HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1999-10-20, Page 25THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 20, 1999. PAGE 25.
Jlome Improvement
Making new from old takes time, patience
That was then.......this is now
The McKillop Twp. home owned by Shelley and Brian McGavin, like many
of its kind had an old back kitchen. Once the couple talked about tearing it
down it didn’t take long for Shelley to get a crew together to do the job.
A new addition has created not just an attractive living space and extra bed
rooms for the young family of four, but is a much more welcoming entrance
to the house.
By Bonnie Gropp
Citizen staff
All good things are worth waiting
for. And while Brian and Shelley
McGavin of RR4, Walton still have
work ahead of them in renovating
their two-storey farmhouse, they
have made some marvelous trans
formations over their 11 years there.
The McGavins purchased the Lot
24, Cone. 3 home from Brian’s par
ents, Neil and Marie, in 1990, hav
ing rented it since their marriage two
years earlier.
Work began even before they
moved in says Shelley primarily out
of necessity. “We re-did windows
and insulation and drywalled the
outside walls in the rooms. We
stripped the woodwork in the old
back kitchen. Basically, we just did
what we had to do as cheaply as pos
sible at that moment.”
Upstairs, the couple took a wall
out between two small bedrooms to
create a spacious master bedroom.
The conversion of another small
bedroom into a bathroom left them
with one small bedroom.
In 1990 they decided to dress up
the front of the house with a new
porch. As the cement steps and pad
had been there, they simply added a
roof and spindles.
With their family growing, how
ever, they soon realized that the
With the gazebo nearing completion, the pool area completes the landscaping of the proper
ty around the new addition. The patio was done to resemble flagstone. Colour is dumped into
the cement truck, then the cement is laid. A charcoal release is used, which sprays a fine dust
over top, then a mold is stamped over the top.
There wasn’t much left after the removal of the back
kitchen. The 20’x20’ house had a downstairs bathroom
four small bedrooms, kitchen and living area.
house was going to have to grow
with them. They began talking about
tearing down the back kitchen and
building an addition. Brian didn’t
need to ask Shelley twice.
“Basically I came home one day
and the back kitchen was coming
down,” he recalls.
Designed by Bert Dennis and built
by D&J Construction, the new struc
ture offers an additional 32’x32’ to
the existing 20’x20’ home. Thb
cathedral ceilings offer an open, ele
gant look. In addition to adding a
greatroom', there are now two more
bedrooms upstairs.
The addition also created a
20’x25’ single-vehicle garage.
In order to try and keep the conti
nuity of the house, the shingles were
taken off and new ones tied into the
addition.
Finding brick to match was a chal
lenge, but during a trip to Stratford,
the couple thought they spied some
that looked fairly close to those of
the McGavin home. “I grabbed a
couple of bricks to bring them home
A new perspective
Shown from the west side before the construction of the
deck and pool area, the McGavin home shows a substan
tial increase in living space for the family.
and see. They matched so I went
back and asked where to get them.”
After completing the major proj
ect, Shelley says they “laid low” for
awhile. Then in 1998 they decided
to finish off the landscaping with a
deck, gazebo, patio and pool.
Though work was still in progress
this past summer, the family hopes
to have everything in shape in time
for the Walton Christmas Home
Tour, sponsored by Duff’s United
Church on Nov. 13 and 14.
Warm addition
Richard Horst, who also did
the brick work, created the
stone fireplace. Though a love
ly focal point for the greatroom
it did create its problems —
because of the weight the floor
had to be strengthened.
“We’re’ready now for the decorat
ing and furnishings,” says Shelley.
“A long way down the road will be
the kitchen.”
Throughout the transformation the
family, which includes children
Brandon, 7 and Abby, four, have
continued to live in the home. It has
been a project of love, exciting at
times, exhausting at others.
“But with time and patience, you
can live up to the dream,” says
Shelley.
Space for living
Durable hardwood floors create
a warm look to the spacious
greatroom. To the right is the
open stairway, to the left is the
stone fireplace.