This is a guest contributed article by Trecie Wheat Hughes, agent affiliated with Coldwell Banker Distinctive Properties.
The restoration process of my 1910 Craftsman in Livingston, Montana has been a labor of love. Even as a child I remember loving old houses. Historic homes tell a story and each one is magical in its own special way. In 2010, as I was tirelessly searching for my next renovation project, I walked into a run down Craftsman and I instantly knew it would be mine. My intention was to renovate and flip the property. What I didn’t know was that I was about to fall deeply in love with the salt of the earth people in the community of Livingston and Paradise Valley, Montana.
Prior to purchasing the home in 2010, the house had been vacant for 8 months during one of the coldest winters in my lifetime. Through the inspection process we found that the cast-iron radiant heating system and all the plumbing was completely frozen, not to mention the roof needed to be replaced. BUT the biggest problem was that I had already fallen in love with the 100+ year old home and nothing was going to stop me from buying it! The radiant heat, plumbing and roof were addressed first and then the real work began.
The house has been carefully renovated and restored using only time period appropriate materials and design elements. Most of my built-ins are actually antique pieces that have been purchased at local antique and thrift stores. Many of the kitchen cabinets are from an old farmhouse that I picked up for $100.00 at a local thrift. The cabinet above the range was custom built using an old window with the original blown glass.
