Owned and operated by David Wadsworth, Wadsworth Construction serves the ‘Driftless Area’ of the Midwest that includes parts of Iowa, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. The company performs new construction, remodels, and additions. In 2010, David Wadsworth attended a window restoration workshop located at the former Campbell Center for Historic Preservation Studies in Mount Carroll, Illinois. Here, David learned about LiquidWood®, a consolidant for permanently restoring the structural strength of rotted wood, and WoodEpox®, a replacement compound for missing sections of wood. He also learned the value that being skilled in historic wood restoration could bring to his construction business.

Adding LiquidWood and WoodEpox to the tool box has created opportunities for additional work where wood restoration is a required part of the project. The company also does historic restorations, and many of these projects involve the restoration of wood windows. As the Wadsworth team has gained a reputation for their work in this area, noteworthy projects have been added to their portfolio.

Wadsworth Construction restored the wooden windows of the Frank Lloyd Wright designed Cedar Rock boathouse in Independence, Iowa. The company also restored the windows of the Judge Platt residence in Waterloo, Iowa as part of a comprehensive restoration of the 125-year-old property. Restoration of this dwelling was a benchmark in the effort to save historically significant structures in Waterloo. An additional example of their window restoration work is the 1869 Milwaukee and St. Paul Railway Combination Depot. This is one of the few surviving examples of a wooden combination train depot remaining, and is on the National Register of Historic Places.

A meaningful example of Wadsworth’s wood window restoration efforts is the Linseed Building in Dubuque. This work was part of the city’s Historic Millwork District Revitalization Project. David Wadsworth recalls, “We restored all of the openings, including brick molds and sills. Typically, on larger window rehab projects, the contractors will replace all of the brick molds, and in the process, lose the durable, high quality original trims. In this case, we were able to restore the original jambs, sills, and brick mold.”

David attributes his company’s success with preservation work on the ability to meld modern materials and techniques with classic design and construction. “Abatron’s products are good examples of modern materials that allow us to restore and rehabilitate, instead of replace. We can use LiquidWood and WoodEpox to preserve individual rails and styles within a sash.”

“I had tried other consolidants and fillers that failed.” David mentions. “Abatron provides great customer support, but more importantly, there is a body of knowledge and experience with Abatron that I can draw on to make sure I’m using the products correctly, and that the work will last.”

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