Berger

[Tom]

https://www.realtor.com/realestateandho ... 2057049138

First time to notice the disjunction in the roof fascia over the entry.

[Tom]

... I think the Berger's built this in stages with the "pod" being completed first and the wing coming after.
This, I guess, has something to do with why that fascia is not continuous.

[Roderick Grant]

Tom, you're correct. Berger was built by Mr. in stages over a period of years. There is a '50s Life Magazine article about it.

[SDR]

I assume that you mean this intersection:



No drawing is found which details this juncture; you are correct that this is where the second phase of construction would have joined the first. (I am not sure that the construction of the bedroom wing didn't take place before the "pod" was complete.)

But it appears that Wright or his drafters left the builder little choice, as he brings a wider flat-roof fascia to abut the narrower one of the hipped roof of the initial construction. An elevation drawing (below) essentially fudges this meeting, resolving nothing. Aaron Green, who assisted Bob Berger when details like this cropped up, seems to have made the best of the situation. Note that the edges of the two roofs align in plan; Aaron wisely (inevitably) steps the carport roof back enough so that the wider fascia can die into the roof it abuts.






S

[Tom]

Yep - that's it.
One could hardly ask for a better shot of it.
... looks like the fascia fasteners are counter-sunk and plugged - impressive.
The wood appears to be in great shape. The finish does not float on the surface but seems to dissolve in the wood.
Do you have an idea of the date of that shot?

[SDR]

I took it in February, 2019. The finish appears to be multiple coats of clear polyurethane or other varnish, with a fairly glossy surface. Photographs can be deceiving as to textures; multiple shots, with the right lighting, can reveal what's there.

Not sure when the wood was refinished. I have a piece of the mahogany bung (plug) that I found in the gravel beneath this fascia.

S

[Matt2]

Is the reason for the wider fascia to stiffen the flat roof?

[Tom]

SDR - are you saying that my impressions of the wood finish is not entirely accurate - that there is more of a surface presence (build-up) of the finish than what appears from your shot?

[SDR]

The roof, by the nature of its construction and finishes, is thicker than 6"

Yes, the surface is definitely a film, and its rich color is a product in part of a glossy clear coat.

S