The Little Brick House

Everybody Loves Indie*

2011-12-08T16:00:00.000-08:00

We have one very special kitty-cat. She travels with us everywhere. It started with to-and-from our studio. She has also been to The Ryan's for dinner; to Sunapee, NH for the annual cook-out; and to sleep-overs at my mom's condo.

She is particularly fond of The Little Brick House. Her eyes feast on birds, wild turkeys, skunks, and early-morning foxes. She made friends with a little spunky chipmunk and brought him into the house to introduce us-twice.

She loves chasing, catching, and sometimes eating, bugs. She is so fast, bugs really don't have a chance. Indie can bring down a fly in 30 seconds.

She is an indoor cat, but, we bring her outside, occasionally. Sometimes in the crate. Sometimes on a leash. Sometimes on our shoulders.

Indie has a new best friend at the studio. Greta Pannebaker is a sweet and gentle rescue dog who-like everyone we know-loves Indie. The first time they met, we could tell theirs was a special bond.

Indie was rescued by a good citizen in July 2010. She was about 8 weeks old and had a wound of unknown origin. She was quarantined for six months. My sister, Dr. Kathy, and others at the Park Place Veterinary Hospital** loved her big personality and knew she needed a fun and active home. Thanks, Kathy, we love Indie!

*Short for Independence...she was found on July 5th.
**in Keene, NH.

Hello Barn

2011-11-22T14:05:00.000-08:00

We finally said Buh-bye to our c.1998 Florida Room*. Bill dismantled it piece by piece in late August and our go-to guy, Gordon, carted it away with hopes to re-install it or re-sell it. This de-installation will give the interior of the future Family Room a much better view to the yard as well as additional natural light.

The west elevation of our house is rid of its unsuitable appendage...the vinyl siding is gone…and we can now see the barn. What a beautiful thing. After Bill stripped and prepared everything-and figured out how he wanted it to look, our neighbor, Ed Somers**, came back to help us.

Bill also cut away two-thirds of a very well-built deck...and saved one third of it for our future screen porch. This will be a very nice place for Indie the cat to sit and dream, and a very nice place for us, too.

The door opening will remain as is...and be replaced with a large window. The new siding is vertical barn board, made of pine. It has a finely textured surface. It will remain natural for now. Why decide now when we can decide later? The opening will remain, but, be a window rather than a door (because the furniture plan will work better this way). Trust me.

*We saw the Florida Room like the c. 1980 microwave we bought with the house-
not much of an asset.
**Check for Ed Somer's name in '09 archives.

The Auction Block

2011-09-18T14:19:00.000-07:00

In August, we experienced our first auction. It was held at a beautiful estate called White Farm. Bill and I visited the preview and met the auctioneer-he advised us to know the items we were interested in and what we want to spend on them-and everything will be fine...and not to get emotional-there is no crying at auctions. (I am paraphrasing here).

There were three auction “areas”; under the white tent (fine antiques and collector’s items; in the barn (small wares and accessories, mostly boxed); and along the left side of the driveway (larger household items and lawn and outdoor equipment).

We walked around an enormous barn and looked at over-filled boxes of stuff. I kept our shopping list for the Little Brick House in mind. I saw a couple of small, metal, decoupage lamps and an interesting teal blue crackle-glazed vase. Bill liked the box of old brass hooks, and another filled with miscellaneous copper wares.

The tent display was more refined, and had rows of folding wood chairs-some were reserved with the next day attendees. There was great artwork, beautiful furniture,
quilts and blankets, and, if you can believe it, a dismantled paneled staircase. We liked a shaker bench, a painted blue blanket chest; a wrought iron garden bench and a couple of pieces of art. We didn’t have a lot of hope of bringing any of it home.

I arrived back the next day at 730am and signed in to get a number. The barn sale began at 8am. I was very excited, but, tried not to show it. I didn’t want to look like a novice- just like gamblers at a casino, you don’t see many smiling faces at an auction. I bid on more items than I ever expected to, and thankfully, I was out-bid many times. I did take home a lot of great items including the lamps, the copper stuff, the brass hooks, and an unframed painting from the under the white tent.

Box of dirty old brass hooks- 25 dollars; two decoupage lamps- 5 dollars; unframed painting of a European street scene- 45 dollars; experiencing my first auction-priceless!

Second Life

2011-09-18T10:40:00.000-07:00

We own two homes now. A weekday home and a weekend home. It is twice the work and double the fun.

Cooking, house-cleaning, laundry---those domestic tasks don't go away. Doing laundry is a weekly challenge. Our bags fill the VW to capacity and give Indie* a nice big cushion for the long car ride. Thank goodness for Squeaky Clean.**

Weekends exist for us to relax and unwind-but, who does that anyway? A change of scenery is good for the soul. Bridgton is a great place to be if you choose to renovate a home. We work a lot and relax a little. A late afternoon at the lake can't be beat after a do-it-yourself project.

Our home, much like our design work, is a work in progress. We like to create things in our minds. We like to make things with our hands. And we like the process of them coming together.
We anticipate the end, but, we are enjoying the work as we go.

*Our sparky cat, Independence.
**the local laundromat that accepts drop-offs

The Spring Thing

2011-05-03T12:20:00.001-07:00

It was a long winter...but, I am still not quite ready for spring. There is so much pressure to have a good-looking, or at least respectable-looking yard. (I am not ready to use that 6-letter word, garden.) Please keep in mind that I am an "interior" designer.

Now that spring is here, our time is divided between indoors and outdoors. Not to mention, at the Kimball's...hiking...antiquing, and etc. We have decided that we are on the 5-yr plan...which means we have 2.5 years left to go!

Bill has made a lot of progress in the kitchen. Beams, floor, walls, trims...all ready for paint. I have contributed some---mostly lunch, the social calendar, and keeping Indie the cat occupied abnd out of the way. Summer is on the way. We are gearing up for a lot of weekends at the lake.

A Dedication

2011-05-03T10:39:00.000-07:00

Life happens. I wish I could see into the future. I would have taken a few minutes to say three little words. I would like to dedicate this blog to Larry Malfy and Gerard Reilly, two family members who died too soon and are greatly missed.

Larry, a dedicated and loving husband to my cousin Patricia, passed away suddenly on January 26th. He was a thoughtful and caring man. The first to greet you at the door and to ask how everything was going. He loved home projects and naturally always asked us about "The Little Brick House." Larry loved being with family. He took care of everyone and everything. I would like to dedicate this page to Larry for his love of home and family.

Gerry, a very dear uncle with a great big heart, died at home on April 6th. He supported this old house venture in many ways, with a birdhouse for the yard, local restaurant cards for lunch, and all sorts of greeting cards to our PO Box in which he said, "I feel like I am really getting my money's worth by sending these all the way to Maine!". People were always laughing when Gerry was around. I would like to dedicate this page to my Uncle Gerry for the many gifts he gave to all of us.

Red Bench, Red Wine, Red Slippers

2010-12-20T13:42:00.000-08:00

Renovating a home is not all about working...you need to have some fun along the way. In November, we invited Bill's UNH crowd to our house for a Clayhouse Vineyards wine tasting (compliments of Cathy Paris). In our partially-renovated, temporary kitchen, there was enough wine and chatter to keep us warm and plenty of seating and tasting areas...thanks to a red bench and a pair of oak tables.

In mid-October Bill spotted an 8' long bench outside of "Harry Barker's Emporium".*
Coincidentally, it was the same weekend we borrowed my sister Lisa's Range Rover. It was a sign...it fit perfectly in the back of the truck and it fit perfectly in our kitchen!
We also acquired a pair of oak tables from Salem Country Club in October. The club, also under renovation, offered some gently-used furniture to its members. We jumped at the chance to have a little memorabilia from the grille room in our Little Brick House kitchen.

It is fun to entertain during a renovation. Everything is forgiven. The window openings...covered with rigid insulation; walls are primed and wait for a final coat of paint; the floors... half-way to knowhere; and the heat...barely there. Our friends don't mind...it involves them in the process to see the house in an unfinished state. They wait in anticipation for the next gathering.

*a group antique shop on Main Street in Bridgton, in partnership with Harvest Hills Animal Shelter

Jumbo Belgian Blocks

2010-10-20T13:51:00.000-07:00

Our property is surrounded by flora and fauna. We have a Norway maple in the front yard. There is a large Ash behind the barn. Over-grown lilac trees run along the south side. Recently, we met with landscape architect, Roger Wells* to get some professional advice and also get to know our property better...i.e. to know the names of the trees in our yard is a very good thing!

This is the short version of what we learned that day. The big, scary apple tree? Keep it...it has so much character. The new growth in the old garden plot? Spray Preen in the spring. It will not kill anything but the new growth. The foundation plantings? bye-bye...our home has a beautiful granite block foundation and there is no need to hide it. The lilacs need pruning...any branches wider than the diameter of a fist should be cut. This will encourage flower growth.

Roger loved Bill's idea of a terraced side-yard. Starting at the end of the driveway, and reaching up to the back yard. It would be a half a days work to move the earth with a small bulldozer. It sounds so simple! We have many large boulders on our property that will retain the earth for the terracing. And we can direct the placement of them as needed.

Do you know what a Jumbo Belgian Block** is? Neither did we, but, we did have them stacked up alongside our shed just waiting for a useful purpose. They are perfect to edge the crushed stone around the foundation. It will keep the stone in place and help prevent the growth of weeds.

Thank you, Roger. We have a lot to look forward to next spring!

* http://www.rwellsdesign.com/

** cobbled granite blocks 10.5" x 7.5" x 4"

Kitchen---Part I

2010-07-22T12:53:00.001-07:00

The Little Brick House has a nice size kitchen. 19 x 14 will be plenty large for all kitchen activities...cooking, eating, gatherings, game nights, and laundry. (Yes, laundry.) No longer is the laundry room banished to the basement or a far away room in the house where nobody wants to be. Rather than putting a wall up and closing down the kitchen, we decided to go open and spacious.

We had a plan to wait and just make it a little brighter by painting the walls a lighter color.

Then one day, Bill cleaned the existing cabinetry (with a toothbrush) and asked me, "what color we should paint them?" So our oak cabinets have been painted with Benjamin Moore Hepplewhite Ivory; the dirty brass cabinet knobs (and hinges) were removed and spray painted matte black.

The very next thing on the list is to lift up the existing linoleum floor; buy windows for the south side; and figure out how to heat the space this coming winter. Our kitchen is very usable right now. We will be doing laundry in no time!

Chiminey Crickets

2010-07-08T08:54:00.000-07:00

We love the Little Brick House. Yes, we do, really. And when things come to light...for instance, both chimneys are in decay and need repair...we take a deep breath, and figure it out. We want the house to be around for another 170 years.

It all began with a small patch of bubbled ceiling paint. There is water coming in because we don't have a cricket*. Or a chimney cap. Or maybe because the brick chimney needs to be re-pointed. Or maybe a combination of all three.

We did not expect that the furnace and water heater would be tied into the repair of the small patch of bubbled ceiling paint...but, they are. The oil burning furnace and the oil water heater are both venting through our historic chimney. The simplest way to avoid re-building? A super-flue...a concrete liner. The problem? The current building code will only allow one appliance to be vented because of the interior dimensions.

So, we have some homework to do now...to figure this all out. In the meantime, I think we'll fix that small patch of bubbled ceiling paint.

*A cricket is a small false roof, sloped to shed water away from chimney.

Garden of Weedin'

2010-06-01T06:31:00.000-07:00

Well, spring came back this year. We had some very beautiful,

warm days in early April. It gave us a head start on garden and yard work.

Even with all the work to be done inside, the weather was so beautiful,

it was impossible to stay inside.

Sand, salt, and plow marks covered the grass and tore into the ground.

It looked so bad that I thought about entering the "desperate landscape"

competition, but, because our house is so cute, I thought... we would never win.

We are lucky to have such nutrient-rich soil. There is a hill of conservation

land backing up to our property. The spring thaw melts right down into

our land. Everything is recovering well, especially the weeds.

I was prepared for the pollen, the black flies, and a long day in the yard.

In the end, I didn't need the surgical mask or the ear plugs. When our hand-me-down* lawn mower started to smoke, I gave it, and myself, a short break. Everything worked out just fine. The following morning at breakfast we read an advertisement on our place-mat for a Yard and Lawn Care company. The next day he was at The Little Brick House giving us an estimate.

*This high-powered work horse came from my sister Kathy's house and before that my Mom and Dad's house in Canton.

It is quite likely 25 years old.

Decoration and Renovation

2010-03-17T09:34:00.000-07:00

The Little Brick House has furniture. An antiqued gate-leg table was added to the Dining

Room, and a sofa and lamps were added to the Living Room. Because we are living in the house,

we wanted to add enough furniture to make it feel comfy and cozy, but, not too much furniture

as there is still much work to be done.

The preliminary furniture plans were done early on. Many people don't realize how critical the scale of furniture is to a space. The furniture plan is the number one tool a designer uses for space analysis. It will give you a general sense of how much furniture feels right and how to place it for the best functionality.

Wallpaper and fabric. I looked for inspiration in Marie Finnerty's portrait. There is a beautiful flower rendered in pastel yellow and green on her lapel. The transom windows are also yellow and green. When I came across a linen plaid fabric by Rogers and Goffigon, I knew I had found the perfect compliment. The walls were painted BM antique white. The sofa is in a stock fabric from Crate and Barrel.

The house has such a simple form. I thought wallpaper in the entry and bedrooms would be a nice choice. And a nature theme seemed to make sense in our "country house". The charcoal gray and off-white printed paper I selected for the Entry is very appealing. Simultaneously, simple and sophisticated. And I think the faded quality will work well in an antique home. The bedroom papers will follow suit. All the decor will be very simple in the bedrooms, the wallpaper will do all the work!

The Twenty-Ten Sequence

2010-01-04T11:59:00.000-08:00

The storm that brought the east coast into twenty-ten was like a dream. Delicately falling snowflakes day after day after day. The Little Brick House was peaceful, in other words... not a whole lot of work was getting done. Sometimes life gets in the way of 2nd home renovations.

I have about twenty (20) items ready to roll into the project and Bill has ten(10) items to get done before any of them can be completed. Patience is a virtue. (3) wallpapers; (1) wall mural; (3) painted floors; (1) painted stairwell; and (12) window curtains...

Bill has continued his investigations in the basement. There was more to be cleaned off the dirt floor, bags full of old bricks, wood, wires, pipes, etc. Now the dirt floor can breathe and Bill can see the ebb and flow of our basement creek. It's looking like the water table sits 5" below the floor. In the recent storm, it was about one inch below! Our house floats.

We received a very thorough assessment of the brick house exterior from our brick mason, Duncan Trails. He will begin work next month and continue to update us as things unfold. His 10-page document included quotes from brick house experts. His approach to a written proposal is so thoughtful that it gives us confidence in his skill and approach to this project.

July-August-September

2009-10-19T13:02:00.000-07:00

A whirlwind of mid-to-late summer fun in the sun took us away from some of our work-load in the house...and also our blogging-time...but, we are back now and making up for the lost time by hiring some professionals this season.

We had the 1st floor Brick House maple floors sanded and refinished by G.E.Miller of Windham, Maine; Bill met with a brick mason, Duncan Traills, who will be sending us a "worst-case scenario" cost on repointing and repairing the exterior; I met with artist and muralist, Sandy Howe, to understand her process and to view her portfolio of Rufus Porter-style murals (see 4.4.09 post). We are still planning a folk-art mural for our central room. We are so excited to be making progress, little by little.

By late August we finished* the little, middle, bedroom on the 2nd floor and had our first overnight guests. Miss Erin Heinert and her bff Kelli brought their own pillows and a Batman** blanket and stayed with us for one night. On Saturday night, the temptation of movie-watching got the best of them, and they stayed at the Kimball's Guest House.

We went to our first Fryeburg Fair with our second house guest, Colleen***. It was an old-fashioned country day at a fair. The usual suspects were present...big oxen, little goats, some very large pumpkins, an old red school house, harness races, maple cotton candy...need I say more? It was fantastic. The fair is 158 years old...just a wee bit younger than our house. We have it on our calendar for Oct. 3-10, 2010.

Our 3rd house guests arrived that same weekend. Lisa Reilly and Bill Bomar brought their newest family member, Leo, a six-month-old Pyrenees-lab mix. Leo is really cute and loves to jump and play. He was all tuckered out by dinner time. Our full day of activities ended with a game of poker for matchsticks. Colleen was the winner, hands-down.

*"finished" refers to a room with a new ceiling, painted floors, and a bed w/ blankets and pillows.

**Erin is a college senior and a South Dakota public radio personality! Kelly is her super-fun and adventurous friend on her first trip to Boston and Maine. Because we had a bat siting in August, Kelli thought the Batman blanket would be a great thing to have for protection.

***Colleen was a perfect house guest, trivia-player, poker-player, and all-around great company. We hope she'll visit again and again.

Big Poppy

2009-07-02T11:31:00.000-07:00

Today's post is again brought to you by 'Bill'

As we pulled into the driveway we could see all my efforts from two weeks ago, mowing the lawn with a donated mower from Jeanne's sister Kathy, had gone for naught. With the rain forest type weather and fertile soil, the grass, the trees, the weeds and the gardens (see poppy plant to the right) are out of control. We consulted our friend Judy, the realtor that sold us the house and fellow UNH alum, and we will employ her son to cut our lawn on an "as needed" basis. This way we can focus our efforts inside the house.

But before we head inside, some exciting news. Jeanne spotted some new guests making themselves at home in the "single family" bird house out back. The female was busy gathering twigs and I believe the male (with a yellow chest) was surveying the new neighborhood. i'll try and snap a photo of the happy couple!

We did make good progress inside, again with the help of Phil, closing up the ceiling in the middle bedroom upstairs. This room will eventually be renovated into a bathroom, but for now it will serve as our initial sleeping room. With the ceiling structure now level and strapped, we cut and installed the sheetrock in a 9 square pattern to be finished with battens* and a small cove trim around the perimeter. This will allow removal and replacement of the squares for future access and avoid having to tape and plaster the joints, as typically done today.

Day two we took advantage of Phil's son** and his friend to demo the brick hearth and wall that the old Glenwood stove occupied. With a sledge hammer and youth, our demo crew took turns swinging away and chipping away at the brick. It was a battle, but youth won out and the brick was reduced to rubble. Although we would have loved to keep the wood stove, it was not functioning or repairable and it took up a lot of space. With each dollar and hour invested in the kitchen, it looks like we will work with the timber structure we've inherited and not "raze and rebuild."

Work in the bathroom is also near completion and we had an installer give us an estimate $$$ for a new, one piece, linoleum floor. Because we plan on renovating later (when we add the bathroom upstairs) i think we will live with a self-stick tile from home depot!

Jeanne has been busy prepping and painting the living room and actually was able to coax some more wallpaper off the middle bedroom upstairs. We think we see paint behind it, so there's hope to remove it all. Next trip up will be an extended stay over the Fourth of July holiday and hopefully will spend our first night together in the "little brick house!"

* A batten is flat wood stock for nailing across a joint or seam
** Glen and Brent love to demo !

Best Laid Plans

2009-05-19T13:06:00.000-07:00

Today's post is brought to you by 'Bill'

Even the best laid plans are no match for an antique house. With high expectations and armed with environmentally safe cleaning products (to protect our delicate septic system as well as the creeks running either side of the lot) we scheduled the water to be turned on at the street by the Harrison* Water District.

All went smoothly, with no leaks or burst pipes, but when we went to turn on the oil fired hot water tank ............. nothing. After fiddling and diddling for an hour and a half i discovered there was a short in the fuse box. No cleaning this weekend! We'll have to call an electrician.

On a brighter note, Gordon* stopped by to say hello. He had removed some trees and a treehouse on the property last fall and offered to remove the construction debris for us at about a third of the cost of renting a dumpster. He had arranged with a friend to burn all the wood scraps for a bon-fire and haul the rest to the town dump.

So, with some time freed up i took to building those bird houses for our feathered friends and if they like them i'll build some more!

*North Bridgton's water is supplied by the town of Harrison, Maine, just to the north.
*Gordon is our local go-to guy for tree service, general home repairs, and all around Mainer-way-of-life consultant.

Rocky the Squirrel and Other Tales

2009-05-03T17:45:00.000-07:00

Spring has begun in Bridgton and our recent visit was all about raking leaves and uncovering early blooms. It was the most perfect weather for cleaning up after a long, snowy winter.

After opening all the windows in the Little Brick House, and slathering on the SPF 30 and a new pair of lime-green garden gloves, I set out for the backyard and didn't look back. A yard full of deep, matted-down, soggy leaves and scattered broken tree branches seemed very manageable when compared to what needed to be done inside the house.

There was two very small snow mounds at the end of the driveway, but, we expected snow-out* by the end of the weekend. We started in the front of the property and worked our way back without really knowing what we were going to do with our new pile of leaves: bag or burn,
that is the question...

When I needed a break from raking, I began cleaning the small garden plots. It was too early to weed - I know a blade of grass when I see one, but- grass roots run deep, and I didn't want to disturb anything. When Bill needed a brake from raking, he was moving boulders and rebuilding the stone walls that had loosened out of place. Great therapy.

We are searching for the perfect birdhouses for our yard. We want them to function well for the birds that come to visit with Rocky*. (i.e. we read that the "perch" outside a birdhouse hole, is a no-no because predators can rest there-who knew?) Bill may end up building them himself from scraps from the house and lath that was removed from the window walls in the Living Room. Maybe I'll select the paint colors.

It will be an exciting new season for us. We will never know what we will find upon our arrival!

*Rocky is a baby squirrel that has found our shed to be quite a comfortable nest. He greeted us in the morning and was playing and jumping all over the small trees in the side yard. He was on top of the shed watching Bill work in the yard. He seems to be a very happy little squirrel.

*Snow-out at the LBH was April 20th. I learned the term "ice-out" while working on a project in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire on Lake Winnipesaukee. In general, it refers to the date when the lake is ice-free There are many variations on the definition.
www.me.water.usgs.gov/iceout.html

The Plan

2009-04-04T13:16:00.000-07:00

Our "rambling" farmhouse layout has it's virtues. Although the property lines restrict growth to the north and south, the house is generally one room deep. Almost every room has sunny, southern exposure and all the closets are on the north side. (They don't site 'em like they used to...)

Another benefit in this linear plan is that it feels and acts bigger than it's square footage. The first floor Living Room will easily transform into a private Guest Room when needed. We have nicknamed the Living Room, "Mom's Room", because it is where my Mom will sleep, and where Bill's Mom's beautiful pastel portrait will hang.

The Dining Room has great potential to double as a home office. It is the center connection of the house and would be a great, energized work space. (There has been some talk of a Rufus Porter*-style mural in this space.)

The Kitchen (likely an original timber-frame structure) sits west of the Dining Room, and has a "porch" connected on the south side. I hope we can keep this space wide-open and ceiling "peaked", (There has been talk of needing more closet storage, and Phil Kimball* really wants a Powder Room.) with a nice, long, Dining table for gatherings.

Lastly, the "Barn", otherwise known as the "Family Room" which will be the space of all spaces, the room to which all other rooms will be judged from this day forward. As you can see, the architect-interior designer couple have some big ideas. We love the scale of the space, and potential views and connection to the yard...let me just say, it's going to be great.

I can't wait to get started!

*Rufus Porter, 1792-1884 artist and inventor, www.rufusportermuseum.org

*Dr. Phil Kimball, b. 1956 dedicated friend and home-building enthusiast

The Renovation Unfolds

2009-03-17T11:05:00.000-07:00

As a new homeowner to an old home, one expects to find lots of interesting things, and so we did. This first phase of renovation has been all about uncovering and discovering. Some of these discoveries are illustrated in the photo collage below. (clockwise)

Bill has been sorting, scooping, breaking-down, and piling up all the "stuff" that was left behind in the basement over the years and passed down to us. Some big things; a furnace and water tank, plumbing pipes, picnic table, and shelving... and lots of small things; bottles, wood scraps, wires, and preserved canned vegetables. He is also assessing and managing "the creek" that runs through the basement floor. Yes, we have a natural spring of water in our basement dirt floor.

Over the front door is a typical decorative fan*. If this panel was original to the structure, it would likely have had a pattern of brick surrounding it. We could see a granite lintel* peaking out of either side of the wood fan. There is also a dark pattern of brick in a triangle above the lintel, suggesting a pedimented roof once covered the doorway.

The yellow and green colored glass transom windows are probably not original, but, they are a unique feature to the Little Brick House. We were surprised to discover the Living Room transoms that we could see from the exterior, were not exposed on the interior. We now have yellow and green colored glass transoms in two rooms. This is a very happy house.

The south elevation of the kitchen had two boarded-up windows that could be seen from the porch side. It seemed illogical not to have southern exposure, and a view out to the porch from the kitchen. We will do with less cabinetry to gain more sunshine.

Wall-to-wall carpeting covered the wide pine floors in two of three bedrooms and the hallway on the second floor. There are many layers of paint to be removed. The front bedroom has a beautiful floor, giving us inspiration to strip the others.

North Bridgton is home to 200-year-old Post-graduate school, Bridgton Academy. We have a beautiful view of the Chapel's steeple from the dormer in the second floor hallway. One more way to connect to the history of our home.

*The decorative fan is getting much needed repairs and a new home with our neighbor, Ed Somers, a woodworker and furniture-maker who will be helping us restore our home.

*A lintel is a horizontal beam used in the construction of buildings, and supports masonry above a window or door opening. They are made of different materials, wood, stone, steel, and concrete.

The Beginning

2009-03-11T07:37:00.000-07:00

The Little Brick House of North Bridgton, Maine was built in 1840 by Boston engineer, Charles Griffin, for his unmarried* sisters. Made of three layers of brick in a brick kiln** just down the road from the house. The house was purchased by Mrs. Burnham by 1871 (the name appears on a map of Bridgton at that time).

Elizabeth (Lizzie) Gould took ownership from Mrs. Burnham; and following her a blacksmith named Charles Thomas; a Bridgton-Saco railroad station agent, James (Jim) Bird purchased the house on April 16, 1904. In the 1930's Jim sold to a retired nurse, Ida March, who named the house "Elm's Shadow" for the great Elm trees that sheltered the property.

This history has been passed to us from the previous owners (early 1980 until November 2008), Diane and Jon Ray, who interviewed long-time Bridgton resident, James B. Hamlin on February 25, 1985.

Bill and I are now caring for and restoring this small piece of North Bridgton history, that we have fondly named the "Little Brick House". We invite you to follow us through this process.

*historically called, "spinster", an unmarried woman past the age common for marrying.
** see: The Last Brick Maker in America, currently showing on the Hallmark channel for a nice little story about brick-making.