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Welcome back to Discover Fort Monroe.

Last month, we discovered the formation of something new.

For this episode, we turn our attention to the rehabilitation of something old.

Longtime viewers may remember one of the very first episodes of Discover Fort Monroe.

Featured our beloved Mustard House.

Since our last visit here, work to rehabilitate the house has begun.

And this week on Discover Fort Monroe, we're going to discover the current progress.

How they lifted a whole house without balloons, and what the end goal looks like.

First, a quick refresher.

I'm gonna do it No, don't do it I'm gonna do it I know its tempting but this is still an active construction site and off limits to the public.

So please respect the fence and Do Not Enter.

The Mustard House, or Quarters 14, is one of the oldest homes bordering the Parade Ground inside the inner fort.

Built in 1880, it acted as the home for many officers and their families and chaplains for the Chapel of the Centurion.

With the chapel only a couple doors down.

It made the commute real walk in the park.

Get it?

wink wink nudge nudge For chaplains like Ivan Bennett.

The Mustard House is a protected historical resource which contains a lot of original fabric, which means there are numerous rules set in place by the US Department of Interior that must be followed.

Before we can even begin, each step of the rehabilitation process must be planned and proven using primary and secondary resources.

Showcasing that we're retaining any historical aspects about the home.

Any digging around the house must be monitored as this is an archeologically sensitive area to help prevent future damage from what we're preserving.

The house is being lifted approximately 13in above its previous elevation, which I know this is more than 13in.

We're getting there.

Further future proofing also includes taking utilities like a water heater up to the attic.

Since most of the deterioration on this house has occurred from flood damage.

This will help keep the house and anything important out of the water.

I know some of you are thinking big whoop, but I need you to get excited about this.

I mean, we're not talking about jacking up a car here.

This is lifting 145 year old house at once.

Those historic laws and the mindset we approach every project with is to preserve the original fabric to the greatest extent possible.

Original fabric, like the floors which are character defining.

That means they especially cannot be changed or replaced to prevent any damage to these floors.

The crew dug underneath the house and placed jacks every six inches long with cribbing.

Cribbing is the six by six wood pieces stacked like Lincoln Logs.

With the house at approximately six feet, it provides plenty of room for the team to do any of the necessary work underneath.

Lifting the house little by little helps allow for the supports to be added to or adjusted, or for the house to relax.

I know what you're thinking.

How's does a house relax?

Well, similar to us, if we're in one position for too long or get real stiff, it takes us a minute to get up and stretch.

And if we do it too quickly, it can cause damage just like it can to the house.

Once the house is set at its final resting height, approximately 13in, David, our Chief Historic Preservation Officer, and his team will work their way through the house, restoring and not replacing any of their original fabric.

Original fabric like the floors, the windows, and even the wooden frame.

However, for the wooden frame, they use a method called sistering rather than replacing the original boards.

They're sandwiched with new boards to provide any strength that might have been lost.

From that point, they'll complete the exterior, work their way through the interior, and then move on to paint utilities and so on.

It may seem like an endless list, but rather than take that with discouragement, regard it as exciting.

With each completed task for one step closer to this historic home housing new memories.