Home remodeling can give an older house a new feel

By Gloria Austin
Staff Writer
    It’s never too late to change a home’s appearance. Just ask Houlton couple Chester and Molly Bailey who just had their home completely redone from top to bottom.
    The Baileys’ two-floor cape home, according to the late Joe West, was built somewhere between the late 1950s or early 1960s.
    Recently, the Baileys were able to give their home a makeover that will surely prove to be more heat efficient this winter.
    The Baileys had the shingles on their roof replaced with metal, new siding over the old clapboards, new windows and doors.
Houlton Pioneer Times photo/Gloria Austin
REMODELING — Chester and Molly Bailey recently remodeled their 1950s cape to give it a more modern feel.
    “We heard an awful a lot of [good] comments about how wonderful [metal] is,” said Molly.
    The one thing that stood out in Molly’s mind was the fact of when it rained childhood memories would recur.
    “I remember Daddy had a little place he’d take us kids,” recalled Molly. “It was like a potato house with metal [roofing]. He’d fry potatoes up on top of that woodstove and we just sat there listening to the rain. It was peaceful.”
    Though Molly hasn’t heard the rain tinkling on her roof yet, she awaits the time and the memories that will sprinkle over her.
    The Baileys’ windows and door replacement will help to “batten down” their home, as their windows were the old-fashioned wood ones with a storm window for cooler weather.
    “They were so drafty,” said Molly. “I had to put towels or a few little rugs on the window sill [to keep out the draft]. Chester would stuff insulation between the main and the storm window. But, it was just so cold here.”
    The front door was put on the Baileys’ home when they first moved in 37 years ago.
    “It got so I couldn’t unlock it,” said Molly. “One night, I panicked. I was just about ready to grab a chair and throw it out the window.”
    Now, the Baileys have installed a new insulated door.
    “It’s a lovely door,” Molly said.
    Contractors working on the home included Dana Tidd and his son Andy, along with the Baileys’ nephew Michael Shaw who installed the new windows and doors, as well as Wardwell work crew who put on the siding and metal roof.
    “I love the siding,” said Molly. “The [clapboards] were so hard to keep clean. I don’t know how many times we had to paint it. Finally, I told Chet, some day I pray that we can have siding put on. So, we will know this winter if it is more heat efficient.”
    The Baileys use a fuel-oil furnace to heat their home, with Chet supplementing his garage, which is attached to the kitchen, with wood heat.
    “He has his breakfast out in that garage,” Molly said. “He starts his fire about five o’clock and it’s so toasty. He loves it.”
    With the Baileys’ major update on their home, they have received many compliments.
    “Lots of people mention how cute it looks now,” said Molly. “Now, I am anxious to get the shutters on … black. I love black shutters.”
    With the Baileys’ house updated, they will turn their attention to other projects. They will work on landscaping the backyard in the spring or summer, along with putting in a new driveway.
    “We were very pleased with the work,” said Molly. “We certainly would have them all again.”