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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1992-05-13, Page 13Jfome & Qardtn 1992 Reclaimed brick plays a big part THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, MAY 13,1992. PAGE 13. continued from page 12 were very prosaic, one of the glo­ ries of the new house was already in place before the roof went on. Centre-piece of the house as it rose was a staircase and banister that had been salvaged from an older house. The staircase had to be rhortened for the new house since it had come from one of those old houses with an 11-foot ceiling. The staircase was covered with plastic until the building could be closed in. For passers-by, the look of the house didn't really start to take shape until the reclaimed buff brick started to go on. The brick made the house look like an older house with brick that had been cleaned. Inside, reclaimed brick also played a large part. In the kitchen­ dining room area is a wood-stove on a hearth of buff brick. In the liv­ ing room is a large red brick fire­ place with a large beam serving as a mantle. The warm feeling of old wood is everywhere in the house. The trim around windows and doors is made from reclaimed pine planking. There is a huge hutch in the dining area that was made specially for them from old pine planking. Upstairs the floors are made of pine planking. The banister, of course, gives the feeling of age and solidity you don't find in modem staircases. The modem layout of the house helps make the most of the 2000 square feet of space in the home. There are no hallways downstairs. Focal-point is the large kitchen where even the cupboards were sal­ vaged from a house that used to sit on the site before they tore it down. They wanted a kitchen where they could eat and entertain, not a small kitchen with full dining room. The result is a spacious kitchen that allows plenty of people to sit around while meals are being pre­ pared. Working in the kitchen Sharon can look out a window into the front yard. Through a large arch is a dining area that in turn looks out, through sliding doors, to the bright sun-room. To the other side of the kitchen is the living room with the large fireplace the centrepiece, taking up most of the west wall while a large window floods the room with light. On either side of the fireplace are two small, round, stained glass windows. Old stained glass win­ dows are often cold and drafty, Dave says, so these were reworked, then covered on the outside with a single-pane, clear storm window. The result still lets the beauty shine through but provides draft-free beauty. Off the living room is a small office. Upstairs there are three bed­ rooms. The smaller bedrooms at the front of the house are 10 by 17 feet, large enough so that even with two beds in the one of the children's rooms, there is still plenty of room. In each of the rooms a dormer with a large window is centred in the room, lending perfect balance as well as adding extra headroom and plenty of light. At the rear of the house, the master bedroom is even larger at about 14 by 18 feet, leaving room enough for it to be a living area as well as sleeping area. There's also a large bathroom at the rear of the upstairs and perhaps the house's most unique feature: a second-floor laundry room. Having laundry facilities near bathroom and bedroom where most of the dirty laundry is created saves a lot of carting, Sharon says. Fear of the washing machine overflowing and leaking down to ruin ceilings of rooms underneath is what normally causes laundry rooms to be located on the main floor or basement, Dave says. He solved the problem by creating a special containment area under the washer that will catch any water and funnel it through a drain that is located in the wall, to the basement. The couple moved into an unfinished house in 1980 after their marriage. The house has grown over the years since but nothing has been "added on", Dave says. It,was always part of the original plan. It just took him 12 years to find the time to finish the project. "We built the size we needed rather than adding on later," Dave says. First, in 1981, came the two-car garage. To harmonize with the rest of the house it too has dormers and the style of the garage doors recalls times past rather than today’s mass- produced look. In 1989 came the front veran­ dah. The spindles in the railing and the verandah posts were salvaged from other buildings. The porch manages to match the look of the rest of the house: traditional, yet modem. “ AFFORDAPORTARELAXAFUN TM • Affordable • Portable • Relaxing and • Fun Your Own Personal Spa! • Portable 50 lbs. - 6' dia. • Economical Operation Approx. $8/month • Easy Installation Plugs into regular 110 outlet • Safe and Comfortable Foam walls eliminate hard surface injuries Secure cover safe for children. • Strong Spaceage foam/fibre covered with marine grade vinyl. • Complete Unit One low price. Call for complete Purchase or Weekend, Weekly or Monthly rental information L & J ENTERPRISES 11 High St. WALTON 887-9851 Au^n^dealerof Scftub Last year came the final touch: the sun-room at the rear of the house. Large windows pick up the south sun and, with skylights, allow plenty of light for growing plants. Large beams hold the room, sal­ vaged from a factory he tore down. The room is finished with a soft- grey-coloured tile. Again the room balances a feeling of new and old: the old wood of the beams and the modern convenience of a large whirlpool. The sun-room brings the build­ ing of the house to a finish, Dave says. The temporary wooden decks have now all been replaced with permanent structures. They have tried to create a low-maintenance house, Sharon says. With the long days Dave can spend at work, they need to. His work takes him anywhere in southwestern Ontario within a 100 mile radius of Brussels demolishing buildings. Currently he is in the midst of a huge project to take down the old railway round-house in Hamilton, a project that will take about four months to complete. Large portions of the building are being relocated in Campellford as a museum. When a building is coming down everything that can be sal­ vaged is saved: bricks, old beams and wood, old plumbing and elec­ trical fixtures, woodwork. At one time Total Demolition retailed many of the items through its large building located southeast of the house but the problems of running retail outlet when Dave was on the road so much led them to dis­ continue the process. They still retail reclaimed brick but most of the materials they salvage are now marketed through a St. Jacobs retail outlet that specializes in providing materials for people wanting to use authentic parts in renovating homes. Items like gingerbread and verandah and staircase spindles are particularly in demand. Most of his company's work in recent years has been in demolish­ ing old factories rather than houses. In hard times factories stand empty and people want them removed to save maintenance and taxes, while old houses tend to get fixed up. continued on page 14 "A PURPLE MARTIN CAN EAT 2000 MOSQUITOES A DAY" ATTRACT THESE BEAUTI­ FUL BIRDS WITH A PURPLE MARTIN HOUSE FROM HILLS FEEDS Hwy. 8 West of Clinton 482-7706 2Z MB