Life at the Asa Wolverton House: Heart of the House

If you have every gone shopping for a house, it is always the kitchen and bathrooms that has to make the first, and best impression. Well that is for 99% of the people looking for the right home. I have never had that desire to find the perfect cooking space or powder room, but rather the largest dining room. This isnt to say that the kitchen isnt important, but after the meal is prepared, it's all about the food we eat and the people we share it with. Bathrooms are just for the necessities of preeming and grooming. Im in and out fast.

Hubby and I have always shopped for the project house and overlook the decor that is the reflection of someone's efforts to satisfy their own life style. We have the appreciation of a simpliar life style; one that reflects a style more than 100 years or more. Seeing the Wolverton House on moving day was quite different than the way it is now and where it wil be in another three or so years. On moving day, the crowbar was the first item out of the box!

With paper and pen in hand, we start with the list of where to start. I wanted the kitchen, not because it was so important to have a pretty place to prepare food, but because it was a necessity to run a Bed and Breakfast. We had a working kitchen in the lower level and another in the second floor that has the ensuite bathroom now. It was easiest to keep the apartment kitchen in tact as it already had the appliances. After at least two months of stripping wall paper and paint and crowbarring out excess ceilings, walls, doors, etc, I decided visiting auntie in the states was a great thing to do...and when I returned there was no kitchen at all, or bathrooms! All the plumbing pipes were in the back of the pick up truck. And the water meter seemed to be running up a large tab too. But I have told that story already.

It seemed that Hubby decided, in my absence, to complete the plumbing for the entire house and work at three bathrooms at one time. If any of you have ever had to build a washroom from bare walls to finished powder room, you know that it can be quite the under taking and very stressful. Hubby insisted that I put the design to paper and do three at one time. This way all the plumbing and electrical got done in one big project instead of three little ones that take more time in the end.

We had the 1891 Tub out for restoration. I had my doubts. It was quite the piece of crumpled alluminum and the rim was in a cardboard box in three pieces with the forth one missing. Hubby tried several times to tell me what a gem it was. Ebay supplied us with the original magazine advertisment and there was hope.

The 1880 footed tub arrived shortly after. Another jewel from Hubbies family, I think. I could see more potential for that one. I purchased a paint kit for the inside and started with the little sponge/scrubbie and gave it a good cleaning. Didnt do much, but at least it was clean. I left the bottom for Hubby to finish. I purchased my wallpaper as I needed inspiration and drive to start. Hubby purchased the paint for the second tub. He didnt ask but just picked a colour hoping I would be OK with it. He was lucky and I spent months searching the purfect paper for the neighbouring room so the colour would work....as it was not ever close to the wall paper planned.

The main floor bathroom came with a different set of problems. The door was too wide and when opening into the room, the 1890 tub didnt fit anymore. The three papers were purchased and colour scheme established according to each level of this home. Now the blue room and the red room had to flip flop. How was this going to work when the red was only to be featured on the second floor and the main floor parlor and library were designed to be teal blue. The tub was already in the paint shop with paint purchased and sprayed and coordinating perfectly with the teal and putty toile paper. Too late to worry, just flip flop the designs and continue with plan B. I had lost a bit of my incentive for design as Hubby continued to fix the joices and floors, and recycle baseboards and make new ones. Everything, with lots of time started to come together. Hubby made an announcement that I had 48 hours to find a vanity to fit a 24" space. It was a funny little corner with not much room. And with the way the "new plumbing" was installed, there was no way to put in a pedestal sink. Again, luck was with me and my friend/antique dealer just happened to have a tiny oak washstand that would fit the spot. We struggled with some of the next details of finding the perfect sink and fixtures, but again with lady luck on our side, we found a discontinued sink that was the right size and ordered facets to match. The blue room-turned to red was well on the way to completion. The Blue room was also close to finish, as well as the yellow ensuite. I found two 'cheap' sink and vanities a Liquidation World and figured these would work just find until I had the time to hunt down what I really wanted. Now that they are installed at their appropriate room, they will stay forever. I refinished the vanity for the blue room and actually like it a lot. It looks custom after a good scraping of paint, fresh new colour, new (expensive) fixtures and a scrubbing of antique wax...and costing less than $400.