Restoring an Old Florida Classic
Homeowner Specs Building Reclaimed Legacy Heart Pine and River-Recovered® Heart Cypress for Porch Renovation
Steve Klett owns what is considered an Old Florida classic. His “vernacular, cracker style” home in North Florida evolved out of the need to keep a house cool in the hot and humid sub-tropical climate of North Central Florida (before the era of air conditioning). When it came time to renovate the hallmark of his historic home – the splendid full porch – Klett began researching options. He wanted nothing modern, and was intent on finding the highest quality materials on the market. He stumbled upon Goodwin’s website and the rest is history.
Keith Bailey and his son Kevin are the craftsmen on the project. They are using building reclaimed LEGACY heart pine for all of the posts and rails and River-Recovered® Heart Cypress for the scroll work and “gingerbread.”
Take a peek at some before and in-progress photos from the first phase of the project. Stay tuned for more photos as the Bailey’s work their way around the entire exterior of the home
For you history buffs, you may want to check out architect Ron Hasse’s book Classic Cracker to learn more about this unique style of architecture. Hasse is a retired professor of architecture from the University of Florida and longtime friend of George and I:
