Originally published Saturday, October 11, 2008 at 12:00 AM
Comments (0)
E-mail article
Print view
This historic renovation borders on obsession
Neither a burst boiler nor a burning porch has deterred a Newport News, Va., couple in their quest to restore a 108-year-old home to its former glory.
Daily Press (Newport News, Va
Tips for remodelers
Doing it yourselfIt's all about the prep: You'll probably spend more time taping off the trim, spreading covers over the flooring and furniture and priming the walls than actually painting. But the work beforehand ensures a clean finished product and helps prevent mistakes.
Protect the woodwork: If you have to sand the wall before painting, make sure you cover the woodwork. The granules that fly off the sander can be ground into any nearby woodwork, causing unsightly bumps.
Don't skimp on the paint: If you're going to spend the time painting, use a quality paint that's going to last.
Watch out for that heat gun: If you use one to strip old paint, don't hold it on one place for too long. Also keep a bucket of water or fire extinguisher at your side.
Hiring a contractor
In addition to the usual advice about getting several bids before settling on a contractor to do the remodeling job, read the "Homeowner's Guide to Hiring a Contractor" by the Washington Department of Labor and Industries. You also can check with the department to see if the contractor is registered, as required. For the guide and to check on the contractor, go to www.lni.wa.gov and click on "Trades & Licensing".
Daily Press (Newport News, Va.) and The Seattle Times
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — More than a century ago, Montague Harwood and her husband, Washington William, stood admiring their freshly built Colonial Revival home in the old north end of Newport News, Va.
The 6,100-square-foot home with its two-story porch, stained-glass windows, large bedroom closets and upstairs ballroom embodied their standing in the community — he as a successful merchant and she as an educator.
Now, 108 years later, Mary Kayaselcuk has poured her life's savings into purchasing the 26-room home five years ago and has spent every spare moment scraping, sanding and painting to restore its original glory.
But she still has years of work in front of her.
The front porch is gone, as is the carriage house that used to sit in the backyard.
The wooden gutters are rotted, and the front door is covered in plastic until it can be redone.
"I managed to buy the house in the worst shape at the height of the market," she says. "But there was just something calling out to me. Every family that has lived here has had something strange about them. And I'm just one more in the quirky cast of characters."
Important task
At 51, Kayaselcuk considers this project her life's calling, and nothing is more important to her than restoring the house to reflect the late Victorian era.
Everything from the maple, oak and heart pine flooring to the 6-foot-wide ice box in the kitchen and the elaborately engraved toilets will look as if the Harwoods never left.
Kayaselcuk works as the site coordinator for historic Lee Hall Depot in Newport News, Va.
She's had some historic-renovation experience when she oversaw the restoration of the historic Newsome House in Newport News from 1989 to 1991.
But the work has been long and tough for Kayaselcuk and her boyfriend, Bernie Bishop, who also spends his waking moments working on the Harwood house. They've experienced a variety of disasters, including setting the house on fire — twice.
On the first day she took possession of the four-story home, the boiler failed and water came raining down from the third floor to the basement. Not too long afterward, an overloaded trash can fell on her foot, almost breaking her ankle.
First of two fires
Then came the first of the fires.
While stripping paint with a heat gun on the back porch, she ignited some dry leaves that were hidden under one of the shingles. Kayaselcuk and the house escaped with only a charred piece of trim.
But in what she calls her "Oops I Did It Again" moment, Kayaselcuk set the side porch ablaze with her heat gun.
This time, the flames warranted a call to the fire department, which chopped through an upstairs bedroom, hallway and bathroom to make sure the fire didn't spread.
She's also learned the hard way that renting a lift is preferable to balancing sheet rock on your head.
Kayaselcuk's not sure if she'll ever finish restoring the house completely, but she doesn't regret her purchase.
Right now, she's keeping her eye on a more attainable goal — actually being able to move in.
"Our first hope is to get a toilet installed. After that we're going to celebrate World Toilet Day — Nov. 19 — with one grand flush," she says. "`Maybe it will be this November."
Copyright © 2008 The Seattle Times Company
E-mail article
Print view Share:
Digg
Newsvine
![]()
Neighborhood of the week: The sun also rises on Sunset Hill
Nation's Housing: An era of unchecked fees, thankfully, about to end
Doors still closed for many seeking home-equity lines
Gay renters may get some discrimination protection
Fannie Mae to rent out homes instead of foreclosing

Ken Auletta talks about "Googled"
Ken Auletta talks about Google with Brier Dudley at the Seattle Central Library.
nwjobs

Post a comment

Michelle Goodman blogs about work/life balance.
How to tell your office you're gravely ill
Post a comment
nwautos

Choosing a new sedan? Weigh the impact of your choice on your wallet and on the planet.
Post a comment
- 'Missing' SeaTac man found with new name, in new state
- Police: DNA from officer's slaying matches suspect
- Prosecutors consider charges against suspect in police shooting
- Three more fires ignite in Greenwood
- Steve Kelley | Hasselbeck gives Seahawks' sagging season a stay of execution
- Plans call for Triangle to become West Seattle gateway
- Bill Clinton meets with Senate Dems on health care
- Trucker dies as big-rig plummets off SF bridge
- McGinn next Seattle mayor; Mallahan concedes as vote gap widens
- Washington coordinator Nick Holt says his Huskies defense is improving
- Prosecutors prepare charges against suspect in police shooting
259 - House health bill unacceptable to many in Senate
247 - Pelosi tours Seattle's Swedish after health-care vote
173 - Prosecutors prepare charges against suspect in police shooting
143 - Alleged shooter tied to mosque of 9/11 hijackers
135 - Obama puts heat on Senate to speed health bill
123 - Resolute Fort Hood soldiers ready for return
119 - McGinn more than doubles his lead over Mallahan
101 - Cutaia says replay handled properly on Austin TD
69 - Josh Smith picks UCLA
69
- For 80-year-old Maple Valley man, hoops aren't just a dream
- Plans call for Triangle to become West Seattle gateway
- Three more fires ignite in Greenwood
- 'Missing' SeaTac man found with new name, in new state
- Pakistani-American cafe, bar owner on verge of being Granite Falls mayor
- Silver Lake restaurant destroyed by fire
- Taste | Ruth Reichl still reigns as queen of America's culinary scene
- All You Can Eat | Fruit flies: thrill to the kill
- House Speaker Nancy Pelosi tours Seattle's Swedish after health-care vote
- Police: DNA from officer's slaying matches suspect









