Image credit: ColdwellBanker

Among all of the celebrity homes that have hit the market lately, few stand out as a historic gem. This one in Connecticut, however, is definitely worth a look. “The Cotton Tavern” sits on 40 acres of what is commonly referred to as the “Quiet Corner” of Connecticut, where the population is surprisingly low. The Federal-style house was built around 1770, and has been added onto over time whenever the residing family needed more space. Owner Renee Zellweger recently put the house on the market for $1.5 million.

A very careful restoration

The list of renovations done on this house are impressive. There are the usual things you would expect, such as an extensive overhaul of the plumbing and electrical systems, as well as the addition of a heating and air conditioning system. The kitchen was completely rebuilt, but it was done with care–the custom kitchen cabinets were built to reflect the time period in which the original house was built, and the hardwood floors were carefully chosen to match the rest of the house. Crown molding and new baseboards were installed, but they mimic the “real thing.”

The library

Some important elements were kept in place or restored in such a way that the original integrity of the house wasn’t compromised. The rear staircase was rebuilt, probably for safety concerns, but it was designed to look just like the original. Most of the original hardwood floors were kept, and so were many of the bathroom fixtures, including the tubs and sinks. Rather than strip the paneling from the majestic library, it was painstakingly restored.

In keeping with the look of the original home, the siding is painted wood clapboard, and the replacement windows blend in well with those that have been there for over a century. The fireplaces? There are seven of them, and they are all original.

The guest cottage is the original carriage house, and it still has the original doors. It also has an abundance of rough-hewn ceiling beams, wide-plank hardwood floors and replacement windows that are customized to look like the originals on the main house.

All of this is tucked away behind dry stone walls that are five feet high and four feet thick. That’s a nice historical touch that also provides some serious security.

The kitchen

A refreshing new life for an old house

Many celebrities with virtually unlimited funds tend to cast aside older homes in exchange for something new. After all, new construction is often much easier than careful restoration, so it’s nice to see someone pouring their cash into keeping up the integrity of their historic home.

The new owners of this place could consider putting in energy-efficient improvements when it is time to do a bit more renovation work. As any old house lover will tell you, the renovation on a home built in the 1700’s never actually ends. In a few years, we might see this home touted in Architectural Digest, and it could well have more improvements that make this historic home more than a little green.

If you have icicles hanging from your eaves, you need to take action now.  Those frozen daggers are a sign that you’ve got ice dams.  The ice dam enables the trapped water to get under the roof shingles, causing water to leak inside.

Here’s five tips from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority for preventing ice dams and saving you thousands in repairs.

· Seal air leaks: Seal air leaks and duct air leaks in your attic to stop warm air leakage, the source of ice dam problems.

· Add insulation: After sealing leaks, add additional insulation in your attic.

· Check ventilation: Provide adequate attic ventilation so the underside of the roof and outside air are at the same temperature. Check to make sure attic insulation is not blocking roof ventilation. Incorrect ventilation can also cause additional problems, such as mold and mildew.

· Clean gutters: Clean leaves and other debris from gutters before the first snow. This will help prevent ice build-up in gutters.

· Hire an accredited contractor: Hire a Home Performance with ENERGY STAR contractor accredited through the Building Performance Institute (BPI) or approved by your local energy program to conduct an in-home comprehensive energy assessment. The comprehensive assessment will not only identify specific home improvements to prevent future ice dams, but will also recommend ways to reduce energy use, save money and improve the health and safety of your home. 

Matt Grocoff, Esq. LEED is founder of Thrive – Net Zero Consulting Collaborative, host of Greenovation.TV, a contributor to The Environment Report on Public Radio, the green renovation expert for Old House Web, and a sought after lecturer. His home is America’s oldest net-zero energy home and was called “Sustainable Perfection” by The Atlantic, honored as one of USA Today’s “Seven Best Green Homes of 2010? and Preservation Project of the Year.  He has been featured in hundreds of publications and news shows including Washington Post, Detroit Free Press, Preservation Magazine, Solar Today, Fox Business News, Huffington Post and more.  Join him on Google+, Twitter and Facebook

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!– AddThis Button Begin –
div id=attachment_31745 class=wp-caption aligncenter readability=3a href=http://media.timesreview.com.s3.amazonaws.com/riverheadnewsreview/files/IMG_9910.jpgimg class=size-full wp-image-31745 src=http://media.timesreview.com.s3.amazonaws.com/riverheadnewsreview/files/IMG_9910.jpg alt= width=475 height=343 //ap class=wp-caption-textBARBARAELLEN KOCH | Calverton artist Dennis Link, now 65, with his self portrait from 1971./p/div
pSelf-taught artist Dennis Link of Calverton had an opening reception in the Elizabeth Fox Overton Gallery at Riverhead Free Library Saturday afternoon./p
pfrisco home inspection is how he makes his living, but creating art is his “passion,” he said./p
pHe said he was raised in Brooklyn and started drawing with colored crayons at a very early age. His mother gave him and his sister “Paint by Number” sets for their birthdays, but very quickly he said he couldn’t follow the rules./p
p“Once I started, I couldn’t stop,” he said./p
pHe was inspired by the movies “Lust for Life” and “Agony and Ecstasy” and so he started to paint with more detailed and energetic brush strokes./p
pIn his 20s, Mr. Link focused on raising a family and building his real estate career and didn’t return to art until his 50s./p
p“Art makes me forget all my problems,” he said. “It lets me be in the moment, like meditation.”/p
pHis paintings, in pastels and oils, are taken from famous works of art he has studied. He said he doesn’t try to copy them, but be inspired by them, studying the brush strokes and the light. Paintings in the show, hosted by the Friends of the Library, are inspired by the works of DaVinci, Gauguin, Vermeer, Modigliani, VanGogh, Rouault, and Pollack./p
pThe show will be on view through the month of January./p

/div/div

The Governor Hotel. Image Credit: Hotels.com

After a few minutes of surfing message boards, I was reminded that yes, you can find anything on the Internet. That includes the history of the Governor Hotel in Portland, OR.

The history of a hotel

Originally known as the Seward Hotel, the swank downtown hotel opened in 1909 to fanfare and accolades. During that time, guests paid between $1.50 and $2.00 for a room that included luxurious and edgy designs for the time, including stained glass, terracotta and fine handcrafted details.

On the other side of the block, an entirely different but no less respected establishment was taking shape. In 1923, the Portland Elks Lodge was built. The Lodge was built in the style of the Farnese Palace in Rome, which was largely created by Michelangelo. The very classic look included coffered ceilings, inlaid marble and frescoes.

During the Depression, the Elks Lodge lost their Portland building. Over time, the majestic space underwent some serious changes, including the construction of an office building inside the structure. Fortunately, the architect who created the interior office building kept the original walls intact. That turned into a very significant choice years later, when the owner of the hotel saw those walls and realized there was great potential there. Though the buildings had been joined in the 1980s, they were not seamlessly integrated until much later. In 2004, the former Elks Lodge became the new entrance of the Governor Hotel.

Careful renovation achieves a work of art

Architectural details. Image credit: Governor Hotel

Architect Barry Smith led the 2003 renovation, which posed a significant challenge: how to update the building for today’s modern hotel yet keep all of the historical features intact? The job was wide-reaching and included everything from hiding modern lights in old-fashioned ceilings to installing stained glass that had been removed years prior. Through the use of old photographs, dismantling layers of wood and carpet and doing plenty of old-fashioned research into the nooks and crannies of the hotel, the renovation team reclaimed the 1909 grandeur of the Seward Hotel. Contractors worked tirelessly to restore, renovate and improve every part of the building, including a few spaces that had never before been opened to the public.

One of the most interesting parts of the hotel is a mystery that hangs right out in the open–tall figures that look more like robots than gargoyles grace the top of the building and appear to be looking down at passersby. These figures are completely out of place with the architecture of the building, yet make for a lively conversation piece from a hotel that already gives guests plenty of things to talk about.

One of the "Robots." Image credit: Governor Hotel

Being featured as a set on Leverage is just the latest claim to fame for this hotel, which has seen a great deal of movie-making magic within those historic walls. Now on the National Register and listed as one of the top hotels in the world by Travel and Leisure Magazine, the Governor Hotel is proof that a multitude of styles, details and histories can weave together to form one truly beautiful work of art.

Dear Barry: We are in escrow to buy a home. When we made our offer, there was an attractive concrete walkway in the front yard. Since then, the sellers hired a contractor to inspect the septic tank. The contractor had to cut out two sections of the walkway, but when he replaced the pieces, he set them in a way that is uneven, unsightly, and could cause someone to trip. Now the sellers and their agent say it is up to us to replace the damaged pavement because temporary removal was required to meet the terms of the sale. Do we really have to fix this ourselves, or is it the responsibility of the sellers?  Misty

Dear Misty: The sellers and their agent are entirely out of bounds. You made an offer to purchase a property in the condition that existed when it was marketed. Since the offer was accepted, that condition was adversely altered by contractors who were hired by the sellers.

The excuse offered by the sellers and their agent is entirely unacceptable. Suppose the sellers’ chimney sweep had damaged the roof? Would that also be your problem? What if the sellers’ painter had cracked a window? Would you be required to replace the glass? In this case, the sellers had to hire a septic contractor. The performance of that obligation did not license them to denigrate the property at your expense. Either the sellers or their septic contractor should restore the property to the conditions that existed when you made your offer. Your agent, not theirs, should step up to the plate and demand that this be done. Hopefully, you have your own agent in this transaction.

Dear Barry: When we bought our house, the home inspector said he could not open the damper in the fireplace and suggested we have it checked further. We probably should have taken his advice but did not. Recently, we used the fireplace for the first time, and our teenage son had no problem opening the damper. The fireplace worked okay, but on a rainy day the brick firebox became wet. Now we’re wondering why the home inspector was unable to open the damper and whether leak repairs are covered by the home warranty policy.  Mike

Dear Mike: Your son would most likely prevail against the home inspector in an arm wrestling match. Be that as it may, leaking at the chimney top apparently caused rusting of the damper hardware, causing the damper to stick. The resistance was too much for the home inspector but not for your son. To prevent further water intrusion and rust, a chimney cap should be installed. It is unfortunate that caps are not required on all masonry chimneys.

You should also follow the home inspector’s original recommendation and have the fireplace system fully evaluated by a qualified professional, such as a certified chimney sweep. And make sure the chimney cap is the type with a four-sided spark arrestor.

As for home warranty coverage, that will depend upon the fine print in the policy. Warranty companies typically exclude pre-existing conditions.

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