Restoration Realities

Portland, OR: Stone Balusters and Glass Door

Restoration Realities visits Portland, Ore., and the home of Francene and Tim Grewe. We also visit a factory to learn the technique of mold-making. This fun and unpretentious middle-aged couple purchased a 1909 Queen Anne house made of poured concrete stone blocks. They were looking for something special, something historic, and they found it in this unusual home that looks like a stone castle. Their biggest restoration challenge is on the outside where the original poured stone porch is deteriorating.

Fort Worth, Texas: Butler's Pantry Restoration

Restoration Realities visits Fort Worth, Texas, and the home of J.D. Angle and Joel Burns. They found a large and unique 1921 Craftsman style house in a great old neighborhood of Fort Worth that was worth preserving and bringing back to life. Angle and Burns bought the house and immediately addressed some of the structural problems. Then the couple concentrated on the interior details like the kitchen. One small but important project was a cabinet in the dining room which had seen better times. Our host, Bill Click, and carpenter sidekick, Chris Babcock, join Angle and Burns to help them restore this very special old cabinet called a butler's pantry cabinet.

Los Angeles, CA: Room Partition and Picture Molding

Ericka and Jim left chilly Boston a few years ago to pursue both media and acting careers in sunny LA. Once there, they fell in love with the charming mix of architectural styles from Mediterranean to arts-and-crafts. When they heard that a two-story arts-and-crafts was on the market in the up and coming West Adams neighborhood, they jumped at the chance to purchase it. As they restored the interior, they noticed the ghosting of a previous partition between the living room and music room. Using an existing partition as their guide, Restoration Realities will help them recreate the missing partition.

The couple has also painstakingly restored the original cove ceilings in these two rooms. They would like to paint the walls and ceiling. To separate the two spaces, Restoration Realities helps them select, stain and install period appropriate picture frame molding. A final coat of paint and installation of period lighting finishes the restoration.

Washington, D.C.: 1915 Row-House Porch and Transom

Amanda and her friend, Nicole, want to take care of some restoration problems on Amanda's 1915 Eckington neighborhood row house. The first thing one notices when looking at her porch is that the left hand side sags a little. Restoration Realities will determine what has caused the problem and fix it. Rebuilding or replacing the ledge beam and then reattaching the box beam in a new anchor system should solve the problem. Replacing the original ceiling bead board where we needed to remove it will complete the project.

Inside the three bedroom home, Amanda has discovered she has transoms that have been painted shut. She would like to restore them to their original condition. After learning the various techniques and applications of paint stripping, Nicole will tackle this project. A working transom complete and the old porch restored brings this episode of Restoration Realities to a happy conclusion.

Nashville, TN: Create Arts-and-Crafts Entryway

Steve and Suzannah found this Nashville Bungalow on a web sight while living in Greece. Since purchasing the house last May, they have been mostly engaged with demolition and replacement of outdated electric and plumbing systems, structural beams and mechanicals in the house. Now it is time to do a little cosmetic work. Their entry door to their ‘castle' is a metal, 12-light patio style door. They would like to have a genuine arts-and-crafts style door to set off the front of the house, but can't afford to purchase one for approximately $2,000. Restoration Realities will help them create an authentic arts-and-crafts door and restore the door trim.

Fort Worth, Texas: 1920's Bathroom Restoration

Restoration Realities visits Fort Worth, Texas, and the home of Randy and Lin Parham. Randy is a dentist and his wife, Lin, is his dental hygienist. The Parhams bought a large 1920s Neo-Georgian home. One room in the house that is almost completely original is an upstairs bathroom. It had a modern toilet and light fixture added in 1977. Other than that, it made a perfect candidate to bring it back to how it looked when it was built in 1922. Our host, Bill Click, and carpenter sidekick, Chris Babcock, join homeowners, the Parhams, to help them restore this very special original 1922 bathroom. And in that process, the Parhams learn that their dentistry skills come in handy during the restoration. The restoration also includes a visit to an old-home-parts salvage store in search of a period toilet commode.

Atlanta, GA: Siding Restoration and Brick Walkway

Pat Berryhill and Rick Schroeder knew they wanted to get married when they met in 2000. They also knew they wanted to live in an old home, even if that meant spending every weekend restoring it! They haven't minded, though, and were more than happy to share a couple of their projects with Restoration Realities! Host, Bill Click, and restoration carpenter, Chris Babcock, visit this energetic couple at their 80-some-year-old home in Atlanta, Ga., replacing rotten clapboard siding and creating a beautiful garden path using 100-year-old bricks!

Los Angeles: 1912 Arts-and-Crafts Bungalow Restoration

Heather and David Chiu were newlyweds when they decided they were tired of renting and wanted to own an old fixer-upper. They found a 1912 arts-and-crafts bungalow that was nearly on its last leg. Covered in asbestos tile and half falling down, it was right in their price range. Undeterred by the amount of work, and inexperienced in it as well, the couple launched into a major restoration. Their hard work has prevailed, and the once derelict house has regained its dignity and charm.

Their exterior restoration was complete, except for a heavy and unsightly iron bar security door. Restoration Realities shows up to help them remove it and craft a period appropriate screen door out of Douglas fir. Restoration Realities will also help the Chiu's restore a period appropriate window and door weather stripping to eliminate those drafty California nights.

Statesville, NC: Fireplace Hearth and Surround

When you buy a historic home with eight fireplaces, chances are a couple of them are going to need a little work! That's what happened to Brian and Jane Severson when they purchased a 1907 Colonial Revival home in Statesville, N.C. Fortunately, only three needed repair. Restoration Realities was there to help replace a missing hearth to one, strip and repaint the second and add a long overdue coat of stain to a third!

Detroit, MI: Kitchen Trim Projects

Jim and Stephanie Turner both fell in love with a two-story 1911 Prairie Tudor home nearly 20 years ago. Our project centers in the kitchen. The couple has chosen to install a striking tin ceiling above hand stripped oak cabinets. There are two items of unfinished business they need help with. An unsightly gap remains between the plaster walls and the tin ceiling. Additionally, the trim has been removed around two transoms, one of which contains an air conditioner. Our plan is to solve both of these problems by helping them choose, prep and install a decorative tin cornice around the entire room and by putting back the molding around the transoms and two door jams. Also in the kitchen are two walls whose ends have not been completed. We will study other moldings throughout the house and settle on a similar style that we will face the wall end with. With their highly decorative ceiling now complete, their transoms properly trimmed out, and the wall ends finished, we'll leave Stephanie and Jim with the satisfaction that this kitchen will be a place to create many a finished meal in fine historic style.

Fort Worth, Texas: 1930s Garage-Door Restoration

Joe and Tracy Self know a thing or two about home restoration. He is an architect, and she is an interior designer. So you can bet they are putting their expertise to good use restoring a 1930 modern house in Fort Worth, Texas. But when it came to restoring a set of sliding garage doors and recreating a metal hood and jams for it, they called on Restoration Realities! Together we are transforming this rotten and rusted set of doors into an element that's just as spectacular as their very unique home!

Pasadena, CA: Storybook Cottage Porch

Kim and Bob Fitzgerald found a fixer-upper in Pasadena. They liked what they saw and purchased the 1908 Craftsman five years ago. Their storybook cottage, though, is missing its front porch. The Restoration Realities team helps the Fitzgeralds lay a new historically appropriate porch floor, replace the sagging box beam with a 20th Century LVL beam and mill and build replica columns. At the end of the day, the Fitzgerald children danced a jig on their new front porch.

Nashville, Tenn: Revealing Hidden Spaces

Bob Cherry and his partner Teresa Gill have tackled the restoration of a 1902 brick Victorian home. It had been divided into apartments, and Cherry is in the process of converting three apartments back into a single family home. He has spent most of this past year (after purchasing the home in 2003) accomplishing demolition work. Restoration Realities comes to the rescue to help them restore the old center hall, demolish an added closet, patch old plaster and bring back the original under stairway molding. Restoration Realities will also help the Cherrys mill missing door and baseboard trim to restore the hall door.