This is Our Story

In 2004 my husband and I took our love of renovating antique homes to a new level.

We had run past the abandoned, dilapidated house for many years but had no idea we would be the ones to bring the home back to life. Without realizing it, this project would be the inspiration for Water and Main.

The 1838 sea captain’s home was located on the corner of Water and Main Streets. Although, we had done many renovations, this was an unusual opportunity to bring an antique home back to life, working within the guidelines of the historical committee, while also modernizing it to meet the needs of our growing family.

Over the years the home had been a boarding house, a family home and more recently a home to a fox and a couple of raccoons. The original floors, wainscoting and fireplaces were still in tact even though it had been abandoned for 28 years.

With the help of Tim Smith and Minglewood Homes we spent the next year restoring and renovating. Rather than abandon its history, we did our best to preserve the character of the home while at the same time updating it with modern conveniences. Stainless steel appliances were surrounded by original spirits cupboards in the kitchen. The four foot long, double bay, soapstone sink that had been left behind on a bedroom floor became the kitchen sink. Old roof ties were used as architectural elements in a vaulted bedroom ceiling.



The original enamel bathroom signs were hung back on the doors to remind us of its former days as the Nautilus Boarding House, while the new kitchen cabinets and fixtures reminded us that this was now our family home.

While it would seem challenging, when we were done we had designed a home that maintained the character of a sea captain’s house yet met the needs of our family with modern appliances. We realized this home represented us perfectly. The hunt, the find, mixing the old with the new, it was all wrapped up in this project and bringing this home back to life.