In the ever-burgeoning World of Rehab, stripping your own woodwork, installing the tile and maybe rewiring a room or two can earn you the heartfelt respect of any ”This Old House” devotee. But few rehabbers approach their home with the dedicated gusto of Chris and Andrea Hill: Ask them to point out their handiwork in the 19th Century frame house they bought three years ago and they`d find it easier to tell you what they didn`t do.
”We basically did everything ourselves,” says Chris, who joined the commercial real-estate lending profession after a career as an architect with Pappageorge & Haymes Ltd. Adds Andrea, an interior designer for more than a decade: ”The newel posts on the stairs, the cement garden path and landscaping, the wiring, the tile work, the cabinetry-we did all of it. We even built in the fireplace and handmade the mantel.”
Intent on preserving the simple, comfortable style of the original house that had fallen into disrepair, the Hills embarked on a seven-month rehab odyssey that found them up at dawn to scour Maxwell Street for doors, to haunt area flea markets for furniture components and even to rummage through alleyway dumpsters for castoff windows. ”Once we started, we had to keep going, and we wanted to get it done fast,” Chris says. ”We`d come home from work and begin working here. This became our social life!” Indeed, by hosting carpentry ”parties” one night and painting ”parties” the next, the couple inspired their friends and family to help.
The result is a three-bedroom, three-bathroom oasis that harkens to the past with a foot firmly in the present, thanks to the Hills` eclectic collectibles and playful sense of style. Furniture from Conran`s and Pier One mixes with a homemade dining table, hand-fashioned curio cabinets and even lamp shades concocted from kitchen funnels and marbles. The cast-plaster and mosaic mantel was created by Andrea; Chris was responsible for the night light cum newel post and the kitchen`s domicile-inspired tile. Sometimes a room plan changed a few times, but ”that`s all part of the creative process and having the luxury of controlling the outcome yourself,” Andrea says. ”And let`s face it,” Chris admits in surveying the Hill domain, ”there aren`t many people who can afford to buy custom workmanship, and even if they could, it`s not always available. For us it just boiled down to romance: If you love the look of old things, do it yourself.”
