HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Brussels Post, 1979-09-19, Page 22A VIEW OF THE KITCHEN—Maureen Agar holds daughter Jenny, as
son Adam peaks*over the counter in the Agar kitchen. Special features
include the stove and cupboard unit in the centre of the kitchen which can
be moved about the kitchen, and the double sink in the pretty alcove
windows. (Expositor photo)
Pal-O-Pak Insulation
49
6.6. cu. ft.
2A — THE HOME IMPROVEMENT SECTION
Careful planning helped
BY ALICE GIBE
When Mervyn and Maur-
een Agar moved to the family
dairy farm at R.R. 2, Sea-
forth, they knew something
would have to be done with
the old brick farmhouse.
The house, which is almost
100 years old, is built with
three layers of brick, but the
upstairs had been blocked off
for several years and the
exterior was badly worn.
The Agar's first instinct
was to simply demolish the
house and start again. How-
ever, the young couple want-
ed to keep within a $40,000
price range, and they soon
discovered that wouldn't be
easy when building from
scratch. Even a smallish,
three-bedroom home would
cost much more by the time a
mortgage was added in and
Maureen Agar said, "1
wouldn't get the house I
wanted." Also, she decided
a home built in the same
mold as other modern houses
"wouldn't have your own
style to it."
Once the couple decided to
give up the idea of building
they took a second look at the.
farmhouse and decided to try
and salvage it. The Agars
then concluded the best way
to complete the renovations
would be to phase them over
several years and complete'
each phase as they had the
money.
Maureen Agar said she
budgeted about $20,000 in
total for the renovations, and
to date has spent about
$15,000 - all carefully
accounted for.
From the start, she and
her husband have done
painting and wallpapering in
the house, but most of the'
actual renovations were done
by Clarence Ryan Construct-
ion of St. Columban.
The Agars also put new
windows purchased from Ken
Doig of Seaforth throughout
the house,
From her experiences over
the past two and a half years,
Maureen Agar has some
valuable tips to offer for
anyone venturing forth on a
renovation project.
First, she and her husband
calculated the amount they
wanted to spend at the start,
and have managed to stay
within that' budget. Mrs.
Agar said if the money ran
out temporarily, then the
work stopped.
ONE AT A TIME
She said one of the best
pieces of advice she can offer
is to do one room at a time.
She Said in cases where a
'wall had to be torn out, she
and her husband, did it before
the contractors arrived, and
tried to have any mess out of
the way. Also she recom-
mends that anyone who is
redecorating know exactly
what's to be done before the
contractors arrive.
The first step in the Agar's
renovation project was to
make the upstairs of the
house liveable again. They
started by having the walls
and ceilings insulated, using
poured insulation in the
upstairs and bat insulation in
the downstairs of the farm-
house. Part of their insu-
lation costs were paid for by
a government grant offered
to encourage people to cut
down on fuel bills.
Mr. Ryan and his men
made stairs to reach the four
upstairs bedrooms which go
off the kitchen area, and then
the 'contractor found a railing
which looks old enough to
have been the original stair-
way.
Mrs. Agar said they
haven't finished the steps yet
because they haven't de-
(Continued on Page 3A)
Winterize now by
tackling those projects
. that will pay you
dividends now
and keep the
chill out
111 later.
. • ,
Zonolite Insulation .45
3 cu. ft.
FIBERGLAS
CANADA LTD
FIBERGLAS INSULATION
R8 12' per square foot
R12 18' per square foot
_R20 30' per square foot
R28 .1 40 per square foot
INSULATION LISTED IS LESS 10
Remember "Insulation is Pm. Sales Tax Exempt"
Helping to keep your heating costs down
BALL-MACAULAY LID •
BUILDING SUPPLIES L Clinton 482-3405 Seaforth 527-0910 Hensall 262.2418
I, PIP # eft ..a, .e.ggftitO a.. 1.4 v+1
41'414,4 Cr.. 4 4 441.11 44a .n.O.R.44,. vm arid+ Ar.,.1 V"..43