Week 4 of the Restoration

Mon, 30 Jul 2007 04:00:00 GMT

Part of the kitchen area had a new tile floor and below the tile was a wood floor (probably from the 1920s) – then the original Southern Pine Floor wide floor boards at the bottom. The original floor boards were in good shape – so we took out all the other flooring and are planning to repair, refinish and stain the original floors! They are interesting in their sized board (different widths) and show a lot of character of withstanding 150 years of use, then laying dormant underneath other layers of flooring for close to 80 years.BenjaminStanleyFreemanHomecirca1856

A large hole in the floor was created due to removing the chimney chase – so we purchased old original Southern Pine floor boards from John Isgur and his partner, Donna at Noreast Architectural Antiques in N Hampton NH to repair the floor. We also were able to purchase original door hardware that matched the specific doorknobs and hinges we already had in the home.

Some of the vinyl floors/tiles proved to be major obstacles in bringing back the original wood floors. Lots of glue and tar had been left behind and proved difficult to remove without putting in many long hours of manual labor into the restoration (we wanted to protect the floors as much as possible). We spent the time this week and were able to get most of the floors down to the original wood. In case of the future family room area – we removed 2 floors to get back to the original Southern Pine wood floors that were similar to the wood we found in the kitchen. We also will be going back to the original Southern Pine wood floors in the new laundry room on the second floor of the carriage house.

Rick’s interior restoration guys start this week and began with restoring the original porch railing that we found in the basement. Also – painstaking stripping and scrapping of the 2 front doors progress and one of the doors is fully restored back to the original mahogany wood! I can’t wait to see how the finish will look and the doors are put back on their hinges.

Dave Packert finalizes our existing floor plans – we find out that we’ll need to bring in a structural engineer, Bob Dempsey, to help us figure out what type of supports we’ll need to shore up the kitchen floor and ceiling. We also identify some rot on the sill between the foundation and home on the back side of the carriage house. We also will need Bob’s help to figure out what type of support and insulation is needed to bring the ceiling space and roof rafters up to code on the second and third floors. There will also be support needed for areas we are removing walls. Eric Ayre has to postpone any roof work until we have the engineer’s plan in place.

Melanie and I walked with Dave, Marcelo, Fernando, Eric and Rick to discuss our ideas on the new layout. Our overall interior plan was to keep any layout changes to a minimum and work with the home’s original layout wherever possible –this is what we proposed:

1st FLOOR

Kitchen (1st floor carriage house portion) – removed an interior wall to use full expanse of kitchen to include eating area, 13 ½ ft original Country Store Display Cabinet (purchased via Ebay), large island, seating and cabinetry. We could not come up with a proper design that follows code for the back “servant’s staircase” (which had been removed previously) – so we wanted to convert that space to a butler pantry or coat closet. Also we thought of installing an iron/wood spiral staircase going from the kitchen area up into the 2nd floor laundry area and bedrooms.
Bathroom – maintain the full bathroom where it is and create a staircase going back down into the basement from the hallway into the bathroom. Also open the an original hallway into the right side of the home where the family room will be located – so there would be direct access from the kitchen.
Side Entrance – close off “dining room” doorway going from side door entrance directly into the dining room. Little “vestibule” would become mudroom and would now have room for a seat, shelving and hanging items.
Dining room – no changes.
Front Foyer and Circular Staircase Foyer – no changes.
Parlor/Sitting/Library Room – no changes.
Family Room – remove walls of 3 separate rooms to make into one large family room area. Remove closet to make access for hallway into bathroom and kitchen areas. Install period appropriate door that goes out onto back deck.

2nd FLOOR

Turret Room – no changes.
Kids Bedroom (left) – add closet.
Carriage House – make into laundry and storage room with expanded bathroom area. Heighten ceiling space. Turn servant’s staircase into closet.
Bring spiral staircase up into the main part (high ceiling space) of Laundry room area.
Kids Bedroom (carriage house) – improve on closet area.
Master Bedroom – remove wall on left side of fireplace mantel. Expand master bath and make walk-in closet. Create doorway and hallway into laundry room area on the carriage house side of home.

3rd FLOOR

Grand Turret Room – removed upper floor to give direct line of site up to the top of the turret.
Kids Bedroom (left) – expose chimney chase. Heighten ceiling space. Remove back wall near window and create closet/storage area.
Kids Bathroom – create “Jack and Jill” door bathroom between kid’s bedrooms. Install Sun Tunnel.
Kids Bedroom (right) – remove bathroom and create better closet space. Heighten ceiling space. Install 2 skylights.

Dave will provide us with modified plans and his recommendations next week when we meet with the structural engineer.

Week 3 of the Restoration

Fri, 20 Jul 2007 04:00:00 GMT

Wallpaper is removed (2 layers on top of 3 layers of paint) – we find the word “HELP” scrawled in what appears to be the glue backing of the older wallpaper. This freaks out the workers a little – but I just see it as the house’s cry for help to come back to life – and we’ve come to the rescue! To counter the plea for help – we also find the word “LOVE” on another wall. The home has some mysteries to solve.

Week 2 of the Restoration

Sat, 14 Jul 2007 19:46:22 GMT

The home’s roof was in desperate need of repair. The slate roof over the carriage house portion of the home was in relatively good shape, but needed about 50 pieces of slate to be replaced or repaired. The main portion of the roof (back) was slate – the front part of the roof was asphalt shingles – both need to be replaced quickly before any finished work to the interior of the house was to begin. Along with replacing rubber roofs, damaged wood, rafters, etc – we needed someone who was familiar with the “lost art” of slate roof repair. We were fortunate to find a local N Attleboro contractor, Eric Ayre from Top Cat Construction to start the work this week.

Week 1 of the Restoration

Sat, 07 Jul 2007 19:44:47 GMT

The main contractors, Marcelo Ferriera (painter) from Siedel and Lana and Fernando Costa (carpentry) from Revival Restoration and 5 of their employees started to strip paint (5 layers) off the inside trim, remove wallpaper and vinyl floors. The trimwork around the windows was quality old southern pine – but was not deemed appropriate for staining (the original woodwork was also painted). We planned to paint the trim a light color; repair, wet plaster and paint all the walls; and leave the doors with a natural walnut stain.

June 2007

Sat, 30 Jun 2007 19:43:58 GMT

The home inspection went well – the home inspector was impressed with the great condition of the home for being over 150 years old! The assumption was that were going to do fully update the home with new plumbing, electrical and HVAC.

May 2007

Thu, 31 May 2007 19:43:02 GMT

Looking for a Victorian Home to restore was now in full gear. I had hired a real estate agent, Linda Dillon from Century 21 Properties to look for Victorian properties in the area for sale – but there were not a lot that fit our criteria: Desirable neighborhood in a desirable town; Large (4,000+ square feet); Acre+ lot, Mostly cosmetic issues (no foundation or major structural issues); Close to where I live in Sharon. However, most importantly, though – a price that made economic sense to purchase for restoration.

April 2007

Mon, 30 Apr 2007 19:42:15 GMT

I knew of a home in Stoughton MA that was the most ornate Victorian I had seen in the area – a gem of a home that should really be with the Victorian mansions in Newport RI. I had passed the home many times, but never thought it could be a candidate for restoration and resale.

March 2007

Sat, 31 Mar 2007 19:41:29 GMT

I was driving down Edgehill Road in Sharon and saw a large (abandoned?) Eastlake Victorian sitting high up on a hill. I did some research on the property and found that the owner had moved and left the property vacant a few years back. It came to me in a flash – why not see if the property is for sale, so I can restore the grand Victorian and resell for a profit. I had heard that it’s difficult to do the restoration properly and make a profit – but I was willing to try.

February 2007

Wed, 28 Feb 2007 05:00:00 GMT

It was early Februrary 2007 when Melanie and I just happen to be visiting an antique store in Norwood (one of our most favorite activities together) when we were greeted by the smiling owner who wanted us to feel at home.

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