Townsman, 1991-04, Page 28The original stone wall was kept when
Lynne's rustic home.
an ongoing commitment. The first pri-
ority was to get the house cleaned up
and in livable condition. Once a story
and a half, it was now a combined
kitchen and living arca with a bed-
room loft. "It was pretty rough,"
admits Lynne. The original hardwood
floor, there since thc house was built
1(X) years ago as far as Lynne knows,
was in desperate need of work and
Lynne made it her priority project.
Blackened with neglect and age, the
floor took several sandings and layers
of urethane to restore it. (A former
resident of the arca once told Lynne
that the marks on the floor were made
when the very first owner hutted his
cigarettes out.)
Plumbing and electrical work was
next on the agenda as, Lynne
explained, anytime she wanted to use
anything, either it didn't work or
something went wrong.
Knotty -pine, tongue -and -groove
wainscotting was dont in the room
and then the "yucky, mustard coloured
trim" was repainted a classic colonial
green. Repairs wcrc done on the cellar
drain and a wood stove was installed
to heat thc home.
For two years Lynne's house
changed little, then she made an alter-
ation to the bathroom. When she had
moved in there was no space in the
26 TOWNSMAN/APRIL-MAY 1991
the addition was built onto the back of
close quarters for a bathtub so she had
one put into the basement. Access to
the cellar was through a trap door in
the floor and now Lynne had decided
enough was enough so she extended a
wall behind thc kitchen to the edge of
thc loft.
Delighted with owning her own
home it took a while for the novelty to
wear off and for the excitement to ebb
enough for its one flaw to become
more pronounced. "I began to feel
quite claustrophobic," she said. "It
really is very small and though I am
busy socially and not home a great
deal, in the winter you do tend to feel
confined." So in January 1990, plans
wcrc made to build an addition.
Not wanting to lose any of the dis-
tinct character of her home, Lynne
carefully formulated ideas, then took
them to a local contractor, Jim Stew-
art. "I had ideas bubbling out of me,"
she says. "I drew some pictures and
we just went from there." One thing
Lynne kncw she had to have was win-
dows. "After living so long in such a
small space that actually has very lit-
tle light, I guess you could say I kind
of freaked out on windows."
Lynne says that though her contrac-
tor may often have thought her con-
cepts a little strange he was very
supportive of her wishes. "He offered
suggestions, but basically did every-
thing I wanted. When Lynne first saw
the finished addition she had very
mixed feelings. "I thought it looked
too big, too slanted, too high. But the
next time I looked at it it got better. It
just took getting used to and now I'm
very happy with it."
The addition is in direct contrast to
the main part of the house, yet has not
detracted from its original style. It is
an open, bright livable homey space
of rough pine, that has doubled the
size of the humble dwelling. Impres-
sive ceiling beams lend an air of
grandeur. Pot lights are set above the
stone wall to highlight its quaint beau-
ty. The furnishings are simple, yet
attractive and most importantly wel-
coming. "There is nothing in my
home that is not meant to be used. I
want visitors who come to my home
'7 want
visitors
to enjoy
my home
as I do."
to enjoy it as I do.
The wall of windows affords a view
of picturesque tranquility. Open
fields, leafy trees, and sun -drenched
sky are the perfect backdrop to this
unique home.
It would have been so easy for some-
one else to have happened upon the
house, someone more interested in
using the land or in building a newer,
grander structure, than in restoring
some heritage. Lynne is glad that she
has been able to preserve this modest
building for more years.
"People will often say to me, 'Oh,
you're the lady who lives in the cot-
tage.' This is my home. It took hard
work but it was lots of fun, too. Some-
times, I look around and I have to
remind myself that it is actually mine.
It's a dream come true for me and I
just think how lucky I am to have it."