Barry Stover

One of the more interesting meetings this week was with Barry Stover, an historical consultant. Several people had recommended him but I wasn't sure what he did, so I was reluctant. Dawn went ahead, though, and will forever regret it.

Keep in mind that we were under the belief - and no one had challenged this so far - that except for the windows and floors, the house was pretty much original. Within minutes he was pointing out that of all the cabinets, only one was probably original - the rest were just copies of the first one, probably done in the 20th century. Not only had the floor been replaced, but most everything beneath the floor had also been replaced, indicating someone was dealing with structural problems at some point. (There was even an old railroad tie used to support one wall!)

Our house went from being "pristine" to "about 40% original" in just two hours. At the end of our meeting, however, I still wasn't sure what Barry did (other than upset Dawn).