HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2000-10-18, Page 12PAGE 12. THE CITIZEN. WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2000.
—”W -wHome Improvement 2000
Windows the focal point of century farmhouse
says would have been difficult as the
border had arrived and they would
have had to match it once again.
Laughing, she describes how they
lived with the “putrid yellow primer
on the bottom half of the wall for six
months.”
LeeAnn also suggested that a chair
rail with a scroll would be a nice
touch to the border, so the
McDonalds’ son Scott cut the trim
and put it on.
They also did a makeover of the
family room in the fall, tying it to the
rest of the house. Jo-Ann says they
Continued on page 13
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is its
Increased space
The once open kitchen at the McDonald’s has been sepa
rated into food preparation and dining areas with the addi
tion of an island which also increased cupboard space.
1981 and seeing the need for more
room, that they turned the summer
kitchen into a family room. Rick did
most of the work, insulating and
panelling. “Basically, we have lived
out there ever since,” says Jo-Ann.
In 1986 the first phase of work
began in the original house. For a
quick fix in the kitchen they had
papered and painted. As well Jo-Ann
was keen to keep the wainscotting,
which was, she says, “just gorgeous.
Rick, however, thought refinishing it
was a waste of my time and energy.”
It was at this time that the house
was insulated and drywalled, too.
Then in the early part of the 1990s,
they got started on a complete refur
bishing with new kitchen cupboards.
The original old wooden cupboards
were along one wall of the kitchen.
Jo-Ann wanted to expand the
amount of cupboard space so they
consulted an expert.
The large open family kitchen was
transformed into divided food prepa
ration and dining areas, by a centre
island. A pantry also increases the
amount of space, while the enclosed
By Bonnie Gropp
Citizen staff
area makes for a practical work
space.
The ceiling was also lowered three
feet, though Jo-Ann laughs when
talking about the light fixture which
was installed before the island was
added. “It was in the centre of the
room over the table. But when you
do things in stages, you don’t .
always see what’s ahead.”
The focus of the home
one-foot deep windows. The
detailed trim around them is the
original, which Jo-Ann refin
ished.
While there-were plans to con
tinue the decorating, things
slowed for a time until the winter
of 1999. “Maxine Houston came
up with the idea of a home tour
for a fundraiser and in January of
that year she approached different
people about whether they would
put their house on the tour,” says
Jo-Ann.
The make-over began in earnest
then, with Jo-Ann and daughter
LeeAnn scouring places for paper
and paint. “The drapes and blinds
in the kitchen were still good, so
we knew we wanted to stick to
rose as the dominant colour.”
Because of the kitchen appli
ances, (“Old and green and hope
fully soon to wear out,” Jo-Ann
says.) green was used as the
accent.
One setback came when the
wallpaper didn’t. “The paper got
lost at sea, I think. It took from
March to September to get here.”
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Nothing says character quite as
much as an older home. Of course,
nothing says challenge quite as much
either.
Rick and Jo-Ann McDonald of
RR2, Brussels have lived on the
family’s century farm since 1977.
Prior to that the stone house had
been occupied by Rick’s grandpar
ents Jim and Edna McDonald. “They
had moved here in 1925 having
taken over the farm,” says Jo-Ann.
“Like a lot of people of that genera
tion they really hadn’t done a lot to
the interior of the house. They didn’t
spend money on decorating.”
Also, she said, in the last part of
their life there, the upstairs had been
for the most part unused.
The house, which was constructed
of stones carved from the Brussels
dam, had no insulation and needed to
have the electrical wiring updated.
However, with any major renova
tion project, comes a price tag and
the issue of time. So it wasn’t until
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