Years ago we became interested in turn of the century homes and all the charm and character that they possess.
When we shopped for our last home, we slogged through dozens of homes in the Olde Towne East area of Columbus but ended up on five wooded acres in the country in a nearly-new home. That seemed the only way for us to get the garage space we needed. But we never got completely over the urge to restore a Victorian--or at least I never got over it!
So we began searching again in 2011. At first we weren't very serious. We were plagued by the same issue as before: finding a house that we liked on a lot large enough to accommodate additional garage space.
Early in August, our patience was rewarded! We made an appointment to look at a home in an area to which we had previously given little consideration. As I scrutinized the exterior of the house and took in the amount of work that needed done, I was not impressed. But the interior held one pleasant surprise after another, and we started to get interested! It took a little while for us to realize that the front staircase was gone and the stained glass window that was such a prominent exterior feature was...well, where was it?
The house had been turned into a duplex many years ago (likely either during the Depression or after WWII). In addition to removing the main staircase, the stained glass window had been covered because it would have spanned both the first and second floors. Walls were added to create hallways, and door openings were moved to accommodate added closets and more closed off, private rooms. The butler's pantry was given over to create a full bath downstairs, and the servant's back stairs now held the cold air return for the upstairs apartment. Taking this place back to a single family home would take a lot of work!
In spite of the amount of work to be done, a number of things helped to convince us that this was the house for us. All of the woodwork on the first floor is original, has not been painted (except for the kitchen), and has lovely detail. There are EIGHT wonderful fireplaces with fabulous mantels, some with original mirrors. The original floor in what was either the dining room or back parlor is exposed and has an inlaid border--and the hope is that flooring survives under the oak overlaid floor that was installed when the house was split. And there is a brand new slate roof. All in all, good bones!
To make this place work for us, we needed to be able to expand the existing three-car garage. To create something more appropriate to the era, we needed a zoning variance. We wanted to increase the pitch of the roof to mirror that of the house and create a nice work space for all the wood working that lay ahead. We enlisted the help of architects Behal, Sampson and Dietz when we determined we were seriously interested in this house, and we looked to them for help with designing a garage space that is both functional, aesthetically pleasing, and appropriate to the era. http://www.bsdarchitects.com/
After two successful University Area Commission meetings in October, we received our zoning variance in November and we closed on the house at the end of 2011. I was already tired, and we hadn't even started yet!
I've decided to detail our renovation journey so that you can follow our highs and lows, learn from our mistakes and ingenuity (and enjoy an occasional photo of my dogs!)
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