This article was originally published at http://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060421/LIFE07/604210318/1005/LIFE and is reproduced here without permission under the Fair Use Doctrine. Copyright © 2006 PoughkeepsieJournal.com
Friday, April 21, 2006
Patrick Garvey likes old things. His house, however, has lots of new workmanship. That's because when he bought the City of Poughkeepsie residence in 2002, it was falling apart.
"It was incredible. I had to rip the porches down before I could even finish the closing for the purchase. They were a danger to the public," said Garvey, 45, a down-to-earth man with a voice as gruff as his bushy gray mustache.
Still, the house, a two-story, two-family Victorian-style residence Garvey estimates was built in the 1920s or 1930s, had an old styling and details — such as trim work and interior pocket doors — that appealed to him. So he bought it and is restoring the place on evenings and breaks from his workday business, Roofs-R-Us.
For the first couple of years, Garvey lived in the place with only some temporary repairs. But since last summer, he's been putting serious effort into restoring the home, thanks in part to the help from associates at work.
One of the first projects Garvey and his friends undertook was taking down the old siding and installing insulation on top of the formerly barren interior wood sheathing.
"I put in about $16,000 over a two-year period for heating," he said of the uninsulated house.
Because the existing wood sheathing had lots of gaps in it, a second layer of sheathing was set over the insulation to close up the spaces. New windows also were installed throughout the house, all of which helped to considerably lower Garvey's heating costs this winter.
For the new siding, Garvey chose Western red cedar he treated with a polyurethane coating that not only protects the wood, but also brings out the beauty of its natural grain. Scalloped siding at the windowed gables provides a decorative contrast to the horizontal lines of the long lengths of siding that cover the body of the house.
Fixtures installed
New brass trims and light fixtures add sparkle and ornamentation to the home's exterior as do copper elements, including copper trim work around the dark maroon window frames that stand out against the home's medium-toned siding.
Copper was used for the house's peaked roofs and to line the eight-inch Yankee, or boxed, gutters. At night, Garvey said, the streetlights illuminate the copper, creating bright reflections on the siding.
"It almost looks like there's little lights on it," he said.
A new back porch and new front porches on the first and second floors of the house were made with mahogany floor planks and pressure-treated railings that were finished in an exceptionally dark stain, which gives them a commanding presence.
The gable over the second-story porch was fitted with a round, 116-year-old stained glass window that Garvey found through an Internet search. The window, which came from Oregon, is back-lit at night, Garvey said, highlighting its mosaic design. In the offing are cupolas and finials for the roof's peaks.
"If you're going to make a statement, it might as well be a robust one," Garvey said of his fondness for ornamentation.
Interior work remains
Not much has been done to the home's interior yet. Garvey lives on the first floor, and he's rented the second level to tenants. His kitchen has been emptied of everything but the refrigerator, leaving Garvey to rely on microwaved meals and take-out food for the time being.
"Single guy — I can rough it a bit," said Garvey, explaining his decision to put off a new kitchen and instead have an all-glass atrium built off the back of the house, complete with a built-in hot tub and ventless heat stove. Next, he said, he'll work on the kitchen and bathroom.
While the project has been expensive — Garvey spent $10,000 for the cedar siding and $12,000 to $13,000 for the roof — he's managed to save money too, largely due to purchases made through his membership with DirectBuy , from which, he said, he saved $10,000 on the house's windows.
And now he's in the process of securing state and federal grant money to rehabilitate other homes in the City of Poughkeepsie for low-income housing and/or residences for handicapped people.
"It helps out the community and it helps people having a hard time," he said of the venture.
Right now, though, Garvey's happily working on his "Cherry Street Jewel," the progress of which has exceeded his expectations and drawn admiring comments from numerous passersby.
"It makes me feel good inside to know that a lot of people appreciate the painstaking work and details," he said.
Karen Maserjian Shan can be reached at journalhomes@optonline.net
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