McDougall Cottage
Restore America : Episode RAM-306 -- More Projects »
Waltham, Massachusetts The F. W. Wetherbee House in the town of Waltham, Mass., 10 miles west of Boston, was built in 1892 as a private home. Years later, after the original owner moved on, it was subdivided to house two families. It then became a fraternity house, but was on the verge of collapse by the 1990s.
When Rob and Juana Ham McDougall purchased the decrepit home in 1997, the rafters were split open with birds living inside, the exterior paint was peeling and many shingles were missing. The couple pulled off and rebuilt much of the clapboard.
Some of the hardest work was on the house's Italianate front porch, which leaned to the left and had to be jacked up before the rocks and mortar could be replaced.
Rob removed, stripped, bonded and meticulously painted each of the porch's nine medallions to restore them to their original condition.
The McDougalls then began work on the interior, starting with the lincrusta-style wall covering in the foyer. The hallway needed mostly aesthetic restoration, so the couple filled, covered and oiled the nicks and gashes in the wall before buffing and shining everything.
To living room, to the left of the hallway, had been cut up into smaller rooms during the home's boarding house period. The McDougalls removed the artifical wall and took the room back to its original size.
Previous owners had also removed stained glass windows in the living room and the parlor. Working from pictures of some original stainted glass from another house, done by the same architect, Juana and Rob were able to reproduce the fleur de lis pattern in the window glass.
The McDougalls restored each one of the Wetherbee House's 13 rooms back to its original design, except the kitchen, where they removed a wall between the galley and cooking areas. They also reinforced and reframed the roofing over this area, adding a skylight and an island.
It took Rob and Juana two years to restore the 3,800-square-foot house and they are proud to have brought back the home's beauty. (Homeowners Rob and Juana McDougall have requested that their contact information remain private.)
Resources City of Waltham Home Page
City of Waltham Home Page
Email:
Webmaster@City.Waltham.ma.us
URL:
www.city.waltham.ma.us
Waltham Community Pages
Waltham Community Pages
E-mail:
ScottShurr@waltham-community.org
Website:
www.waltham-community.org
Waltham Historical Society
Waltham Historical Society
190 Moody St.
Waltham, MA 02154-5344
E-mail:
waynemccarthy@rcn.comWaltham West Suburban Chamber of Commerce
Waltham West Suburban Chamber of Commerce
84 South Street
Waltham, MA 02453
Phone: 781-894-4700
Email:
info@walthamchamber.com
Website:
www.walthamchamber.com
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