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| Copy of photo of original house. (Photo provided by Iris.) |
One of the highlights of our recent trip to Canada was a visit with my friend Iris and her daughter Kate at the old house they are restoring/renovating. Iris inherited the 160 + year old house from her uncle, and it is the house that her grandfather built and where he raised his children, including Iris' father.
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| Iris (left) and Kate prepared to do some demolishing. (Selfie by Kate.) |
Iris and Kate are working on this project in their spare time---evenings and weekends---but they are making amazing progress. Iris is a master carpenter who built her own house, but is working in another job now. However, her carpentry skills are vital to this renovation. If Kate lives in this house when it's finished she will be the fourth generation to occupy it.
The house had been recently wired and a new furnace installed when Iris inherited it. First Iris tackled the kitchen, and here are before and after photos.
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| Kitchen part way through the renovation. (Photo by Kate.) |
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| The renovated kitchen with table, antique chairs, and vintage tablecloth. Iris usually has flowers in her house. |
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| Tulips on the table. |
The white walls and trim make the kitchen warm and bright. Many of the items they have added to the house have been things that folks had discarded. The china cabinet was yellow originally, but after a primer coat of white it was painted a deep blue-black to match the cabinets. Lovely.
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| Primed |
| Finished (Photo by Anthony Benson.) |
The kitchen sink was another cast off that Iris found.
A tin ceiling covers a hole that was left when the original wood stove was removed and reflects heat back from the new stove. Brilliant!
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| Tin ceiling covers a hole and reflects heat back from the new wood stove. |
Kate added her touch with a collection of blue and white dishes on one wall to complement the blue/white theme elsewhere.
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| A touch of blue in the kitchen window. |
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| Blue and white dish towels. |
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| This door will lead from the kitchen to a future bathroom. |
Click this link to see 360 degree view of the kitchen *
An upstairs bedroom is almost complete.
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| More of Kate's dishes above the bed. |
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| Some kind of laminate was added years ago to the windows of the door from the hall into the bedroom. It looks as if the laminate would have given the impression of stained glass windows if you notice the edges where it is not weathered. They are beautiful even with the weathering. |
Click this link to view 360 degree view of bedroom*
Iris' husband Glen cleared a lot of trees and bush to make a view of the lake from the front porch and
windows. Now there is a beautiful view from the windows when one awakes.
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| View before bush cleared. (Photo by Kate.) |
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| Cleared meadow and view of lake beyond. |
Currently Iris is enclosing the front porch with windows to create a sunroom.
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| Iris working on windows for enclosed front porch. (Photo by Kate.) |
I'll be eager to see how much they have done when I return in late summer.
*360 panorama by Anthony Benson.
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