bernard house

A darling bed & breakfast and events venue in the heart of the louisiana delta

What a fairy tale renovation! The Bernard House owners began their renovation in spring 2018. The owner met RPW at the Louisiana Trust Conference in 2019 and began collaboration in spring 2020. Consultants worked the end of the renovation to ensure compliance with NPS-imposed conditions. Moral of the story: even experienced and preservation-minded developers can benefit from additional help from a preservation consultant.

Because the Bernard House is located in a National Register Historic District, but not a cultural district or downtown development district, the owners utilized the Federal Historic Preservation Tax Incentive program to make the restoration of this mid 1884 home possible. Rolf Preservation Works assisted on the project by consulting with the owner and SHPO to satisfy all NPS conditions for the tax credit application approval. The rehabilitation work included:

1. stabilizing the foundation;

2. installing all new plumbing, electrical, and HVAC systems;

3. replacing the failed roof;

4. restoring the front porch decking, columns, and ceiling;

5. preserving all historic brick fireplaces;

6. restoring and matching historic four-panel wood doors;

7. restoring and rebuilding (where missing) all exterior doors, windows, sidelights, and transoms;

8. scraping and painting original wood siding; and

9. refinishing hardwood floors.

Photos courtesy of Cassie Condrey