apparently I am just plaster-challenged. I retract my previous slander of plaster walls.
I think with anything here it varies by house - (not a criticism at all) but in reality most pittsburgh homes were thrown up to house a couple of families & done so as cheaply as possible by builders. When it comes to poor plaster i'd guess some low lime content (again to save money) most likely.

I don't think the original builders ever foresaw people wanting to hang pictures and such directly on the plaster either (they used picture rail for that back in the day).
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Old 01-21-2015, 10:04 AM
 
3,595 posts, read 3,393,123 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by robrobrob View Post
Last year we got quotes from a few drywall guys and a plaster guy for a small room. The plaster guy beat the price of each drywall guy.
small rooms can be done in a day, but with drywall i can coat for an hour and move onto something else. i have less man hours in drywall.
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Old 01-21-2015, 01:54 PM
 
Location: Crafton via San Francisco
3,463 posts, read 4,646,466 times
Reputation: 1595
Quote:
Originally Posted by Der Schwabe View Post
Hot water radiators would seem to be a better option than steam.
That's what I have in my 1900 home and I love it!
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Old 01-21-2015, 02:12 PM
 
Location: Crafton via San Francisco
3,463 posts, read 4,646,466 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by eschaton View Post
I'I have to ask - why bother building a new house to a 1915 plan? It's not like Pittsburgh has a shortage of grand old homes, and you can surely buy and restore one much cheaper than you can build one from the ground up.
I was wondering the same thing myself. I relocated to Pittsburgh from SF a few years ago and bought a home built in 1900 that was in decent shape. Previous owners had added AC, dual pane windows, and updated all the electrical, with new panels and new wiring in all the walls. I had the house insulated with injection foam and remodeled the kitchen. The house has hot water radiator heat which I love. I had the hardwood floors refinished. I converted a tiny bedroom (about the size of a walk-in closet) into a second floor laundry room. I now have a historic home with all the modern conveniences I need. Unless there's a pressing reason to build a new "historic" home, if I were you I would find an older home in decent shape in the neighborhood where you want to live and renovate to suit your needs. Pittsburgh has so many great old houses, many with historic details intact, for very reasonable prices compared to NYC where I assume you're from. I agree with eschaton that this would be a much more cost effective way to go. I paid well under $200k for my home in Crafton. It's insured for over $500k because that's what it would cost to replace it. Even factoring in what I spent on remodeling, I am nowhere near $500k in expenses.

While I'm not a contractor, I do work in the home remodeling industry.
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Old 01-21-2015, 02:53 PM
gg
 
Location: Pittsburgh
26,137 posts, read 25,977,619 times
Reputation: 17378
Quote:
Originally Posted by theta_sigma View Post
Really? I don't think that home looks 1915-historic at all.
It isn't the point of the post, it shows a quality build. Those places have appreciated in a big way and are very well done. John R Miller is who I would use. There are other builders I might use as well, but I have been out of the game for a few years.
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Old 01-21-2015, 02:54 PM
gg
 
Location: Pittsburgh
26,137 posts, read 25,977,619 times
Reputation: 17378
Quote:
Originally Posted by robrobrob View Post
Last year we got quotes from a few drywall guys and a plaster guy for a small room. The plaster guy beat the price of each drywall guy.
Were you happy with the job?
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