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Project Summary

  • Historical Re-Construction
  • All Wood Construction
  • Dade Heritage Trust Award 2025

Project info:

Category: Historical Re-Construction
Project Completion: April 2025

Overview

This project involved the complete re-construction of a home in the historic MacFarlane Homestead District, located in the heart of Coral Gables. The original house, built nearly a century ago, had suffered significant deterioration over time. As a wood-framed structure, it showed clear signs of age, including peeling siding, rotted flooring, and a sagging roof. There was very little of the original structure that could be preserved, making full re-construction the only viable option.

Rebuilding the Core

Our team began work after the original house was demolished and the new foundation was completed. Fully wood-framed homes are uncommon in the South Miami area due to the challenges posed by hurricanes. As a result, the project required careful planning to ensure that the new construction met both modern building standards and the architectural character of the original design. Several challenges arose throughout the process. The architectural and structural plans, designed by William Mendelin, had to comply with elevated wind and weather resistance requirements.

Material Sourcing

Sourcing specialty materials was one of the main challenges during construction.

First, we had difficulty finding a vendor in Florida who carried Tyvek DrainWrap, a specialty weather barrier for wood structures. While this product is commonly available in other parts of the country, it is rarely stocked in Florida. We were fortunate to locate a vendor in the northern Florida who had extra inventory left over from a previous project. This allowed us to get exactly what we needed without major delays.

Second, obtaining materials that were commonly used a hundred years ago proved to be another significant challenge. To recreate the historically accurate siding profile, we had to commission a custom profile knife and place a special order through our vendor. This extra effort ensured that the final result stayed true to the character and appearance of the original home.