Village Squire, 1980-10, Page 9rooms on the two main floors are now
finished. More changes wait to be
made. Although Bensettes admit some
of their enthusiasm has waned, they
still enjoy the privacy the huge house
affords them and they appreciate its
unique and durable architecture. Evi-
dence shows no expense was spared
when the mansion was built. The
window sills, the Bensettes were told,
were imported from Scotland.
A FIRM FOUNDATION
The house was built on a firm
foundation, (in fact, the foundations are
21/2 to 3 feet thick with a double layer of
brick on the basement floor). The walls
in the main part of the house are
triple -bricked, 22 inches thick, and even
the north walls are seldom cold. The
back section, in which the kitchen is
located, may have been added at a later
time because the walls are only 10
inches thick and there's no basement
below it.
The wood floors were 5 inches thick, 5
inch pine was used for the library floor.
Cherry and walnut made up the winding
staircase in the front hall.
12 foot ceilings make some of the
rooms difficult to heat, but the four
fireplaces, two upstairs and two down-
stairs, help. Each room contained at
least one chimney, and elderly neigh-
bours, who attended a party in the
mansion sixty years ago, recall that
twenty-two stoves burned to keep the
guests warm.
The Bensettes have tried to maintain
the unique architecture of the structure,
while renovating the home to their own
tastes. The modern panelled kitchen
utilizes dark wood in the island cup-
boards and floor to ceiling hutch.
Massive dark woodwork, fireplaces and
high narrow windows with inside shut-
ters add warmth and charm to the rest
of the house, especially the library,
family room and master bedroom.
The outside walls were sandblasted a
few years ago to return the bricks to
their original buff colour. Dark brown
shutters, eaves and front veranda
accentuate the brickwork.
IMPRESSING REPLICA
In the 1800s, Huron County residents
must have been impressed by the
replica of the Friarton Brae Castle with
its imposing tower at the front and the
servants quarters, which burned dec-
ades ago, at the rear.
"The Castle," as it was called, was
bought by the Davidson family in 1867.
Although no records are available prior
to that date, a tombstone on the
property is dated 1843.
From 1949 until 1969, the house was
vacant but still attracted curious sight-
seers. Classes of university students
came to study the remarkable architec-
ture. For awhile after the Bensette
family moved in, people were unaware
the house was occupied and Jane recalls
incidents when intruders walked into
the house without knocking.
"The Castle" still draws the attention
of passersby. Several carloads of people
have asked to tour the house - a request
the Bensettes politely refuse.
"We don't become annoyed with
people," explains Jane, "because we
understand their curiosity. We know it's
a unique house, but to us it's a private
home and we value that privacy."
A transformation
A Seaforth couple rescues an old duplex and now it's a gracious family home
BY YVONNE REYNOLDS
When Paul Ross purchased a big old
house on Goderich Street West in
Seaforth last November, he believed he
had found an ideal location for a law
office. Before the deal was closed, his
wife Heather went on a treasure hunt.
Armed with a hammer and a wrecking
bar, she pried under rugs, poked into
partitions, and chipped paint down to the
underlying wood. She could envision not
only office space, but ideal living quarters
as well.
As soon as the Rosses decided to
combine two needs under one roof, they
started a looseleaf book of plans for each
room - brochures from building supply
companies, pictures cut from magazines,
notes on features they had admired in
other homes, and creative ideas from
Heather herself.
The old house had been duplexed and
then leased to tenants. Doors were nailed
shut or hidden behind plywood, transoms
were covered inside and out, floors were
topped with a layer of nailed -on plywood
over which linoleum had been glued.
Noticing a water stain two-thirds of the
way down one bedroom wall, Mrs. Ross
went outside to check and immediately
spotted the frame of a small window
which has now been restored to its
original function. The whole house was
rewired, replumbed, and new duct -work
added.
Mrs. Ross acted as general contractor
during the renovations. "Never go on
reputation," she advises, "and get three
estimates in writing before you make a
decision." She told each tradesman that
she had X number of dollars to spend and
"if they wanted the job, they would
negotiate." She also cautions that you
should plan ahead very carefully. If you
get an estimate and then add extra wall
plugs, more hot air registers, and
additional plumbing, you may get a rude
shock when you receive your total bill.
Whenever possible, she contracted for
local men and local materials. First
Arnold Stothers was hired to sandblast
one hundred years of paint from doors,
mouldings, and wainscotting. The job
took two -and -a -half days and three -and
one-half tons of sand. Although Mr.
Stothers wore a gas mask and hood, he
had to stop every hour, go outside, and
breathe in the open air. "He'd be
working in a room and you couldn't find
him", Mrs. Ross recalls.
The Rossec rented a big kelt sander
and a small edger, and sanded the floors
themselves. The floors in the former
kitchen and the present kitchen are fir,
the foyer is 1'/a" maple, and the flooring
in the rest of the house is pine.
Heather Ross nas nothing but praise
for Reg and Hary Construction, of Blyth.
"I wanted to keep the integrity and feel of
the original house", she said, so all
closets and cubbyholes added during the
years were torn out. Reg Badley and Hary
Bernard worked for almost two months
tearing out walls, putting up dry wall,
patching and repairing floors, matching
new mouldings to old and performing
with skill and efficiency whatever was
asked of them. "Their work is superb".
VILLAGE SQUIRE/OCTOBER 1980 PG. 7