New focus on country chic renos
Century-old Ontario homes reveal secrets and surprises as they’re transformed in HGTV’s ‘Farmhouse Facelift’
When Carolyn Wilbrink and her husband Craig bought a 150-year-old farmhouse in Burford, Ont., she understood there would be surprises hiding behind the walls.
She didn’t bank on what they’d find in the attic. An interior designer and owner of CW Design & Co, Wilbrink was prepared to go on a journey as she and her brother Billy Pearson, a contractor, restored the farmhouse that hadn’t been updated in 27 years. But before they could get started, they wanted to get to the bottom of an unexpected odor.
“There was a servant staircase into what we called the ‘boys’ wing.’ We couldn’t figure out what the smell was in this area of the house,” Wilbrink said.
“We found the answer once we went into the attic: mounds of bat guano. They looked like giant anthills throughout the whole space,” Pearson added.
“We spent so much money having it cleaned out. We kept calling this house the money pit — once you opened a wall, you’d find things you never expected,” said Wilbrink.
That’s par for the course when renovating any older home, but farmhouses have distinct challenges that can confound the most experienced designers and contractors. The sibling design team explores a lot of them in their new HGTV Canada series, “Farmhouse Facelift” that premiered March 3 and airs Wednesday nights.
The series follows the sister-brother duo as they restore farmhouses across Ontario, bringing in customized modern conveniences while highlighting the unique heritage of vintage spaces.
Growing up on their own family’s farm in Waterdown, Ont., they learned firsthand the challenges and rewards of working with heritage homes. “Billy and I have been working together since we were kids. When I went back to school for interior design 15 years ago, we started collaborating professionally,” said Wilbrink.
When she and her husband bought the Burford farmhouse they’d been eyeing for years, the siblings knew they’d take on the renovation together.
“The nice thing about that house is that so much of
the original home was still there. It hadn’t been changed over the years except some bad paint choices and a 1970s bathroom. The history was in the home. It still had original trim, hardware, windows, even 16inch baseboards and seven-foot doors,” said Pearson.
Wilbrink was equally intent on keeping as much as possible. “Even the dings and dents in the trim tell a story. I love knowing that there were Christmas dinners there for 150 years. It’s a feeling like no other.”
The Burford farmhouse was a reminder that there’s an art to renovating old homes, which includes a delicate demolition. The walls are typically lath and plaster, which is messy and heavy. And there’s very likely asbestos, which needs to be removed carefully and by professionals.
“We thought we would renovate one room at a time, but we realized that if you’re getting into it, you’ve got to do it a floor at a time,” said Wilbrink.
One of the most dramatic transformations took place in the kitchen. The formerly dark, closed-in cooking area was opened up to join with an inviting dining area. They brought in light by “cathedraling” the ceiling, which involved removing the nine-foot flat ceiling and joists, and installing an LVL beam in the peak. Another labour-intensive task was to ensure the basement could support the 900-pound granite island that Wilbrink wanted.
“These houses were built like tanks, but this particular kitchen was a long stretch, 24-by-25 feet, and it was very old. We installed a steel beam in the basement to be on the safe side,” said Pearson.
When it came to the flooring, Wilbrink wanted to refinish the original — and challenging — pine floor. “The original space was divided into three different rooms and the old kitchen had a lot of holes drilled into the floor. The trick was to find flooring we could match perfectly,” she said.
A flooring professional matched the old floor’s rust stains and other blemishes on the new boards by using techniques like staining with coffee. “It blended seamlessly and looks like a well-worn floor,” said Wilbrink.
With an aim to bring back the original home’s character with a modern twist, they added crisp white, Shaker-style cabinetry which was set off by exposed brick and the original 9inch trim around the windows. “That’s the beauty in those homes. The trim and craftsmanship they were able to produce without electricity blows my mind,” she said.
The design duo ran into similar challenges and rewards in the first episode of “Farmhouse Facelift” when they took on a house in Paris, Ont. belonging to Kristine and John and their two daughters. The farmhouse has been in John’s family for four generations but lacked some modern conveniences and style.
Along with a mudroom, powder room and outdoor renovation, Wilbrink and Pearson rejuvenated the formerly dark and cramped kitchen area, providing one of the most dramatic reveal moments in the show.
Vibrant blue cabinetry and a rich quartz backsplash juxtaposed against a homey, open island and reclaimed wood flooring showcased the home’s heritage while giving it a modern flair.
Kristine and John were suitably gobsmacked by the makeover.
Although Wilbrink and her family no longer live in the Burford farmhouse she and Pearson renovated, they have settled into another farmhouse closer to Burlington where her four kids go to school and her husband’s family business is located.
Recently, they came upon some documents in the house that reveal that their “new” farmhouse was built by Wilbrink’s and Pearson’s greatgreat-great-grandfather.
“Now we know why there was some sort of pull to this house. I absolutely love it. I can’t ever let this one go,” said Wilbrink.
“I’ve heard that one before,” said Pearson.
Although the home is in good condition, the two are planning some renovations. After all, it’s in their DNA.