By the time Paul Denys was asked to rebuild the elaborate porch first created by woodcarver Alphonse Rochon, nothing was left of it - except for a photo take...
The crowning of the roof consisted of a metal cresting and a sunburst. The aluminum cresting (roof fencing) was cast at a foundry in Merrickville then welded and protected with long-lasting powder coated paint. The sunburst was crafted out of a…
With the discovery of another photo from 1898, the Rochon Porch restoration could be completed. The new photo revealed the two large rear first floor porch brackets, allowing me to draw a life size free hand drawing of the bracket to complete its…
Designer/Renovator based in Ottawa I specialize in everything from modern renovations to historic restorations and often a unique fusion of the two.
As a creative designer who also builds, I have a passion for combining historical elements with new technology. Through an intimate knowledge & understanding of form, function & composition and strong ties in construction, I have created a host of unique environments that evoke personalized style.
Tell us about your old-house experiences and dreams:
By the time I was asked to rebuild the elaborate porch first created by woodcarver Alphonse Rochon, nothing was left of it - except for a photo taken almost 100 years ago. That fading black and white image provided the basis for scale drawings. The painstaking reconstruction required handcrafting 1,000 pieces of wood. Recreating history takes patience. We think Alphonse Rochon would be proud to see how the porch of his old home has been reborn.
Hello Paul,
Thank you for having visited my page. In effect, I am at all times surprised to see that to us in Belgium, many owners do not like to preserve soul and originality of their houses. But in many cases the materials are destroyed and they are put on the garbage. It is a problem for heritage but nobody makes anything in Belgium. Then I recover them and I sell them for the countries which like genuineness and grant a historical value in these elements which, they often forget, made of Belgium the cradle of Art Nouveau, with Victor Horta, Henry Van de Velde, Paul Hankar, Gustave Serrurier-Bovy, etc.
PS: Sorry for my english it is not so good that I would like but I do my better as possible ;-) ( I must pay attention because I sometimes used dissociable words which make laugh.)
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