In Forrest Gump-fashion, Chad Eliason likens his home on Shuswap Street to a box of chocolates.
“You never know what you’re going to get.”
Eliason and his ex-girlfriend bought the home, which was built sometime between 1914 and 1922, without having seen the inside.
“I always liked the house from the outside, I knew it had some history and, at the time, I thought it was a good idea. I liked the location and that I would be able to walk to work and downtown and use my bike for most things.”
The home was built by William Reader, who also built some of the city’s other notable buildings, including the courthouse, art gallery and the Hudson Avenue Senior Citizens Drop-in Centre. Later on, it was the residence and medical office of Dr. Eve Gulliford, a noted physician.
When Eliason first walked in, however, he realized the extent of renovations that would be needed.
“It’s one of those things that goes on and on. You want to fix one thing only to find you’ve got to do three other things before you can even get to that thing.”
The house has undergone an extensive transformation in the three years Eliason has owned it. Projects included a new roof, new windows, new doors, portions of the house needed a new foundation, a completely updated kitchen, fireplace, bathrooms and decks.
“It took over my life,” says the young homebuyer. “I would work, go to council, or coach sports, then come home and work on the house. It was so busy, I can hardly even remember it all — literally there are blank spaces in my memory.”
He modernized much of the home, including adding heated tile floors in his bathroom — now his favourite feature. But Eliason has kept the original staircase and worked to restore the floors in the upper level by removing layers of laminate, linoleum, and peel-and-stick tile until he reached the wood.
As much as possible, everything was done using locally purchased materials and salvaging from others. His dining room stained glass window, for example, used to grace the walls of the Hideaway Pub. His fireplace is surrounded by rock picked up along roadsides.
“Without help from my dad, none of this would have happened… Then friends gave me a lot of help. They’d come over and pick up a paintbrush or help tear something out.”
One of the most unique features of the home is the “secret door” which when closed, looks like a bookcase in the living room, but opens into a foyer/laundry room and bathroom. It was built by Thomas Arrowsmith, a high school woodworking student.
Eliason says he knows the home has come a long way, but he still sees more to be done.
“I still see cracks here or patching needed there. It’s still settling and moving. It’s almost like a living creature, this home. I think its something that I’m just going to have to keep nurturing along.”
