Rehabilitation

Rehabilitation" is defined as "the process of returning a property to a state of utility, through repair or alteration, which makes possible an efficient contemporary use while preserving those portions and features of the property which are significant to its historic, architectural, and cultural values." (from The Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation ) We felt it was important to distinguish between historical restoration and rehabilitation. We truly tried to restore the exterior of Chilton House to the original state, but we are not actually restoring the inside - we are rehabilitating it for use as a B&B as well as a home for ourselves.
Our Goals
Get rid of the window A/C/Heating units (this was first on our list because it gets really hot here during our 9 month summers) Remove old window units (This, of course, opened up new issues with holes in walls and window rot) Purchase & Install 2 central units (1 up and 1 down) on the north side which houses our living area and the public rooms. The ceiling in the dining room was dropped 10" to facilitate ductwork. It seemed to be the least invasive of alternatives. Initially the installer ran wires and tubes externally - YUCK!! - we bit the bullet and paid to have everything run inside the walls and under the house (a good thing about houses on blocks!) Purchase & install 4 ductless A/C/Heating units in each of the guest rooms We bought Friedrich ductless split units for the guestrooms purchased from Genie A/C in California. Even though Friedrich is a Texas company, we still got the best price from Genie (even after shipping). Talk to Paul.
Upgrade the plumbing. Replace existing pipes (there was a leak in the pipe coming in from the meter that had to be replaced - we decided better to be safe than sorry and replaced everything) Stub out water pipes and drains to new bathroom installations (3 new bathrooms). Install higher capacity water heater. (We finally opted for 2-50gallon electric heaters installed in parallel. Although gas would have been preferred, there was the problem of installing a vent - UGLY!!)
Rehabilitate the kitchens - there were two, one upstairs and one down! - This was difficult emotionally! The kitchens were wonderful 1920's vintage cabinets, downstairs a 1940's vintage dishwasher module (not working), original wooden countertops...gorgeous, but not functional. The cabinets were not deep enough to house modern appliances and the wooden countertops wouldn't pass health inspections AND we needed a bathroom upstairs - not another kitchen. The decision had to be made... Existing cabinets and countertops were removed (and stored in the carriage house) Part of the butler's pantries were used to house the A/C guts. The rest a closet upstairs and kitchen expansion down. A new upstairs master bathroom was plumbed and studded in place of the kitchen Downstairs we settled for keeping the ceiling paper, flooring (filling in holes with tile), 1 set of upper cabinets and one piece of the original wood countertop. New cabinets were built, emulating the old style. Stainless countertops replaced the wood. Mexican hand painted tile went on the walls and backsplash. (Goliad was originally settled by Mexico and has a strong Mexican heritage, so we drove 2 hours to Nuevo Laredo and bought our tiles there) The original sink and drain from the upstairs kitchen was refinished and installed downstairs.
	Click here to go to the Kitchen page
Cover existing walls and ceilings with sheetrock, providing better sound insulation and allowing the original wall/ceiling treatments to remain underneath. Existing bathrooms Dining Room Parlor Hall Lower Southwest Bedroom Lower Southeast Bedroom Upper Southwest Bedroom Upper Southeast Bedroom Library Our Quarters
Restore antique fixtures Dining Room Fixture Parlor Fixture Hall Wall Sconce 2nd floor sconces 2nd floor cranberry glass fixture kitchen fixture