Historic Restoration
Meticulous restoration that brings period buildings back to their original character.
Where Heritage meets Mastery.
A general contractor specializing in historic restoration, with offices in the Twin Cities and Philadelphia.
100years of combined team experience
8divisions, from cedar shake to copper
2offices: the Twin Cities and Philadelphia
About Us
A century of hands that know the work.
Old World Construction and Consulting Inc. is backed by 100 years of combined experience from industry-leading, elite craftsmen. We restore what others replace, preserve the past and build the future.
We bring your structural vision to reality, dedicated to architectural integrity, exceptional durability, and precision engineering. From modern custom designs to meticulous historical restorations, our elite craftsmanship ensures your property stands the test of time.
- Architectural integrityWork that respects how the building was designed and how it carries load.
- Exceptional durabilityMaterials and methods chosen to last decades, not seasons.
- Precision engineeringMeasured, planned and checked before and during construction.
General Contractor
8 divisions. One standard.
Each division is held to the same measure: it should look right today and still be right in fifty years.
Custom Builds
Modern custom designs, planned for architectural integrity and built to last.
Cedar Shake Shingles
Hand-finished cedar shake for towers, turrets, dormers and exterior walls.
Slate & Tile
Traditional slate and tile, set and fastened the way each material demands.
Sheet Metal Fabrication
Custom-fabricated flashing, panels and architectural metalwork.
Copper & Gutters
Copper details and gutter systems that protect a building and age well.
Masonry
Repair, repointing and restoration of brick and stone.
Asphalt Shingles
Durable, well-detailed asphalt shingle installation for homes and commercial buildings.
And More
Our work reaches well beyond this list. If your building needs something these divisions do not name, ask us: we take on the wider scope of restoration and construction.
Portfolio
Built work, up close.
Projects from our crews in slate, copper, cedar, tile and stone. Tap a category to open it, then select any photo to enlarge it.
Open the portfolio36 photos
Slate
8 photos
Blended and dark slate, finished with copper.
Stone Carriage House: Slate Hip with Copper Cupola
- Division
- Slate & Tile; Copper & Gutters
- Material
- Blended gray-green slate; copper flashing, gutters and downspouts
- Work
- Slate installation, copper hip, ridge and eave flashing, copper gutter system
A full hip of blended gray and green slate over a rubble-stone carriage house. Gabled dormers with diamond-pane windows are trimmed in copper, copper flashing follows the hips, ridge and eaves, and a copper-capped cupola crowns the peak. A copper gutter and downspout carry water off the stone walls.
Carriage House, Side Elevation
- Division
- Slate & Tile; Copper & Gutters
- Material
- Blended gray-green slate; copper trim, gutter and downspout
- Work
- Slate installation with copper dormer and cupola detailing
The same building from the side. Two gabled dormers with leaded diamond-pane windows sit in the slate, their edges framed in copper, with the cupola at the peak and a copper gutter and downspout running along the fieldstone wall.
Gabled Stone Cottage: Slate with Copper Valleys
- Division
- Slate & Tile; Copper & Gutters; Sheet Metal Fabrication
- Material
- Blended green-gray slate; copper valleys, hip and eave flashing; copper standing-seam dormer hoods
- Work
- Slate installation, fabricated copper dormer hoods, valley and chimney flashing, gutter
Blended slate over a fieldstone cottage. Two dormers carry fabricated copper standing-seam hoods, copper valleys and hip flashing outline each plane, a copper gutter follows the eave, and stepped copper flashing climbs the stone chimney.
Stone Cottage from Above
- Division
- Slate & Tile; Copper & Gutters
- Material
- Blended green-gray slate; copper valley, flashing and standing-seam hoods
- Work
- Slate installation with copper valley, hood and chimney flashing
The same cottage from the opposite angle. A copper valley runs between the gable and the dormer slope, standing-seam copper hoods shade the dormer windows, and the stepped copper flashing at the chimney sits cleanly in the slate.
Stone Church: Slate with Copper Cresting
- Division
- Slate & Tile; Copper & Gutters; Sheet Metal Fabrication
- Material
- Dark slate; copper ridge cresting, valley and eave flashing; stepped wall flashing
- Work
- Slate installation with fabricated copper cresting and flashing
Dark slate on two adjoining slopes of a rock-faced stone church. A notched copper cresting runs along the ridges, a copper valley joins the slopes, copper lines the eave, and stepped flashing meets the masonry wall beside the tower.
Four-Dormer Slate Slope, Stucco Residence
- Division
- Slate & Tile; Copper & Gutters
- Material
- Gray-green slate; copper gutter; flashed brick chimneys
- Work
- Slate installation with flashing at dormers and chimneys
A long slope of gray and green slate broken by four evenly spaced gabled dormers, with flashed brick chimneys at either end and a copper gutter along the eave above the stucco facade.
Slate and Copper Valley, Close Detail
- Division
- Slate & Tile; Copper & Gutters
- Material
- Green and charcoal slate; copper valley and edge flashing
- Work
- Slate cutting and fitting against copper valley and edge flashing
A close view of green and charcoal slate laid in staggered courses and fitted tight to a copper valley, with copper capping the edge of the adjoining slope. The natural cleft texture of each slate is visible.
Brick Chimney: Copper Step Flashing and Slate
- Division
- Slate & Tile; Copper & Gutters; Masonry
- Material
- Dark slate; copper step flashing and base pan; brick chimney
- Work
- Cutting and fitting slate and copper flashing at a chimney
A tall brick chimney with a corbelled cap rises through a slate slope. Copper step flashing climbs the dormer side in overlapping tabs and a formed copper pan wraps the chimney base. A crew member cuts material with an angle grinder from a plank staged on scaffold brackets.
Copper & Sheet Metal
6 photos
Standing-seam panels, soldered valleys, shop-built caps and cupola cladding.
Copper Standing Seam with Scale-Pattern Cupola Cap
- Division
- Sheet Metal Fabrication; Copper & Gutters
- Material
- Copper standing-seam panels; copper scale-pattern cap; louvered cupola
- Work
- Standing-seam panel installation and fabricated copper cupola cap
Standing-seam copper panels run in straight seams across several hips and ridges, with folded detailing at each break in the plane. Beside them, a louvered cupola on a clapboard base is capped in copper laid in a diamond scale pattern.
Copper Standing-Seam Dormers and Slopes
- Division
- Sheet Metal Fabrication; Copper & Gutters
- Material
- Copper standing-seam panels; copper dormer flashing
- Work
- Standing-seam panel installation on dormers and main slope, shown under staging
New copper standing-seam panels cover the main slope and wrap up and over three gabled dormers above fieldstone walls. Wood-sided dormers with trimmed windows sit under the copper; slate remains on the lower eave, and scaffold and a ladder are in place for the work.
Soldered Copper Valley
- Division
- Sheet Metal Fabrication; Copper & Gutters
- Material
- Copper standing-seam panels; copper valley pan with soldered joints
- Work
- Fabricated and soldered valley between standing-seam slopes
Looking down a copper valley where standing-seam panels from both slopes meet. The valley pan is formed in sections with soldered cross joints, visible as the gray lines at each overlap, and the seams on either side run cleanly into it.
Stone-and-Stucco Estate: Dark Standing-Seam Metal
- Division
- Sheet Metal Fabrication; Copper & Gutters
- Material
- Dark bronze standing-seam metal panels; copper eave and hip details; stone chimneys
- Work
- Standing-seam panels across hips, valleys and a round turret, with copper trim
A large estate with a conical turret, a curved balcony and several stone chimneys, covered in dark standing-seam metal. The seams follow the cone of the turret and run cleanly across the hips and valleys. Copper trim shows at the eaves, and a detached garage carries the same metal.
Copper Valley and Edge Pan Over Self-Adhered Underlayment
- Division
- Sheet Metal Fabrication; Copper & Gutters
- Material
- Copper valley pan and drip edge; Carlisle WIP 300HT self-adhered underlayment
- Work
- Fitting a fabricated copper valley and edge pan
Two long copper pans with raised ribs run down the slope beside a field of Carlisle WIP 300HT high-temperature water and ice underlayment. A craftsman trims the next piece of copper by hand, with snips and a seaming tool laid beside him.
Shop-Fabricated Copper Cap with Mesh Panels
- Division
- Sheet Metal Fabrication; Copper & Gutters
- Material
- Copper sheet; expanded-metal mesh; plywood base
- Work
- Shop fabrication of a copper hip cap with mesh screens
A pyramid-shaped copper cap built in the shop. Folded copper rails frame each face, expanded-metal mesh fills the openings, and the cap sits on a plywood base ready to be carried to site and set.
Cedar Shake
4 photos
Straight gables, dormers and curved towers.
Stone Manor: Cedar Shake with Copper Flashing
- Division
- Cedar Shake Shingles; Copper & Gutters
- Material
- Cedar shake; copper valley and dormer flashing
- Work
- Cedar shake installation with copper flashing
An aerial view of a fieldstone house covered in fresh cedar shake across a long gable, with shake-wrapped dormer cheeks and a small entry hood. Copper flashing lines the dormer valleys and edges, and a fieldstone chimney rises at the end.
Brick Building: Cedar Shake with Metal Edge Flashing
- Division
- Cedar Shake Shingles; Sheet Metal Fabrication
- Material
- Cedar shake; gray metal edge and gutter flashing
- Work
- Cedar shake installation with fabricated edge flashing
Fresh cedar shake on a gabled brick building in a dense city setting. Gray metal flashing finishes the eave and gable edges, a brick chimney rises from the ridge, and a second lower slope of cedar sits in the foreground.
Stone Chapel: Cedar Shake with Copper Valley
- Division
- Cedar Shake Shingles; Copper & Gutters; Masonry
- Material
- Cedar shake; copper valley; wood gable trim; fieldstone
- Work
- Cedar shake installation with copper valley flashing
Cedar shake on the gable and adjoining slope of a fieldstone chapel beside a castellated stone tower. A copper valley joins the gable to the tower slope, the gable edge is framed in new wood trim, and a wheeled work platform stands at left.
Conical Tower, Cedar Shake
- Division
- Cedar Shake Shingles; Historic Restoration
- Material
- Cedar shake in curved courses; metal cone cap
- Work
- Shake installation on a conical tower, shown with temporary brackets and plank
Cedar shake laid in curved, graduated courses around a conical tower and tapering to a metal cone cap at the peak. Temporary red brackets and a plank are mounted mid-slope, and a dark-stained shingle wall sits below.
Tile & Masonry
5 photos
Large-scale tile, natural stone and stucco.
Blended-Color Barrel Tile, Brick Hall
- Division
- Slate & Tile
- Material
- Barrel-profile tile in blended reds and oranges with blue, green and gold accent tiles
- Work
- Tile installation across multiple hips, ridges and a bell tower
Barrel-profile tile laid across a large brick building with a bell tower. Reds and oranges carry the field, scattered blue, green and gold tiles add a mosaic effect, and the hips and ridges are finished with cap tile around the brick chimneys.
Stone Porch Piers and Flagstone Steps
- Division
- Masonry
- Material
- Stacked natural stone in gray, tan and rust tones; cut stone caps; flagstone treads and landing
- Work
- Stone veneer piers, low walls and flagstone steps
Four stacked-stone piers with cut stone caps carry cedar posts, joined by low stone walls and a flagstone landing. Flagstone treads step up from the lawn on stone risers.
Institutional Campus: Long Wing in Blended Tile
- Division
- Slate & Tile
- Material
- Red and orange blended tile surface; flashed hips and ridges
- Work
- Large-scale tile installation across a long multi-wing building
A long brick-faced building with several wings, covered end to end in a blended red and orange tile that varies tone from piece to piece. Hips and ridges are finished cleanly where the wings meet.
Institutional Campus: Entrance Wing, Work in Progress
- Division
- Slate & Tile
- Material
- Red and orange blended tile surface; underlayment stage visible at left
- Work
- Phased tile installation around a stone entrance tower
The entrance side of the same campus. Finished tile runs along the main wings while one section at the left is still at the underlayment stage, showing how the work is phased around an occupied building.
Stucco Restoration Beneath a Slate Cap
- Division
- Masonry; Historic Restoration
- Material
- Stucco; slate with copper edge flashing; steel scaffold
- Work
- Stucco restoration beside completed slate and copper work
A gabled stucco farmhouse with a pointed-arch attic window. The slate slope above is complete with copper flashing along its edge, while a fresh coat of stucco has been worked onto the walls. Scaffold stands on the right and a mixer sits in the foreground.
Porches & Custom Carpentry
4 photos
Ceilings, columns, arches and the framing beneath the metal.
Victorian Gothic Porch, Restored
- Division
- Historic Restoration; Custom Builds; Copper & Gutters
- Material
- Painted wood columns, brackets and spandrels; wood ceiling; copper gutters and downspouts; gray shingle
- Work
- Porch rebuild with new columns, arches and trim; copper gutter and downspouts
A stucco Gothic Revival house with a full-width porch. Rebuilt white columns carry arched spandrels and a bracketed cornice, with the wood ceiling visible above. Copper downspouts run down both ends of the porch and the main house.
Porch Ceiling in Tongue-and-Groove Beadboard
- Division
- Custom Builds; Historic Restoration
- Material
- Beaded tongue-and-groove boards; hand-hewn timber posts; steel post connectors
- Work
- Installing a wood porch ceiling
Beaded boards run in clean parallel lines the length of a porch ceiling and turn at the hip where the porch ends. New hewn timber posts carry the beam, and small blocks along the stucco wall are set to receive trim.
Porch Ceiling Installation, Close View
- Division
- Custom Builds; Historic Restoration
- Material
- Tongue-and-groove ceiling boards; timber posts
- Work
- Fitting the final ceiling boards at the wall line
A carpenter on a ladder fits boards at the wall line while rolling scaffold stands ready. The new timber posts and beaded ceiling are in place above a stucco wall with original double doors.
Framed Substrate Checked Before Metal Goes On
- Division
- Custom Builds; Sheet Metal Fabrication
- Material
- Framed and sheathed plywood deck with built-up channel; torpedo level
- Work
- Substrate preparation and layout checks
Plywood sheathing and a framed, built-up channel are laid out with chalk lines and checked with a torpedo level. The surface is prepared here so the metal that follows will sit true and drain correctly.
On Site
9 photos
Staging, removal and installation as the work happens.
Slate Installation Underway, Full Scaffold
- Division
- Slate & Tile; Copper & Gutters
- Material
- Blended green-gray slate; copper flashing; temporary toe-board brackets
- Work
- Staged slate installation with copper flashing at dormers and hips
The carriage house during the work: blue frame scaffold along the fieldstone wall, a crew member at the dormer, and orange brackets holding planks across the slope. Slate is being set in blended green and gray, with copper flashing in place at the dormer cheeks.
Slate Replacement Underway, Full Scaffold
- Division
- Slate & Tile; Historic Restoration
- Material
- Slate; underlayment; perimeter scaffold
- Work
- Staged removal and replacement of slate across a long slope
A stucco residence under full-width scaffold, with crew at the dormer line. Existing slate remains on the upper slope while the section at right has been stripped to blue underlayment, ready for new slate around the gabled dormers and brick chimneys.
Cupola Cladding in Copper, In Progress
- Division
- Sheet Metal Fabrication; Copper & Gutters
- Material
- Copper sheet; self-adhered underlayment; louvered cupola
- Work
- Field-forming and seaming copper over a cupola cap
Crew fitting copper to a louvered cupola cap. Formed copper panels are seamed together with a seaming tool clamped in place, an open triangle of underlayment is still waiting to be covered, and cut copper pieces are staged around the base.
Stone Chapel Wing Under Lift, Slate Underway
- Division
- Slate & Tile; Copper & Gutters
- Material
- Dark slate; self-adhered underlayment; toe-board brackets; copper eave detail
- Work
- Slate installation on a multi-gable wing, worked from scissor lifts
Scissor lifts reach the upper slopes of a fieldstone building with board-and-batten gables and arched windows. Dark slate courses climb each plane, bare blue underlayment waits at the gable peaks, and orange toe-board brackets support the crew.
Stone Chapel Wing from the Road, Slate and Copper
- Division
- Slate & Tile; Copper & Gutters
- Material
- Gray slate; GAF DeckArmor underlayment; copper eave, hip and dormer flashing; copper cupola
- Work
- Phased slate installation with copper detailing
The same building from the road. The main hip is slated, with copper along the eaves and hip and a copper cupola at the peak. The gabled dormers at left are still at the GAF DeckArmor underlayment stage, and slate is going on in stages from the lower courses up.
Stone Cottage Entry Gable During Slate Work
- Division
- Slate & Tile; Copper & Gutters; Historic Restoration
- Material
- Gray-blue slate; copper edge and ridge flashing; steel scaffold
- Work
- Staged slate work around an entry gable and arched door
A fieldstone cottage with a gabled entry, arched double doors and decorative white bargeboards. New slate with copper edge flashing covers the main slope and gable, with steel scaffold, a ladder and a miter saw staged for the crew.
Stucco Manor: Slate with Copper Chimney Flashing
- Division
- Slate & Tile; Copper & Gutters; Masonry
- Material
- Gray slate; copper step flashing at brick chimneys and dormers; steel scaffold
- Work
- Slate work with copper flashing at chimneys and dormers, staged along a full facade
A long stucco manor with white gabled dormers, wrapped in full-height scaffold. Gray slate covers the slope with copper step flashing at both brick chimneys and along the dormer cheeks, and ladders and platforms carry crew and materials to the work.
Cedar Shake on a Conical Tower, In Progress
- Division
- Cedar Shake Shingles; Historic Restoration
- Material
- Cedar shake in curved, graduated courses; black underlayment cap; red toe-board brackets
- Work
- Hand-nailing shake courses around a tower
A craftsman works up a conical tower, setting each shake by hand and nailing it with a pneumatic nailer. The courses tighten as the cone narrows, with black underlayment at the peak still waiting for its final shake and bundles of cedar staged nearby.
Material Handling on Site: Telehandler Lift
- Division
- Slate & Tile; Copper & Gutters
- Material
- GAF underlayment; copper downspout section; telescopic lift
- Work
- Staging and lifting materials to the upper slopes
A telehandler lifts material toward a scaffolded stucco house whose upper slopes are at the blue GAF underlayment stage. A new section of copper downspout stands upright in the foreground, waiting to be installed.
Preserving History
Read why it mattersPreserving history
Some things are worth keeping.
Cedar, slate, tile, copper and masonry each have their own rules for how they are cut, set, fastened and flashed. Old buildings carry their character in those details.
Every restoration starts from the original construction, so the finished work looks right and performs for the next century.
Our Method
Measured twice. Built once.
See how we workThree steps
- I
Consult
We walk the property and listen.
- II
Plan
Scope and materials, in writing.
- III
Build
Fine craftsmanship, then a final walk-through together.
Online Estimator
A number to start the conversation.
Choose the work, enter the size and describe the building. You will see a price range, and you can send it to us with your request. Every project is confirmed with a site visit before it is priced.
Open the estimatorFree ballpark
Estimated range
Get in Touch
Tell us about your building.
Send the details and we will follow up to talk through next steps. Proudly serving Minnesota and Pennsylvania.
Midwest HQTwin Cities, Minnesota(763) 999-4097
East Coast OfficePhiladelphia, Pennsylvania(610) 633-0273
Owner
E.Moe@oldworldcc.com
The Master’s Word
Eric Moe
Chief Executive Director & Master Architectural Preservationist
Walk the property with me.
Every building I have worked on has told me something. A hand-set cedar shake, a slate laid by someone long gone, a copper valley soldered a century ago: each one holds a decision somebody made with care. My work is to understand that decision, honor it, and carry it forward so it lasts another hundred years.
I came to this trade because I love it, and I stay in it because I love the people I get to serve. Your property is not a job number to me. It is a story, and you are trusting us with the next chapter. I treat that trust as the most valuable thing we are ever given.
So here is my word. I will tell you the truth, including the parts that are not easy to hear. I will explain what we find in plain language, put every detail in writing, and keep you informed from our first conversation to the final walk-through. And we will not stop until the finished work is something you are proud to stand in front of.
If you are planning something worthy of your building, I would be glad to hear about it. Call me, write to me, or ask us to meet you on site. We will walk it together, and I will show you what is possible.
Eric MoeChief Executive Director & Master Architectural Preservationist
How we work, in my own words
I built Old World on a simple idea: a restoration company should earn your trust at the kitchen table long before it asks for it on your building.
- Honest from the handshakePlain answers, a written scope and clear pricing, so you always know where you stand.
- Craft before shortcutsWe choose the right material for the building, even when it is the harder path, and set it the way it was meant to be set.
- Respect for your propertyWe treat your home or building as we would our own, and we keep the work orderly from the first day to the last.
- Communication you can feelYou will hear from us at every stage, in plain language, so you are never left guessing.
Credentials
Held to the trade’s own standards.
Recognized by the manufacturers and associations whose names carry weight in this work.
