Welcome to 300 NE 4 Avenue
LIVING ROOM
As you enter the house. the first thing you will probably
notice is the green circular staircase in the middle of the room. Donna
Merritt. (previous owner & Doris' mother) decided that the room
needed something so after seeing a circular staircase advertised in the
classifieds she proceeded to have it installed right in the middle of
the room. opening to the attic. We finished the attic loft by adding
insulation. bead board paneling paint, and carpet. We also built the
wall and door area to block the rest of the attic off. When we replaced
the central air unit. For those of you who are steady on your feet you
may want to take a peak upstairs at the "Beanie Attic". There
are over 200 Beanie Babies who call this cozy loft their home. It is
also a game room for the kids.
KITCHEN
The kitchen. as you see it today was used as a dining room
when the Merritt's bought the house. Where the
stove is. there was a hallway with a closet on each side, which lead to the
front bedroom. The cabinets came out
of a home in Lighthouse Point that was being demolished. There was a doorway
where the kitchen sink is and on
either side was an old window opening. Donna and Bob designed the kitchen and also
did all the labor. Alan used 19
tubes of caulk to fill cracks in the walls and ceiling from years of settling.
We painted, took down (but kept) the
French doors and added the arbors. to give us a little bit of "Napa
Valley"
FIREPLACE ROOM
If look at the floors
you will notice this room and the kitchen are obviously from the same
construction period. It is thought that these two rooms were part of the
original home that was rolled here on logs in the 1920's. The fireplace was a
functional wood burning fireplace but was converted to gas about six years ago.
The bookcase that covers the south wall was built by Donna and Bob to create a
library affect. My favorite things in this room are the "THOMAS
KINKADE" paintings that actually pickup the light and change in appearance
as you brighten and dim the lights.
HALLWAY
If you can imagine this room was the kitchen. It was and
still is a very dark room that had the refrigerator stove. and sink along the
wall where the dry sink now stands. There was a very small counter space and
hardly any cabinets. That was the first thing that was remodeled when my mom
bought this house. She converted it into the laundry room and when Alan
and I moved in we took it a little further. We decided to cLose in the washer
and dryer area and to make a cLoset for the boys room (the front bedroom). We
also made a cLoset (accessible by the fireplace room) to create a hallway
affect. The ironing board hanging by the bathroom door was painted by my mom
(Donna Merritt) and made a perfect addition to my sunflower room.
GUEST BATHROOM
As was mentioned before. this bathroom was created by Donna
and Bob while they were remodeling in the late 80's. They purchased the tub at
an antique shop. my mother and I wallpapered, the pedestal sink and toilet were
added and viola. The only bathroom that graced this house when my mom moved in.
It was not only
small but really unusable. Yon had to see it to believe it. The boards that made
the partition walls were reused to create the "outhouse'". You'll see
it later. As you are standing in the guest bathroom
you'll notice that it's also the boys bathroom and the entry to their bedroom.
Take a peak inside to see that it's very lived in by two boys.(11 and 14) enough
said.
MASTER BATH
In 1994 Donna decided she wanted a nice updated bathroom so
she design ed what you see today. Basically. Alan and I didn't have to do
anything to either bathroom. we just moved in and started using them. Bob told
me recently, two different mortgage companies turned them down (although they
were already pre-approved for far more than the asking price) because they
considered the house unlivable. Basically this was due to the lack of a usable
bathroom. I guess they proved them wrong! Lucky for us.
MASTER BEDROOM
This room was added to the house in the early 80's from what
we were told. Once again we didn't have to do any remodeling or
repairing of this rooms interior, however we did have to replace the
wood on the entire cast exterior wall. due to dry rot. If you really
want to go back in time just go around the bed and peak behind the green
curtain. There you'll find this homes most unusual feature, the
"outhouse". As I mentioned before the old barn boards were
taken from the previous bathroom wall (if you want to call it a
bathroom). It started as kind of a joke turned out to he something that
people leave here talking about. It isn't everyday that you see a working
"outhouse" in this part of the country.
POOLSIDE
The pool and the garage\apartment building were built in
1988. and over the years the pool area has evolved into our own little piece of
paradise, The apartment is being occupied by our teenage girls and the garage is
occupied by our 1966 Mustang convertible and (on cold winter nights) out three
black labs. In the hot summer months the. dogs have been known to occupy the
pool as well Under the canopy you will find a display of old photos that might
help to give you a better idea of what the house looked like when Donna &
Bob bought it. and will also show you some of the transformations that have
taken place over the years. You don't want to miss that! Seeing is believing!
DINING
SCREENED PORCH
Last but not least. is a place enjoyed by all. This porch was
here. but was an open porch when my morn, moved in. Shortly there after. it was
screened and latticed to make it more private and usable, My mother added the
swing Nit I told her it had to stay or I wouldn't buy the house. She also left
the old stove for us to enjoy since it kind of belongs in an old home.
This ends your tour of the "Cap Campbell House"
hope you enjoyed it!