Valiant Home Remodelers, repaired the roof of a blacksmith shop at Lakeview: Buckelew Mansion
By: Madeleine Johnson
JAMESBURG Stifling heat and suffocating humidity were no match for Valiant Home Remodelers and its mission to repair the rotting roof of the Dingfeld Blacksmith Shop behind Lakeview: Buckelew Mansion.
"We didn’t plan on it being 100 degrees, but these beautiful trees are giving us plenty of shade," Gino Valiant said Monday.
Mr. Valiant, of Jamesburg, and his brother Michael (co-owners of the business ), their crew, Gino Valiant’s sons and some dedicated Jamesburg residents all pitched in to repair the blacksmith shop’s collapsed roof.
"I feel compelled to do it. We’re making it a team project to beautify this old house. It’s right here under our feet and it would be a shame if it was lost because no one’s taking care of it," Mr. Valiant said.
Grant money that Middlesex County provides to the borough for the Buckelew Mansion can’t be used on the stand-alone shop’s roof, prompting Mr. Valiant to donate his time, equipment, construction crew and hard work.
"We’ve never had the opportunity to do something like this, and we knew they needed someone who’s licensed and insured to do this kind of project," Mr. Valiant said, gesturing at his crew, which tossed weather-beaten chunks of roof to the ground. "This is the first time we were able to get our hands dirty."
Mr. Valiant, a resident of Jamesburg since 1990, grew up in Carteret. He remembers how the mayor of Carteret was active in that community, which still serves as an inspiration for him.
"The mayor in Carteret, I remember him doing the right thing all the time, whatever he could do. I was pretty impressed with that," Mr. Valiant said. "So when this opportunity came up, I said ‘Mike, we can do this!’ I figured we can do it in a day, maybe two days, and it’ll make us all feel good."
Being able to improve any part of Jamesburg was Mr. Valiant’s way of thanking the community in which he and his family are so active.
"They’re trying to fix up the downtown for merchants, and I definitely would like to be a part of that. I definitely feel like a part of the community," he said. "One of my sons has a disability he’s autistic. I feel blessed to be in a community where the people are very understanding and people really do stick up for each other. It makes me so thankful, and we like giving back."
Chad Hetzell, treasurer for the historical society, was one of the volunteers who joined Mr. Valiant’s construction crew for a day.
"Gino approached us, although at some point in the past I’m sure we spoke to him. (The roof) has been a problem for years," Mr. Hetzell said on Wednesday. "He says ‘Hey, my supplier is willing to donate Elk shingles for no cost,’ and he says ‘I’ll bring my guys.’ I couldn’t pass that up. It was very nice of Gino."
Mr. Hetzell is thrilled with how the new roof looks after the team of workers spent three days repairing it.
"(Gino) brought his whole crew over and I helped out for a day, and we got it done. When you’ve got six or seven guys working on it, a couple days is all it takes," Mr. Hetzell said. "Gino did a wonderful job. It went smooth and it looks great. We’re extremely thrilled, the town’s happy, the mayor even stopped by and he was happy as well. It feels great."
Preserving the historic Buckelew Mansion is important not only because it’s a cornerstone of Jamesburg, but also because of what the house represents, Mr. Hetzell said.
"It’s kind of a symbol of an era. It’s actually bigger than Jamesburg," he said. "When James Buckelew was alive, he was a key figure. The Buckelew Mansion is a symbol of this man’s life and the contributions he brought to New Jersey as a whole."
Lakeview: Buckelew Mansion was home to borough founder James Buckelew. The mansion went through stages of construction from 1685 and 1870 and now houses a museum that displays Jamesburg’s historical artifacts, such as relics from the Jamesburg High School and a constant stream of temporary exhibits.
The Dingfeld Blacksmith Shop, located behind the mansion, has been turned into a different kind of museum. One can find an array of blacksmith and farming tools, such as rakes, sickles, corn shuckers, anvils, specialty hammers, clamps and "about 500 things that all have special names," said Mr. Hetzell.
"It’s all getting rusty because of the humidity. Water was rotting away all this stuff and rusting everything," he said.
While repairing and rebuilding the roof took a day longer than Mr. Valiant originally anticipated, he is happy with the results.
"We finished yesterday (Wednesday) at about 3 o’clock. It was a little longer than we thought it would be, but it came out perfect and we’re very proud of it," he said. "The most satisfying aspect was that I feel we got something done that had to be done and we did it right. It’s going to be there for everyone to benefit from. And for the people at the historical association, it’s one less problem for them. Everyone time I drive by the Buckelew House I can feel that I helped."
Mr. Valiant was so thrilled to help out that he’s thinking about doing something for Jamesburg annually though there’s a catch.
"We’re actually considering doing something like this once a year if the right opportunity presents itself. But we’re not doing it in July anymore. We probably went through 50 gallons of water. The next time I do a project like this, I’m going to check with the weatherman," he joked.
Mr. Hetzell spoke for the Jamesburg Historical Association when he said that Mr. Valiant’s donation was greatly appreciated.
"It helps us out tremendously. The Valiant Company did an excellent job I can’t overstate it," he said. "I also think it’s a good example. It just shows that when the community comes together, we can get something done."

