THE HOUSE RESTORATION PROCESS
The restoration project had two components:
- Restoration of the old building – Comanici’ House, listed in 2019 in the List of Historical Monuments and
- The construction of a new building, in the extension of the first one, on the site of the former stable that had been demolished.
The old building, owned by the old family of Comanici nobles, had not been inhabited for more than 70 years and was not connected to any of the modern utilities (water, electricity, sewage). The house showed numerous structural degradations that occurred over time as a result of soil subsidence, caused by increased moisture levels due to inefficient river water intake, and poor masonry workmanship during the two stages of the house's construction. According to dendrological dating, the oak structure of the first-floor dates from around 1820 and was built over the existing, older ground floor.
In 2020, the owners applied to the National Heritage Institute's Emergency Interventions sub-programme, obtaining 4th place funding for structural consolidation works. After completion of the consolidation works, the new part of the house with new installations has been built and the work will be completed in the summer of 2022 with the interior and exterior finishing works.
PHOTOS FROM THE RESTORATION PROCESS
The ground floor spaces were heavily affected by rising damp. The floorboards were also rotten. The floor joists above the ground floor were crusted with various deposits.
The floors of the first floor had differences in level of up to 10 cm due to cracks and displacement of the wall facing the street. The old furniture found was preserved and refurbished.
The displacement of the lintel elements required complete restoration.
Structural cracks present in the wall separating the two storey spaces.
Existing ground floor - Existing storey
All the exterior plasterwork retouched during the 20th century with cement mortar has been stripped, so problem areas could be identified.
Unravelling in areas where the masonry was poorly executed, in order to restore and execute correct weaves (before and after).
The attic wall facing courtyard has been defectively constructed, and the intervention work required its complete restoration.
As most of the interior plasters were no longer adhering to the substrate, the decision was taken to strip them completely and apply new lime-based plasters. The wooden floors have been removed for restoration.
Dendrological tests were carried out on the wooden elements found in the masonry, which date from around 1820-1830.
Some of the brick window arches were rebuilt along with the rest of the local rebuilding. The interior wall separating the two spaces has also been restored. At the same time, a wider door gap was identified from an earlier stage of construction of the house and it was decided to keep this door gap in its primary form.
Residing work at floor level and restoration of the floor between the ground and first floor.
The access structure to the first floor has been dismantled and rebuilt with mixed brick and stone masonry, with the block steps set into it. The original wooden structure of the veranda has been kept in place with the help of supports.
The ceiling upstairs was taken down, cleaned and reassembled after the plastering work was done. A wooden structure was created above the floor to support the floor of the newly created attic. The old roofing was re-installed as a decorative element under a new roofing made accordingly.
Comaniciu House in 1924 and 2022
The construction of the house was made of stone and brick masonry, with solid wood floors, dating from the 18th century, located during the old times in the middle of the village, at the intersection of the two main arteries, on a plateau (the highest point in the village), in the immediate vicinity of the two present churches. It has a peculiarity, being structured on height, with the living spaces on the first floor, having a low ground floor, unlike the typology frequently found in the area, with ground floor over the cellar.
The house also has direct access from the street, in the large ground floor room, which for many years housed the village gatherings of sewers, before being converted for a short time into commercial space. In order to preserve a public function of the ground floor, it has now been decided that the entire ground floor will be used as an exhibition space dedicated to the history of the place, and that the first floor will be used as living quarters.
During the construction, a presentation on traditional techniques for interventions on heritage houses was organized for the local residents, together with the Order of Architects, by a well-known specialist in the field.
