SPONSORED BY
FRED SMITH When Rick purchased this 1915 Craftsman bungalow in 1998 – his first house - most of his friends asked him if he knew what he was getting into. And for the past ten years, Rick sometimes felt as if he were living in a constant state of chaos as he began the task of remodeling.
The house had been divided into a duplex (from pre-1970s according the date of the Coke can found in the drop ceilings during renovations), so Rick’s first goal was to return it to a single-family home. Having two bathrooms, two kitchens, and double sets of water heaters and furnaces actually came in handy when one would break or be out of commission.
Strange walls had been built into the center of almost every room to create hallways and storage in the duplex, and there were several drop ceilings that had to be removed in the house. The bathroom walls were covered in plastic, filling-station paneling and the kitchen suffered from peeling floral wallpaper.
As with many new homeowners, Rick, along with Duncan and Case the wonder dogs, has suffered through his share of shady contractors and had to re-do lots of work on the house, but having learned from his mistakes and moved on, Rick has amassed a loyal, reliable source of help
Some of Rick’s favorite features of the house were the exposed beams, the large rooms and the high ceilings. In the kitchen, you’ll notice the cool copper counter tops. Also, be sure to check out the 1930s Universal gas range which was purchased and restored specifically for the new kitchen.
Over the years, Rick has taken out the superfluous walls, removed the basement access stairs to put in the new butler’s pantry, and moved the attic stair access. There is also a new driveway, car pad, and deck in the back of the house. The kitchen was moved back to its original location, and the two previous kitchens are now a third bedroom and a sunroom.
And it has taken years, but Rick has finally been able to gain the winning edge on the exterior landscaping, which basically consisted of a yard of weeds, a dead tree and a hydrangea.
