Rehab journal - Late 2005

Back at the beginning of this adventure, I started a paper journal to record our progress, so I'm posting it here now. You'll see huge gaps in time, particulary from March 2006 to December 2006, then from December 2006 to March 2009. Yep - a total blank. It's not that we weren't working, but journaling did not get top priority.

Here is a sketch of the floor plan of the first floor when we bought it. The rooms at the top half of the drawing comprise the main, stone part of the house, and the two rooms at the bottom are in the wood frame addition.

Here's a recap of the notes from 2006. More to follow.

12/29/2005 – First of all, this whole thing is Kevin’s idea! We had been looking for a place with more acreage since there’s no room (at our current home) for alpacas. Well that, plus we rushed into buying this awful, boring, plain-Jane 1960’s ranch style house. Aha! That would definitely be my idea (heh, great schools, location and 5 1/2 acres)! OK, it’s unanimous then; we all had a hand in it! But – Kevin gets the credit for finding the ad in the Home Buyer’s Guide. “National Historic Landmark with Country Charm” and “14 acres” had us more than curious.

12/30/2005 – We did a couple of “drive bys” then called our realtor to see the house on 12/2/05. Honestly, the interior was not what we were expecting or hoping for. All of the floors except the kitchen (linoleum) and dining room (replacement wood) have been carpeted. All the walls have been papered, and it’s all very aged. The windows are really neat nine pane over six. The widow ledges are very deep – about 18” – due to the thickness of the stone walls. The cats are going to love them!

Each room in the house will have to be re-done. We’re thinking of the main, stone part of the house as one big rectangle and we’ll redesign each existing space to be more usable for the way we live.

The downstairs has a combination bath and laundry area, and that will probably be the last thing we tackle just so we have a working bathroom during the rehab.

I’m getting ahead of myself! But actually, these are rehab thoughts that started formulating that first night we “met” the house. After a lot of back-and-forth we finally settled on a price. Yikes! What have we gotten ourselves into?!

Early

Back in early 2006 the "north parlor" in our house looked like this.

This is the fireplace in what we call the "North Parlor." The painting is done on board and we think it's a charming piece of folk art. She's rather out of proportion with tiny hands and feet holding a very tiny kitten when compared to the size of her head.

The piece on the mantle was purchased from Acanthus Antiques in Grand Rapids. It's actually the top part of a door surround - it came with the side pieces, too.

It's hard to date the actual fireplace - is it original, or not? Either way, at some point in its history it has been propped up in the basement. The wood floor was reinforced, and a concrete "wall" was poured to hold it all up.

And then... the beginning!

Welcome to our brand new blog!

In February of 2006 (geez, has it been that long) we purchased the Stow-Hasbrouck house just north of Marshall, Michigan. What we thought would be a refresh the paint-and-paper adventure has turned into a termite-riddled obstacle course!

We've been asked to see pictures of our renovation progress, so I'm starting this blog to record progress, share pictures, and, there may be a bit of whining along the way.

Let's just say that a rehab of this magnitude is not for the faint of heart or weak of commitment.

Here is information about our house from the State of Michigan Historic Sites on Line web site:

Narrative Description
The Stow-Hasbrouck House is a one-and-one-half story, side-gable, fieldstone building with a gable-roof, clapboarded, rear ell. The house stands on a rubble fieldstone foundation. The symmetrical facade displays an entrance in the center of each half flanked on either side by a window in the first story and two low attic windows in the low second story.

Statement of Significance
The Stow or Hasbrouck House is a little altered pioneer-era southern Michigan house which possesses interest for its unusual floor plan and fieldstone construction. Most documentation suggests that the house predates 1844 but the exact date of construction is not known.

Marker Name
Stow-Hasbrouck House

Marker Text
STOW-HASBROUCK HOUSE Granville and Catherine Stow, natives of New York State, built this house between 1836 and 1844. In 1861 Matthew Hasbrouck bought the house. Also from New York, Hasbrouck descended from the French Huguenots, who sought refuge in North America from religious persecution in Europe during the 16th and 17th centuries. In 1937 the Huguenot Society of Michigan was organized here. The Stow-Hasbrouck House is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

Period of Significance 1826-1865; Significant Date(s) c.1844

Registry Type(s): State Register listed 06/15/1984; Marker erected 04/12/1985; National Register listed 12/02/1993; Site ID# P22774