First Floor: Before and After
The parquet looked ruined beyond hope. The frat boys had never wiped their feet and apparently let spilled and tracked-in water stand. Because Jill and I had no experience rehabbing houses, we decided to spend what little money we had on getting four things done by professionals: the plumbing (which had to be completely replaced), the windows (33 of them and very large, replaced with dual-paned aluminum framed windows of the original size and style), the roof redone, and the floors refinished. One contractor told me that the 1200 square feet of parquet on the first floor would have to be replaced. But then I found a pro, James Parker, who said the floors would come up fine because they'd never been refinished. As you see, he did a great job. Later I learned to refinish floors with a belt sander (see the back porch).
Below: many details were missing from the house because it had sat abandoned for nearly a year. Thieves had taken several mantels, as well as the columns in the music room, the chandeliers, door hardware, etc. Also, as the photos show, the fraternity had blazoned the walls not only with graffiti but also their mural-sized crest and insignia. Notice the stairway balusters--74 had been batted out. We had to get replacements custom turned. Second photo below, close-up of the dining room fireplace, finished with a era-approrpiate slate mantel, a gilt-framed mirror (popular in large old Batlimore houses), and a cast-iron gas insert.
