City of Elgin Design Review Subcommittee Heritage Commission met Sept. 13.
Here are the minutes provided by the commission:
The meeting of the Design Review Subcommittee was called to order at 6:00 p.m. in the City Council Chambers (Located on the 2nd floor of City Hall) by Chairman Savel.
MEMBERS PRESENT: Michael Burns, Joey Crist, Rebecca Hunter and Scott Savel.
MEMBERS ABSENT: Carly Gorick, Krissy Palermo
CITY STAFF PRESENT: Christen Sundquist, Historic Preservation Planner
APPROVAL OF MINUTES: Motion made by Committee Member Crist to approve the minutes of June 28, 2022, as submitted. The motion was seconded by Committee Member Burns. The motion passed unanimously.
RECOGNIZE OTHER PERSONS PRESENT: None
PROPERTIES ON AGENDA FOR DISCUSSION:
Old Business None
New Business
1. 420 North Street - Install Roof at Rear Stoop
ITEMS TABLED AT TONIGHT'S MEETING: None
NEW BUSINESS:
420 North Street - Install Roof at Rear Stoop The applicant has submitted a Certificate of Appropriateness (COA) to install a stoop roof at the rear addition, not visible from the street.
The applicant noted that when it snows and rains the stoop entrance becomes very slippery and is proposing to install a roof over the concrete stoop to alleviate this issue. The stoop roof design will have similar characteristics to that of the front porch.
Elgin Design Guideline Manual Specifications: PORCHES Porch design, materials, and placement are key defining characteristics of an historic dwelling. Original porches should be maintained and repaired where needed. Porches on the fronts of dwellings should not be enclosed with wood or glass for additional living space. The screening of porches on the fronts of buildings is appropriate as long as the open appearance of the porch is maintained. If replacement of porch features is required, use materials to closely match the original. If the original porch is missing, a new porch should be constructed based upon photographic or physical evidence. If such evidence does not exist, base the design upon historic porches of similar dwellings from the same time period and architectural style. In some cases turn of the century dwellings had their original porches removed and replaced with “modern" porches in the 1920s and 1930s which do not necessarily match the original style of the house. If desired, these porches may be replaced with porches in keeping with the original design; however, some of these porches have acquired significance in their own right and can be preserved.
Enclosing porches on the front of a house or where readily visible is not appropriate or recommended. Front porches should not be enclosed with glass, wood siding, or other materials. Porches on the rear or sides of dwellings may be enclosed when not readily visible from the street and if the height and shape of the porch roof is maintained.
Guidelines
A. should be maintained in their original design with original materials and detailing.
B. should not be removed if original to the dwelling.
C. should be repaired or replaced to match the original in design, materials, scale, and placement.
D. should be screened only if the structural framework for the screen panels is minimal and the open appearance of the porch is maintained. Screen panels should be placed behind the original features such as columns or railings and should not hide decorative details or result in the removal of original porch materials.
E. should have steps of the same material as the porch floor (e.g. porches with wood floors should also have steps made of wood, not concrete or brick).
F. should have poured concrete steps if the porch, patio or terrace floor is made of concrete (see section on Porch Steps).
G. should have 1x4 wood tongue and groove flooring running perpendicular to the façade, if the porch floor is made of wood.
H. should have trellises made of wood, if trellises are appropriate.
I. should have porch skirting that is installed to match the type and style of the house, which may include decorative wood framed skirting, vertical slats, or lattice panels.
J. should not be enclosed with wood, glass, or other materials which would alter the porch's open appearance.
PORCH COLUMNS AND RAILING
Original porch columns and railings should be retained and repaired with materials to match the original. If the original porch columns and railings are missing, replacement porch columns and railings should be appropriate for the dwelling's architectural style and period; handrail height and style should be determined by photographs, paint outlines, paint shadows, or similar homes in the area.
Porch columns often deteriorate first at the bottom next to the porch floor. If this is the case, consider sawing off the deteriorated area and replacing this section rather than replacing the entire column. A note on porch railing height: Traditionally, the height of porch railing was based on the height of window sills within the porch, and ranged anywhere from 24 to 30 inches. This was done to provide a clear view from the inside of the house.
However, modern building codes require that railing heights be no less than 36 inches, with an exception for historic properties if the lower height of the porch railing is judged by the building official to not constitute a distinct life safety hazard in accordance with the requirements of Section 16.36.020 of the Elgin Municipal Code, 1976, as amended, creates Section 102.8 of the 2015 International Residential Code – “Historic Buildings." Drawings should be provided that properly integrate the porch features with the design of the house.
Railing height less than 36 inches high will need to be reviewed by the building official so as not to constitute a life safety hazard. Guidelines
A. should be preserved and maintained. Where repair is required, use materials to match the original in dimensions and detailing.
B. should be rebuilt in historic designs if the original columns and railings have been removed or replaced.
C. should have new balusters for the railing, if required. Porch balusters (also called spindles) should be appropriate for the building's style and period. The height of the railing should be in line with the window sill level, if present, and no greater than 30 inches in height.
Staff Recommendation: Staff would recommend approval with the following conditions:
1. The handrail shall have a 2x6 cut to 4" wide, beveled, minimum 10 degrees, 34" cove or 3/4" coved subrail, 2x2 spindles balusters with sharp edges, with maximum 1.5” spacing. The bottom rail is 2x6 cut to 4” wide with chamfered edges, installed 2" above finished floor. Columns are to be 6x6 square columns (smooth fiberglass or rot resistant wood) with capital and base – see PERMACast Column example outlined in red in following pages.
3. Newel posts shall be 6x6 with hipped cap and 1x base wrap with coved top edge.
4. The stoop roof shall be of a pediment design to match the front porch as close as possible, though smaller in size.
5. Materials in wood shall be of rot resistant wood.
6. All new porch elements to be primed and painted.
7. All other details shall match the submitted sketch.
David and Maria Garrido (owners) were present for tonight's COA discussion:
The owner asked to change the square columns to round to match the front porch columns as well as if they can expand the concrete stoop. The commissioners noted that it is very difficult to expand concrete with new concrete unless you complete re-pour. If they would like to expand the stoop, they then would have to build the stoop in wood. The owners requested that the stoop be built out of wood so they could have additional room on the landing.
Motion made by Committee Member Crist to approve with staff recommendations and the following amendments: 1. Allow staff approval for size and design of columns; 2. Allow handrail to be a 2x4 versus a 2x6 cut to a 4" width due to the location (not visible from right-of-way); 3. Wood stairs, skirting, decking to be reviewed by staff.
The motion was seconded by Committee Member Hunter. The motion passed unanimously.
ADDITIONAL STAFF COMMENTS: None
CORRESPONDENCE: None
ADJOURNMENT: Motion to adjourn was made by Committee Member Crist. The motion was seconded by Committee Member Hunter. The motion passed unanimously.
The meeting of the Design Review Subcommittee was adjourned at 6:14 p.m.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1KPMnRdXxaYTs2PilkpSDHs2BvyVqkuaaIDKlW2W4Pnw/edit
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