East Coast Living Magazine
(Summer 2002)
Feature article "Then and Now" based on
renovations of Ed Reid, Digby, Nova-Scotia, Page 44
Excerpts only as this is a lengthy three page
feature:
<<Even the choice of Kohler replacement windows was
governed by the desire to recreate a more traditional look, both on the interior
and the exterior. "Kohler switched to the Georgian design grill for exactly the
same reason Ed and Lester chose them for their project, " says Marc Robichaud,
customer service representative for U.J. Robichaud TIM-BR Mart in Meteghan Center.
"They imitate the older wooden window patterns while providing all the
convenience and insulating values of modern construction." U.J. Robichaud TIMBR
Mart acted as the main supplier for the project, providing five generations of
building supply experience and advice to Reid and Bartson, right from the start.
Some of that experience came in handy when work
began on trying to preserve the house’s most distinctive feature. "We’re not
really sure what it’s original purpose was, but the front room on the second
floor once stretched the entire width of the house and had a curved ceiling with
plaster mouldings at the top of the walls and two plaster medallions where the
chandeliers hung down," Reid says. Previous renovations has divided the space –
which was probably a ball room for social functions – into two, so they created
a master bedroom with ensuite bath and a large library.
Plans first called for the ceiling to be left
exposed, but fear over the old plaster developing cracks meant it needed to be
covered over. The solution was a special forming gyprock and bendable wallboard
provided by U.J. Robichaud TIMBR Mart, which allowed them to mould the gyprock to
the curves and retain the original feature of the curved ceilings. "We don’t get
a lot of demand for this product so it was definitely a specialty item, but it
was the perfect solution for Ed and Lester in saving the look of that unique
ceiling.", says Robichaud. >>
