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THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, MAY 6, 1998. PAGE 17.
4 by
Home 6'z Garden '9S
Unique renovation project
combines the old and new
you'll need
By Bonnie Gropp
Citizen staff
An eclectic mix of old and new is
bringing a piece of Morris Twp.'s
history back to life.
Bob and Lucy Hesse purchased
the former Morris Twp. Hall, in the
early 1990s with the intention of
turning it into a country home.
Constructed originally in 1872, the
building, which was vacated by the
township in October of 1985, was
in surprisingly good shape, Bob
says.
This optimistic view wasn't nec-
essarily shared by his wife. "He has
a gift in that he can look at a piece
of junk and see it finished," says
Lucy. "I saw money flying out the
window."
In addition to the monumental
task of transforming the building
into a home, the Hesses also want-
ed to do it without putting them-
selves into the red. The idea was to
only do what they could within
their budget, while at least getting
the structure habitable.
One of the first projects was the
dismantling of the front portion of
the stage at the south end of the
hall, closing in one set of steps at
the west side. The interior was
stripped and insulated. An old
stove and chimney were taken out
as well. This is now the kitchen.
A short flight of stairs leads
down to the "auditorium", which
now houses the washroom and two
bedrooms.
A large addition was built onto
the east side of the hall. "He laid it
out with poles to get an idea. Then
he walked it and decided it wasn't
big enough, so he moved them out
and walked it again, then moved
them out again. That's how we
ended up with an addition this
size," Lucy says.
One of the most interesting fea-
tures in the house is the stamped tin
roof in the addition's spacious,
There was a time not too long a
go when the homeowner's choice of
accessories for the bath was limited
to a couple of towel bars, a soap
dish, a toilet tissue holder and
maybe a toothbrush-and-tumbler
holder. These were available in the
familiar polished chrome, or maybe
white vitreous china.
That limited selection reflected
Continued from page 16
dormant or rot.
Sow seeds 1-2": (2.5-5cm) deep
and 2-3" (5-7.5cm) apart. Cover
with soil, then tamp down with the
flat end of a rake. This ensures that
peas germinate at the same time.
Sprinkling the soil or coating seeds
with a legume inoculant (available
at garden centres) places nitrogen-
fixing bacteria into the soil. This
not only increases yield, it also
enriches the soil.
Seeds germinate in 8-10 days. To
speed the process along, pre-soak
seeds in a glass of warm water
overnight. After seeds germinate
bright family room. The panels,
which originally came from a
funeral home in Lions Head, were
offered for sale from a funeral
home in Wiarton. The panels were
cleaned and stripped then sprayed
gold. Lucy and a friend, Shannon
Clary then spent six months hand-
painting a floral pattern on each of
the 144 to be used.
Installing the panels proved a bit
of a challenge. "We were going to
strap it, but the insulation was too
heavy so we put up 5/8th plywood
first and went through boxes of
brass nails," says Bob.
While the original flooring was
kept in the main part of the house,
Hesses got the flooring and floor
joists for the addition from Dave
Rapson. In the family room, they
used 2x6 tongue in groove pine.
Putting together the house has
been a mix of the old and new.
Cruising garage sales and building
stores, the Hesses have discovered
some unique treasures. They have
also travelled to out of the way
places to find the best buy for what
they were looking.
Twp kitchen windows were pur-
chased at a garage sale in Wingham
many years ago, while seven 5'x2'
ones were obtained from a Con-
estoga Mennonite at a cost of $238.
The long-stemmed fans, perfect for
the high-ceilinged family room
were obtained from a firm in Auro-
ra at a cost of $700.
The bricks and cement blocks
came from Dave Rapson and 2x6s
for the floor were obtained from
Aaron Sherk, a Mennonite in
Crosshill. The plywood, skylights
and insulation were purchased
through a building supply store.
The bathroom sink and toilet came
from Toronto, the vanity from
Alberta and the tub from Waterloo.
The kitchen cupboards were pur-
chased from a London couple.
"Shortly after we bought them, they
phoned us and asked if we would
the attitude that the bathroom was
the practical, no-nonsense room in
the house.
All that has changed with today's
perception of the bathroom as a
showplace for home design.
Consumers are lavishing
attention and money on the bath to
create a luxurious environment that
Continued on page 18
they are more tolerant of cold,
damp soil conditions.
Once the peas are up, weeds may
be kept under control by hand-
picking or mulching. Peas are a
relatively low-care vegetable. But,
as with beans, avoid overhead
watering late in the day. Leaves
that remain wet in the cool night air
are more prone to disease.
Mulching not only controls weeds
and keeps soil cool, it also reduces
watering requirements.
To avoid diseases such as
powdery mildew, pea enation and
wilt, rotate crops from year to year.
Allow for good air circulation and
buy the right seeds for your area.
sell them back. They had paid
$15,000 for their new cupboards
and didn't like them," Bob says.
It took three vanloads to bring
the cupboards home. A total of 30
running feet were used in the Hesse
home, while the rest have been
divided between two other proper-
ties.
The countertop was purchased
from Gorrie Home Hardware.
Though the home was not yet
complete the Hesses moved in in
January — and received a real
country welcome. What they hadn't
realized was that squatters, some
raccoons, skunks, mice and a few
of the neighbours' cats, had taken
up residence. With some help from
the animal control officer, at their
expense, they got the situation
under control.
Settled though they may be, there
is still work to be done. "Besides
the cosmetic work, this summer I
plan to rebrick the old part of the
house to match the addition," says
Bob. He added that he would like
to also get the porches constructed.
"This place will be nothing until
the porches are done and we can
proceed with the landscaping,"
Hesse says. "It's definitely a long-
term project."
Accessorizing the bathroom
Control weeds by mulching
• shovels
• mini ties • lattice
• treated deck & fence materials
• paint, stains, rollers, brushes .,
• picnic tables -
pressure treated
& spruce
You'll love the
results!
• rakes
• brooms
MANNING'S BUILDING SUPPLIES
120 Hamilton St. E., Blyth
(519) 523-9305