Bringing a Historic Home Back to Its Glory

Bringing a Historic Home Back to its Glory

Most customers who visit the Reuse Center at Boston Building Resources come from nearby neighborhoods in the city. Occasionally, though, our reach extends farther away.

Customer Justine completed a first-time homebuyer course at the Massachusetts Affordable Housing Alliance and began looking for a home. Housing prices were so high in the city that she expanded her search, and ended up purchasing a foreclosed home in Plymouth County. Her new home is much more than a place to live—it is also a farm, with acres of land that she plans to cultivate, and a beloved historic house built in 1835 that had fallen into serious disrepair. Justine is doing a lot of the work herself and purchasing low-cost building materials from the Reuse Center at Boston Building Resources.

Shortly after the purchase, Justine got a quote from a contractor for a full restoration. “It was like $150,000, $200,000. That included the demo, the materials, the appliances, the cabinets, everything. I just fell over, you know. I was like, I can’t do that. I could have been really discouraged, because he was the expert.” Knowing about the Reuse Center “took a little bit of the edge off” of the initial sticker shock.

“I didn’t buy this house because I had no other choices,” Justine says. “I bought it because I connected with this house. It deserves to be brought back.” The initial months involved tearing out “layers of wallpaper, paint, paneling, carpet, and it all smelled really bad. It seemed like the previous owners’ solution was to just keep covering stuff up.”

This original newel post is one of the elements Justine wants to conserve and bring back.

Original door hardware

The mid-nineteenth-century framing lumber is irregular and, in some cases, still has tree bark.

Justine set aside the original doors for later refinishing and reinstallation.

During the demolition, she was careful to save the original doors, trim, fireplace mantel, and other woodwork. “I’m going to strip all this and put the original stuff back in, because that’s really important to me. These are solid wood, they’re beautiful doors, there’s no reason to go buy new doors.”

She also uncovered beautiful wide-plank wood floors under the layers of carpet: “Three inches of solid hardwood. You could not buy this again for any amount of money. It’s one of the things I love the most about this house.”

But plenty of new materials will also be needed. So far, Justine has purchased from BBR several windows, a kitchen cabinet set, oven, range hood, vanities, toilets, shower pan, chimney cap, tools, mirrors, and much more. During the pre-renovation “free day” at the Reuse Center, she scooped up some high-quality sinks. Almost nothing in her renovation is new, except for lumber.

This kitchen cabinet set was exactly what Justine was looking for at a fraction of the cheapest new cabinet option.

These windows from the Reuse Center are awaiting installation.

A shower pan to be used in the first floor bathroom.

Justiine purchased two high-quality toilets for a fraction of their cost when new.

Even tools from the Reuse Center come in handy for the renovation work.

Pavers from the Reuse Center were used to construct an outdoor seating area.

“I’d rather save on materials and put the money I’m going to spend into repairing the basics. The price tag of things just blows my mind.” To date, she has had a new well dug and is getting ready to re-roof. Additional supports will be needed in the basement to shore up the center of the house structurally.

When possible, Justine is planning to do the work herself, especially labor-intensive tasks such as repointing brick. “I’m really excited to do myself. I’ve watched a lot of videos on this. It involves gently chipping out the old stuff and filling in the new stuff. It’s important to get the right kind of mortar for bricks as old as these.”

For the kitchen, Justine had used an online layout tool and was planning to order from an inexpensive cabinetry line. “I thought that would be my cheapest, best bet. But it still would have been $5,000,” she remembers. “And then I saw exactly what I would have wanted for much, much less at the Reuse Center. I really love these so much.” The custom wood cabinets have inset doors and drawers for a traditional feel that goes well with the historic home, and the set cost just $1,200. “I don’t know if I could have done it if I didn’t find all these areas to save money.”

The home's wide plank flooring is irreplaceable old-growth wood.

The detailed work of repointing brick is a DIY task to be tackled over time.

Windows throughout the house will need to be replaced.

Building her knowledge has also been a major endeavor—learning enough about each project to make decisions. “Reading these how-tos, like, how am I going to install this, or how am I going to do these cabinets, I’m so glad I don’t believe every word of what I see and get intimidated,” Justine says. “It’s a challenge deciding which person to listen to, deciding which strategy. I think about my goals, and then try to learn about the problem to pick the solution that matches my goals.”

In the end, Justine will have a familiarity with just about every square inch of her home, down to its bones. “That makes it more special. I feel like I’m creating this thing, and I will feel at the end that I’m connected to every piece. I’ve spent a lot of time with every piece of wood.”

“It’s going to be exactly what I want in the end.”

December 2020 updates

Justine has made a lot of progress since this story was written, and recently sent in some updated photos. Most noticeable is the “new” front door — originally from a Boston brownstone. She also found her “dream stovetop” at the Reuse Center. Roof repairs have been made, interior framing has moved ahead, and wiring and plumbing are happening over the next week or two. Then, cabinets and appliances can be put into place.