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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1999-10-20, Page 20PAGE 20. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 20, 1999. Jiome Improvement Couple’s home melds natural, man-made beauty Natural and man-made perfection When Diane Radford and Doug Scrimgeour began to consider what to do ber of things were considered. With such a picture-perfect setting the idea of con- with the aging cottage on the family property located south of Blyth, a num- structing a year-round residence took shape and plans began. Cozy, but elegant The living room is an example of simplistic elegance, a comfortable setting, tastefully deco­ rated, perfect for quiet times or entertaining. While Diane spent a good deal of energy on the kitchen, this room was Doug’s. By Bonnie Gropp Citizen staff Doug Scrimgeour and Diane Radford's house is not just a dream home but an eclectic oasis. A mecca melding natural and man-made beauty. A combination of simplistic elegance, tasteful decor, manufac­ tured scenery and Mother Nature’s handiwork. For almost three decades the prop­ erty, located just south of Blyth along Hwy 4, had been a source of enjoyment to the family. Diane’s father had dug out a pond in the early 1960s, then built a cottage on the island in 1970. "It had been here for a good num­ ber of years and like most cottages it was strictly a summer place,” says Diane. "In recent years it had gotten to the point where it needed a tremendous amount of repair. But just to use it in the winter didn’t seem feasible.’ A number of ideas were consid­ ered including winterizing the build­ ing or adding on. Ultimately, Diane says, they came to the final conclu­ sion it wasn’t worth the effort and decided to start fresh building a per­ manent residence on the idyllic site. Knowing the investment was going to build their dream home, they proceeded with caution. A num­ ber of plans were looked at and the couple drove around studying other homes until they got a basic concept of what was wanted. "We decided on a few features. I wanted to maintain a cottage kind of look with lots of porches,” says Diane. "And I wanted dormers," adds Doug. Once they had gotten as far as they could on their own. they took their plans to architect John Rutledge, who then came and had a look at the property. He made several sugges­ tions, one of which was to’keep the building low. “The old cottage had been like that. You just stepped out the door and were on the lawn, so we kept that idea,’ says Diane. Since the house is not a complicat­ ed design there were few challenges facing the builders, says Diane, though Doug notes that water did create some engineering problems. “The fact that the house is on an island meant we had to give a lot of consideration to the size and there were questions with regards to the septic system.” Also, though Doug says he would have liked a basement, it was not feasible. “You go down about three or four feet and you’re in water. There is a tremendous amount of concrete beneath this house.” “When you work within restric­ tions, some decisions are made for you,” says Diane. The fact that even these problems Fine for dining The dining room is a bright, cheery area that affords a love­ ly view of the pond. were not extreme, the couple believes is a result of diligent home­ work. “We did a lot of driving, a lot of research before starting,” says Doug. “The hardest thing was get­ ting the roof on before the snow fell.” What type of roof and what would be used on the exterior of the house, which was built by Blyth Construction, raised some issues. “The shingles we wanted weren’t available so we thought about cedar,” says Diane. “This caused some debate because things were adding up fairly well already. We had budgeted obviously, but changes cost.” To keep the cottage look to the house, the couple opted for cedar siding as well. “It wasn’t easy to find someone who still installed cedar with an air space underneath, but the fellow who did the job was meticu­ lous,” says Doug. Diane notes that you don’t have to Continued on page 21