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Some people, when house hunting, yearn for "fixer-uppers" and are not intimidated by the prospect of hard work such as hours spent scraping paint, replacing rotted doors and pulling up old floorboards.
Such was the case with Katina and Sean Salisbury when they spent $119,900 six years ago on a sturdy Denver-style bungalow in Overlea.
"We were young and we wanted a project we could work on together," said Katina Salisbury. "My husband wanted a kitchen to fix up."
And so the work began on the two-bathroom, four-bedroom home with a long, narrow backyard. Sean Salisbury, a kitchen designer by trade, and his wife, Katina, vice president of Maryland Police Supply, had no illusions about the time, money and work involved. In fact, their joy in showing off the house is the contrast between what has been done and all that still needs attention.
"I want people to know that [rehabbing] doesn't take seven days, like on the TV shows," Katina Salisbury said, indicating tall columns separating the living room and dining room. "This is reality."
And the reality there is scraping off 30 layers of paint, and equally as much on the stair rails and many of the door frames.
The couple has spent just shy of $109,000 on items for and improvements to the bungalow and their property, with all expenditures detailed by article or service, cost, date and vendor.
Included on the list are a new dishwasher, refrigerator, microwave and maple cabinets for the kitchen (which Sean Salisbury designed and built), new hardwood floors, refurbishing two bathrooms, installation of heating and air conditioning, tree removal, house painting, basement waterproofing, new front and back doors, a new roof and front lawn retaining walls.
Katina Salisbury finds pleasure in painting and decorating.
The entire second floor, for example, is the domain of their young daughter, Abagail. Here, her "apartments" consist of a day playroom complete with a painted tree from which a tire swing is hung from its branches (i.e. the ceiling.)
A second room, "the pink room," contains large toys such as a dollhouse and a vast collection of Barbie dolls. The hallway has been painted and decorated to simulate an underwater environment where bookshelves constitute a library with a swinging chair for quiet, comfortable reading. Finally, the bedroom, or night room, represents the night sky, the universe and galaxies aglow above bunk beds.
Back on the first floor, where the master bedroom and an office form a separate wing off the living room and dining room, Katina Salisbury has taken whimsical license with walls she has painted purple and, in one corner, the placement of a maypole she has made from an ornate curtain rod, hung vertically and decorated with ribbons that record the height of her daughter at a specific age with a corresponding photo.
Katina enjoys each project as one more step in the refinement of her diamond in the rough.
"This house was our ugly duckling when we found her, but slowly we're turning her into a swan," she said.
Have you found your dream home? Tell us about it at homes@baltsun.com.
Design inspiration: Rooms in this circa 1923 bungalow are large and feature 10-foot ceilings on the first floor. Each room has multiple windows for ample natural light. "The opportunities for creativity have been boundless," said Katina Salisbury, indicating comfortable, overstuffed living room furniture, a 56-inch, flat-screen TV, a Buck stove for warmth and a long, double-pedestal dining room table of cherry wood.
Personal touch: Symbols of the couple's Irish roots are displayed throughout the home by way of framed coats of arms and pictures of the Irish countryside, stenciled shamrocks painted on molding, and stained-glass shamrocks and Trinity knots hanging from glass transoms. Additionally, countless photographs of the Salisbury's' 7-year-old daughter, Abagail, adorn walls and tabletops throughout the home. The office on the first floor is a tribute to the family's love of team sports, especially Washington Capitals hockey.
Such was the case with Katina and Sean Salisbury when they spent $119,900 six years ago on a sturdy Denver-style bungalow in Overlea.
"We were young and we wanted a project we could work on together," said Katina Salisbury. "My husband wanted a kitchen to fix up."
And so the work began on the two-bathroom, four-bedroom home with a long, narrow backyard. Sean Salisbury, a kitchen designer by trade, and his wife, Katina, vice president of Maryland Police Supply, had no illusions about the time, money and work involved. In fact, their joy in showing off the house is the contrast between what has been done and all that still needs attention.
"I want people to know that [rehabbing] doesn't take seven days, like on the TV shows," Katina Salisbury said, indicating tall columns separating the living room and dining room. "This is reality."
And the reality there is scraping off 30 layers of paint, and equally as much on the stair rails and many of the door frames.
The couple has spent just shy of $109,000 on items for and improvements to the bungalow and their property, with all expenditures detailed by article or service, cost, date and vendor.
Included on the list are a new dishwasher, refrigerator, microwave and maple cabinets for the kitchen (which Sean Salisbury designed and built), new hardwood floors, refurbishing two bathrooms, installation of heating and air conditioning, tree removal, house painting, basement waterproofing, new front and back doors, a new roof and front lawn retaining walls.
Katina Salisbury finds pleasure in painting and decorating.
The entire second floor, for example, is the domain of their young daughter, Abagail. Here, her "apartments" consist of a day playroom complete with a painted tree from which a tire swing is hung from its branches (i.e. the ceiling.)
A second room, "the pink room," contains large toys such as a dollhouse and a vast collection of Barbie dolls. The hallway has been painted and decorated to simulate an underwater environment where bookshelves constitute a library with a swinging chair for quiet, comfortable reading. Finally, the bedroom, or night room, represents the night sky, the universe and galaxies aglow above bunk beds.
Back on the first floor, where the master bedroom and an office form a separate wing off the living room and dining room, Katina Salisbury has taken whimsical license with walls she has painted purple and, in one corner, the placement of a maypole she has made from an ornate curtain rod, hung vertically and decorated with ribbons that record the height of her daughter at a specific age with a corresponding photo.
Katina enjoys each project as one more step in the refinement of her diamond in the rough.
"This house was our ugly duckling when we found her, but slowly we're turning her into a swan," she said.
Have you found your dream home? Tell us about it at homes@baltsun.com.
Making a dream home
Dream element: The Salisbury home is a Denver-style bungalow located in Overlea, Baltimore County. Built of concrete swathed in liquid siding, it sits high up off the street and boasts two sets of stone steps up to the front porch, as well as two retaining walls on the front bank. Four large white columns support the roof over the front porch, which traverses the width of the home.Design inspiration: Rooms in this circa 1923 bungalow are large and feature 10-foot ceilings on the first floor. Each room has multiple windows for ample natural light. "The opportunities for creativity have been boundless," said Katina Salisbury, indicating comfortable, overstuffed living room furniture, a 56-inch, flat-screen TV, a Buck stove for warmth and a long, double-pedestal dining room table of cherry wood.
Personal touch: Symbols of the couple's Irish roots are displayed throughout the home by way of framed coats of arms and pictures of the Irish countryside, stenciled shamrocks painted on molding, and stained-glass shamrocks and Trinity knots hanging from glass transoms. Additionally, countless photographs of the Salisbury's' 7-year-old daughter, Abagail, adorn walls and tabletops throughout the home. The office on the first floor is a tribute to the family's love of team sports, especially Washington Capitals hockey.
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The home is beautiful!
vsullivan55 (10/19/2009, 11:27 AM )