Gristmill Remodel

Old gristmill becomes single-family home with hardwood floors and a wine cellar.

More from Building Character
Filed under: Renovation, Wine Cellars

Judy and Dan Bauer literally step on history every time they come home. The steps to their front door are huge stone milling wheels that once ground flour back in the day when their four-story home was a gristmill. It’s not exactly the place the Bauers imagined ending up, but after a lifetime of collecting and traveling, they found themselves in need of a big home to fit all their stuff.

Dan is an anthropologist and gets a special thrill living in a piece of history. The 250-year-old building has a kind of exotic country charm and features hardwood floors, muted walls and cozy furniture that make the home a warm retreat.

The Bauers have filled their home with art and artifacts and turned the channel where water once rushed through to power the millstones into a wine cellar. The bats that were in the attic when they bought the building are still in residence and serve as natural mosquito control.