Farewell, It Has Been....Many Things.

Part I:

On September 14, 2006 Ryan and I became the owners of the Zeller House. It seems like a lifetime ago and yesterday at the same time. This update is far more than long past due and it will be the final entry in the blog. Although the bulk of the project was completed over a year ago, there was quite a bit of finish work left. The photo gallery is complete and there are recently posted pics in the "Hiller's Pics of the House" folder on the photo gallery link.

The kitchen was completed including back-splash of glass tile and Ryan created open shelving rather than cabinet uppers out of more of the beams salvaged during early demolition. All the bathrooms and the laundry room were completed. Both the downstairs half bath and the master bath have beautiful counter-tops also created from salvaged beams. The master bath tile is consistent with that in the other full bath upstairs, featuring glass tile walls and a slate floor and shower floor. The master is shower only. It's a beautiful walk-in shower with shower head mounted directly overhead. Ryan and I are not bath people and we decided that we would love a great walk-in shower, so that's what we went with! There's a tub in the other full bath if you really need one! The built-ins we had been planning, finally happened as well. Beneath the landing halfway up the stairs is a bookshelf (See pic at the top). The area built up by the fireplace over the basement stairwell was finally finished as a bench seat with drawer storage beneath. Speaking of the fireplace, we decided to go all out and restore it to wood-burning, the only way we like it! Ryan put in a slate hearth and used more salvaged wood on the mantle. Upstairs, the laundry room got some shelving and the master bedroom is now complete with a desk surface in the narrow area on the opposite side of the bedroom deck from the bathroom.

Two areas we decided to leave to the new owners were the garage and landscaping. The garage is actually a great space. It's a structurally sound two-car space. The front yard is very shallow, mostly just the area directly in front of the facade that needs to be filled in with shrubs and flowers. The area between the sidewalk and street is now bricked with one tree to match the northerly neighbors along 4th street. The backyard is a great, large space. We left it pretty much a blank slate. The yard is all grass and we did finally remove "The Pond." Some of you may remember that there was a cement fish pond that had been constructed in the 30's. It turned out to be a real behemoth and required quite a bit of excavation to get out, but was definitely worth it. Not by choice, but by the whim of the weather gods, there are considerably less Mullberry Tree branches overhanging the yard. Maci was the only one who mourned this loss as she would graze the yard for Mullberries until her tongue was raw!

I have listed below the end of the entry, the information we collected as we anticipated putting the house on the market (although we were very lucky that we never actually had to). Most if not all of this information has been included in my entries over the past four years, but this summarizes all the important work we did in one place in case you're interested.

Part II:

On June 15, 2010 we closed on the house again. This time we were the sellers. A great family and longtime Lewisburg residents fell in love with the house and scooped it up. Fears that it would be hard to sell or would end up in the hands of people who would change it were abated when Bud and Tammy Hiller became the new owners of 213 N. 4th. It was what Ryan and I had hoped for all along. That someone would come along to love the house as much as we have. So that's the end my faithful readers, the end of a four-year relationship with a house that took a lot out of us, but returned it tenfold. Our intent for the project that I wrote at the top of this blog over four years ago rings unbelievably true. I'm not sure I've ever followed-through on a project and stayed so true to the original goals. This experience has been one of the most incredible of our lives. It has been both the most trying and the most satisfying. I remember when we first bought the place, our neighbor Gregg spoke to us with undertones of: "These kids have no idea what they've gotten themselves into!" I'm proud to say that although he was right in a sense, no one could have known what the renovation would bring, I think we were very aware of that from the beginning. Although sometimes it seemed like we couldn't catch a break, whether with the bank and our loans or the weather when we were trying to do exterior work, we stayed true to our goals and have an absolutely awesome product to show for it and more importantly, a wealth of experiences going forward.

There are too many people to thank by name. To those who were integral to every aspect of this project, whether for you labor or moral support, thank you all, you know who you are! We'd like to thank the residents of Lewisburg, rather than resisting change as we feared they might, they were overwhelmingly positive and supportive of our project and we remember every time a stranger stopped by to peer in the door or give a nod of confidence. I think we'd be remiss not to thank a few people by name. To our parents, Mike, Marcia, Chuck and Becky. Words cannot express our thanks for your work and advice-Mike-and from all of you, such a strong belief in us and unwavering support. To the Johnson family members, thank you for your excitement about the change and renewal of your childhood home and for your insights into the the history of the house. And finally to Michael Stone who has to this point gone unnamed. You may not have taken very good care of Zeller, but you knew when it was finally time to give her up and I know for certain that she thanks you.

As I was at the last update, I'm still in Ann Arbor at the University of Michigan. Ryan and Maci have moved to Oregon for grad school in architecture. On June 15th, 2010 Ryan and I parted ways from the Zeller House and each other. At times I think we both find it strange to be in new places with people who don't know about "The House" and the time we have spent with it and thinking about it over the past four years. As the blogger, I cannot close without also thanking Ryan. There is obviously not enough space here to say it all, but I am in awe of your abilities as they relate to both design and construction and I believe that when you look back years from now, Zeller will stand as the marker to the beginning of a career full of innovation and creativity.

Thanks all for following us on this journey. It has turned out to be so much more than the process of remodeling a house, 213 will always be with us. If you're in Lewisburg, please stop by and say hi for us.

Kate and Ryan


FOR SALE: Single Family, 3 bedroom, 2 ½ bath, full basement, garage, great neighborhood

Zeller House c.1825 – 1850
213 N. 4th St., Lewisburg, PA 17837

Home Re-Build Summary:

The Zeller home (named for its original builder/owner) had been unoccupied for 15 years prior to this renovation. The state of neglect and disrepair opened the door for a total re-build. This is essentially a brand new home. A strong emphasis was placed on reduced energy usage, innovative design, and a healthy living environment, while preserving a link to the history of the home.

Below is a list of the major focal points of the home. A complete series of photos is available upon request, as well as full documentation of the scope of work performed, including materials choices and building practices.

Design/Function:

It was very important to us to maintain the original facade of the Zeller house to provide a connection with the historic nature of Lewisburg. We went as far as to convert a bay window that was built into the facade in the 1930’s back to the more appropriate double hung window. Although there is evidence that the home originally had two front doors, we wanted to make sure that the house would function as a single-family residence and not lend itself to future rental as a half/double. With the freedom to re-build the interior, a creative open space with a functional living design approach was used. While modern at its core, the use of authentic accents throughout was important to tie the reinvented space with the historical charm of the original.

Materials Salvage/Reused:

- Original wide plank pine floors salvaged, re-milled, installed on first floor
- Original floor joists milled and converted to structural members (beam in kitchen
& Master Bedroom)
- Original floor joists milled for lumber to create new front door, ½ bath counter, and kitchen shelves
- Original doors stripped of lead paint, stained, converted to pocket doors
- Ceiling joists on second floor exposed and finished for architectural accent
- Exposed brick walls throughout
- Stair railings milled from old framing members

Environmental Impact & Energy Efficiency:

- Locally sourced materials for wood siding, stair treads
- Locally sourced craftsman for wood flooring, front door, concrete counter tops
- Materials with recycled content used when possible (decking, concrete floors, salvaged wood)
- High efficiency closed cell spray foam insulation and Marvin Integrity fiberglass windows
- Light colored metal roof for maximum heat deflection
- Tankless natural gas hot water heaters for cast iron baseboard and radiant floor heating
- Central mechanical ventilation system with heat recovery for healthy indoor air quality, air circulation, moisture management
- Engineered building products utilizing higher percentages of raw materials
- Low or No V.O.C. paints and finishes
- Low flow bath and sink fixtures
- Energy Star appliances

Annual Gas Bill 2008: Covers all domestic hot water, heating system, gas stove, and gas dryer. 2000-sqft. living space, heated at average ambient room temp of 68 degrees. = $1391.00 (compared to $3-5,000 annually for neighboring houses of similar size)

Annual Electric Bill 2008 (post rate cap) = $660