Tappan, NY

Historic Home in a Historic Town: The Bogert House c. 1810

 
The Bogert House, dating to circa 1810, stands as a testament to early American craftsmanship in the heart of the historic town of Tappan, New York. When the current owner and avid preservationist undertook its restoration, the goal was clear: honor the house’s history while thoughtfully adapting it for modern use.
 
Early in the project, the owner had removed the original flooring and hoped to repurpose it rather than discard such irreplaceable material. What was needed was guidance on how to do so creatively, but still responsibly. Our first step was a site visit. We walked the property together, examined the existing materials, and began brainstorming ways to reuse as much of the original bones of the house as possible.
 
After the initial visit, the conversation expanded beyond flooring. We discussed the potential of utilizing some of the home’s original structural timbers as well—joists, studs, and hewn beams that still held tremendous character and value. With a plan forming, we carefully loaded all salvaged materials and transported them to our shop for processing.
 
Every piece was de-nailed, kiln-dried to ensure it was sterilized, and reworked with preservation in mind. The original flooring, measuring over one inch thick, was a true stand-out in that it still had plenty of life left in it! We preserved its patina, allowing the historic surface to become the new top side once reinstalled.
 
Several of the original joists were milled and fabricated into beam wraps, stair treads, and other custom components. In the conference room, hand-hewn timbers were milled flat on one side and repurposed as a decorative ridge beam and rafters. Original joists were transformed into hollow ridge beams and then further milled into rafters, maintaining the visual language of early roof framing in the offices.
 
Once the required quantity of flooring had been produced, the remaining joists were resawn into paneling for the office ceilings, creating the appearance of original roof sheathing and reinforcing the building’s historic narrative. Original wall studs were also milled into usable lumber, from which custom barn doors were meticulously crafted.
 
Both the owner and our team share a purist mindset when it comes to preservation. That shared philosophy allowed our process to be trusted from start to finish. This project was not only a successful exercise in historic reuse, but also a genuinely fun collaboration and one that allowed us to fully flex our material management muscles while giving new life to 200-year-old wood.

If you’d like more information on how Real Antique Wood can transform your home or business, schedule a 15-minute call or book a 30-minute in-person appointment today.