When photographer Dave Harp and his wife, Barbara, first saw this house on Maryland’s rural Eastern Shore, it was a dilapidated, claustrophobia-inducing relic of an age gone by. Set on a tidal river that feeds into the Chesapeake Bay, it had been part of once-bustling, but now mostly vanished, Riverton. Noting the home’s small, poorly lit rooms, and its overall shabby condition, the Harps planned to raze it. “Our architect said we’d save money by tearing it down,” Barbara says.
Then a previous owner sent the couple an early-20th-century photo showing the house in all its youthful glory. Realizing it had once been a showplace, they took another look at the Queen Anne architectural details and the elaborate brick chimneys. And they started thinking, “We’re pretty handy. … ”
Dave and Barbara knew they couldn’t handle the entire project themselves, so they called Joseph Fehrer Jr., a carpenter who specializes in old houses. Dave remembers Joe’s first look at the house: “I said, ‘Well, whaddaya think?’ He said, ‘I’ve seen worse.’ That was the beginning of a long and wonderful relationship.”
Before addressing the home’s interiors, the Harps tended to the front yard, which curves into the Nanticoke River. Using rock walls known as “sills” planted with marsh grass and wildflowers, they stabilized the eroding waterfront. They also raised the house 3 feet, allowing space for a geothermal heating and cooling system. (Another benefit showed itself later, when Hurricane Isabel roared up the Chesapeake and pushed almost 3 feet of water onto the property.)
Inside the house, Joe worked methodically and meticulously for four years as other subcontractors came and went. Dave did many jobs himself, especially when he couldn’t find professionals willing to crawl under an old building or fish electrical wiring through plaster walls. Completing the tasks himself helped him understand why others had refused. “I can’t say that I blame them,” he admits.
The Harps’ primary concern was the awkward grouping of living room, kitchen, and back parlor—and no dining room. To open up the flow, they ripped out two interior walls, leaving the living room fireplace standing alone in the middle of the first floor. Dave installed a woodstove in the firebox for cleaner, more efficient heating, and enclosed the unattractive brick chimney with rustic wood paneling. They then transformed the dim kitchen into a sunny dining room, with a large bay window and a glass door leading to a full-length porch. The former parlor became a new kitchen, complete with a sink-equipped island, which supplies extra counter and storage space. Now, thanks to the fireplace and a bench-height wall between the living room and kitchen, all three rooms flow seamlessly yet retain their separate identities.
Upstairs, the Harps repurposed several spaces. A small bedroom became a master bath, while a corner bath became a walk-in closet. “We had to carve out closets,” Barbara says. “I guess people didn’t have many clothes in those days.”
Now that they have finished the project, the Harps can focus on the positives of renovation. “You tend to forget the bad times,” Barbara says. Such as that roller-coaster day when they ripped up grimy old carpeting and discovered both beautiful fir floors and significant termite damage.
“But it was worth it,” Dave says. “We took a house that was in an absolutely beautiful setting, but in terrible shape, and turned it into what I consider to be a gem. Considering I’m a photographer and not a contractor, it was a great achievement.”
Prepare Yourself
A major renovation is extremely challenging. Before you launch into any structural work, consider what you’re getting yourself into.
Face facts. The Harps understood that this project would demand time, patience, money, and sweat equity. Inevitably, it took more of each than they’d expected. Be sure you have the fortitude (physical and emotional) for even a worst-case scenario.
Obey the rules. Follow all local permit and building-code requirements, however arcane. Dave did the electrical work himself but failed his first inspection because of minor code violations.
Check the loads. It’s obvious but vital: Before tearing out walls, make sure they’re not load-bearing. Removing a load-bearing wall can have catastrophic consequences—like causing your roof to collapse.
Beware the hidden hazards. Old houses often contain such dangerous materials as lead-based paint and asbestos, which can show up in insulation, linoleum, adhesives, and siding. The Harps’ house had aluminum siding over asbestos siding over original wood siding. They hauled the aluminum to a recycler, but the asbestos required special handling and disposal.
