Village Squire, 1980-10, Page 11New pine cupboards and tiled
counter tops were installed in the
kitchen of the Ross home.
Heather Ross sits on the bedroom
window seat that was constructed where
there used to be a doorway.
bathrooms but the big oldfashioned
claw-foot bathtubs were retained. (Their
comfortable shape and large capacity are
irreplaceable.)
A left-hand turn at the top of the stairs
brings you to a landing where two
graceful chairs frame a beautiful stained
glass window, glowing golden in the
light. "I found that window in the old
garage in a former home and have been
hauling it around for five years" Mrs.
Ross explains -
A washer and dryer sit side by side in
the large, sunny children's bathroom. "I
find an upstairs laundry ideal, because
that's where most of the dirty clothes
originate", Heather says.
Sills Hardware did all plumbing and
rewiring.
"They worked under duress", Mrs.
Ross says admiringly. Two water pipes
were taken out of a bearing wall,
bathtubs were moved, and new plumbing
installed as unobtrusively as possible.
She added that the plumbing inspector
was impressed that all work was done not
to a bare minimum, but to the highest
standards.
The master bedroom is papered with
Schumacher paper, ordered locally. It is a
reproduction of a stencil design that was
popular in New England years ago.
Heather states that it is "not terribly
expensive", but is wider than the usual
paper. She had to use the bathtub as a
wallpaper trough, and then dash madly
into the bedroom to apply the paper
(She also papered the upper and lower
halls with one helper. This was quite a
feat, as there is a drop of up to 26' around
the stairwell).
WINDOW SEAT
Mrs. Ross had the carpenters change
the door leading from the master bed-
room onto a porch back into a window,
and build in a window seat. The Rosses
plan eventually to replace all the old
windows. "We will just give each other
windows for birthday and anniversary
gifts", she laughs.
The upstairs den-tv room, reached
through the master bedroom is carpeted
wall to wall in a brown shag. ''There was
no way to restore the floor in this room"
Heather commented. "We used the rug
that was in the dining_ room." A back
stairway leads from the den back down to
the reception area of the law office. Mrs.
Ross feels more secure with two sets of
stairs in her home, in case of fire.
Heather Ross is justifiably proud of
what has been accomplished. When
pressed, she admits that even from a
monetary standpoint, the renovations
were worthwhile.Thenew appraised value
of the Ross residence is fifteen per cent
more than the clmbined total of all
monies spent on the house, including
purchase price, labour, materials, and
items such as scatter rugs.
VILLAGE SQUIRE/OCTOBER 1980 PG. 9