DeVilbiss Mansion

On November 25 2008, I toured this beautiful OLD home, The DeVilbiss Mansion, as a possibleBed and Breakfast Inn. This was the 1st place I'd EVER toured with the idea of making it into a Bed and Breakfast Inn. This has been a dream of mine since 2000.  This is an all brick and stone home, of over 9200 square feet, built in 1902. There is a Carriage House at the rear of the property which is approximately another 2500 square feet, between it's 2 floors.  They sit on an iron fence-enclosed 1/2 acre corner lot.  It is NOW priced... at $399,000 reduced a bit.  As you walk up onto the large porch... with wood-ceilings, you notice the massive pillars and ornamentation. When you arrive at the front door, you are greeted by beautiful LEADED glass doors. You enter the 1st set of doors, into a vestibule, then through another set of leaded glass doors, you are dazzled by the opulent foyer.The DeVilbiss Mansion3015 Collingwood AvenueToledo, Ohio

The last picture in the collage above - over on the right, is the Coach House...and the following photo was taken outside the Coach House.

There are original light fixtures in almost ALL of the home, including this huge, crystal chandelier. The photo in the center of the bottom row shows the wall treatment in the vestibule, that covers about 3/4's of the height of the walls.

These are 2 of the 1st floor rooms. The first is the Parlor and the 2nd is shown as a Dining Room, however...I would use this as a 2nd Parlor, since there is a beautiful Dining Room, right around the corner.

The two mosaics above, show the Stunning Dining Room, which has a barrel-vaulted ceiling, beautiful built-ins and original lighting. It leads through the stained glass windows/door to a sunporch. You also see the walk-through Pantry (where the microwave and sink are, too) which leads to the Kitchen. The Kitchen would need to be completely re-done, as it does not provide adequate workspace on the counters and everything is badly dated. While there is enough space in the kitchen, it is not being used to it's full potential. It's as though the Kitchen in this home was an after-thought...so small and downright UGLY! LOL!!

These two mosaics show all of the Bedrooms, Den and Hallway on the 2nd floor. There are 7 Bedrooms, a dedicated Office and 6 full Baths + 2 half Baths in this home. This home also boasts a total of 7 fireplaces! The doors in the upper left corner of the 2nd mosaic, lead to a covered porch, off the Den.

This is the 3rd Floor Ballroom and Kitchenette. The ballroom is 55 feet long and 28 feet wide, with a bench-seat sitting area at one end. It has 2 lovely fireplaces, 1 at each end. See Tom leaning against the 1 fireplace? The lights pictured are just one of many original fixtures in the ballroom. The wall-treatment shown, covers the lower two-thirds of the walls. The cathedral ceiling is about 18 feet tall. The curved door leads to a small 3rd floor porch. The dumb waiter comes all the way up to the Ballroom Kitchenette from the Basement...Kitchen and 2nd floor.

These pictures show you some of the Stained Glass Windows.

Here you see the 2 Maids Bedrooms on the 3rd floor, with their Bathroom. The beautiful treatment on the wall enhances the Service Stairs down the far side of the home.

This is a glimpse of the Gentelman's Smoking Room, with wooden benches and fireplace...located in the Basement!! You also see the Dumb Waiter on each floor, along with some beautiful woodwork and trim around a door.

These are just some of the Bathrooms on the 1st and 2nd floor of the home (1st 6 photos), with the shower room, bathroom and laundry room found in the Basement. This is the end of our tour - no photos of the Carriage House, because we didn't get to see it. We have been dreaming of how we could make this into our Bed and Breakfast Inn. It is just a lovely home...with alot of potential...but also a TON of work would need to be done in order to make it into a lovely B&B. Tom and I are still thinking about it...and looking around for other potential properties, too! We haven't made a decision yet. I hope you enjoyed the photo tour of this gorgeous home.

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...UPDATE...

Tom and I have continued to check on this beautiful home...The DeVilbiss Mansion.  And a while back, we found that the house was no longer for sale - at least there wasn't any For Sale sign out front.  So, after doing some digging, I found something very interesting. This home went into Foreclosure. Then it went up for auction.  Here is the information I found.

(the Devilbiss Mansion is the Large Brick house on the left, across from the Church)

Description provided by Trulia

This property is an REO (Real Estate Owned). This is the final step in the foreclosure process. Ownership has reverted to the lender. This 7229 square foot property has 7 bedroom(s) and 6 bath(s). The estimated sale price is $131000.  Please consult all relevant title documents prior to purchase.

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  Can you imagine that? 

  This house went into foreclosure and to auction for $131,000!!  I haven't found any info on what it actually brought at auction...but WOW!!   I'd LOVE to see what the new owners did to the interior!

Spruce Up

This was just an ordinary - out of focus - spruce tree field photo before I worked some magic on it.  I used PhotoScape to change the way it looked to the Photo Above.  Okay, you want to see what it looked like when I found it?  Here it is.  Not much color or contrast.  I love to SPRUCE UP photos!  I love to SPRUCE UP my house...my wardrobe...and make it come alive.  Where am I going...
with all of this?  Certainly, I'm not just talking TREES here!   By now, perhaps you've noticed that I've SPRUCED UP my Blog!  I made a NEW Header, and changed things around on my Blog.

What prompted all of these changes?

1. Fall

2. Tired of the way things looked

3. I LOVE change

4.  I LOVE Sprucing Up My Blog!

Master Bedroom Re-Do

Here is a Photo that Shows You Our Bedroom Suite on the Showroom Floor...And In Our Home.  The bottom Photo shows Our Bedroom the way it was Before I started the Current Make-Over.  I hope this post will entice you to continue watching for UPDATES on our Whole-House Make-Over!!  A While back, I showed you some of my Design Options for my All Over House ReDesign.   Today, I am going to show you our Master Bedroom Furniture and how it currently looks...and show/tell you why my First Choice...
for a Bedspread won't work on our Bed.  Here's Our Bedroom Suite (well, part of it).  The Bed is a Platform Style Bed...but rather than our Mattress laying flat on a hard surface, our bed has a recessed area to hold a Low-Profile Box Spring designed to go with Our Foam Mattress.  The color of the Wood is a Dark Brown/Red and any Hardware is Brushed Silver.  The "inserts" are brownish-black Leather.

We purchased this set when we moved into our current house in March 2006.  It's well built and looks so pretty.  The one thing I don't like about it is the area all around the bed (of the frame) that sticks out about 3-4".  I've stubbed my toes, banged my legs on the edges in the middle of the night...and it makes choosing bed coverings extra difficult.

Remember this beautiful textured Bedspread I showed HERE?  

It looked even MORE beautiful in person - However, because the kick-pleat on the corners had an underskirt that fit tightly, it was a no-go on our Platform Bed and had to be returned.  Aaack!

So, back to the drawing board - looking for another Bedspread or Comforter Set that will work. 

Here's our NightStand - we have 2 of them.  Simple and very pretty.

Of course, I went with the Mirror that matches...

the Dresser

And here is how all of the furniture looks in our Bedroom at this time.  The Comforter, Shams & Draperies are Cream with Gold-to-Tan Roses and a hint of Blue flowers, with ever-so-light green leaves.  I have sheers shown here on the windows with roll-up Shades, with scalloped edges.

The door to the Master Bath, with a large corner Whirlpool Tub.

This door leads to our 12'6" x 7' closet!  It's HUGE!!

The Dresser and Mirror, directly across from the 2 Windows on the Bed Wall

While I work on re-doing our Master Bedroom...what Room or Area of Your Home are you working on?  

In case you're wondering what takes me so long - since getting Bell's Palsy 15 months ago, and still being in the recovery stage, I don't have as much energy/stamina as I did prior.  I hate to complain about it or even talk about it, but some of you have commented on the length of time it takes me to get big projects finished.  Some days, it's enough just to get out of bed, get ready for the day and do a few things around the house.  Other days, I have a bit more energy.  Just keepin' it real and wanted you to know!! 

Timber Frame Montana

Today we're going to tour another Timber Home.  So many of these homes speak to my ♥ giving me feelings of warmth, protection, peace and tranquility.  I love the sturdiness, the wood and the stonework, too.
Timber Windows: A View With a Room in Montana

Indoors and out fuse effortlessly through the creative use of timber windows in this Western home.By Jason Peak | Photos by Heidi Long


Imagine experiencing the most beautiful, relaxing wilderness of the west — a pristine cobalt-blue lake framed by stately trees and snow-capped peaks that give way to an endless azure sky. Though a bone-chilling wind occasionally blows outside, you’re warm and content next to a roaring fire enjoying the scene.  You’ve just described a typical December day at Lazy Bay, a 4,800-square-foot timber home built by High Country Builders in northwest Montana.  Named for the serene area of Whitefish Lake where it’s located, Lazy Bay is a hybrid — a construction method combining conventional stick framing with the majesty of timber framing. The structural beams are larch finished with a dark stain to provide a warm feel. The vertical posts in the great room are the entire trunks of mature cedar trees. “We left the base on the trees,” says Walt Landi, owner of High Country Builders.  An exterior view of the home shows the upper-level great room's massive timber windows that overlook the adjacent lake. Stone and wood work together to help further the illusion of the seamless transition from the home's interior to its surrounding nature.

Serving as the designer and builder, the multitalented Landi planned the house so that every room had views of the lake and mountains. “I went out to the lot and put stakes in the ground to orient the house toward the views, and drew the floor plan that way,” he explains. He designed the fireplace to sit off to one side so as not to interfere with the views. Once the plans were finalized in a computer program, a 270-degree panorama was revealed.  The construction schedule was aggressive, taking only seven months to build, because High Country Builders erected it without a buyer in mind. With everything pre-selected, they were able to stay on their very tight timetable. However, there were doubters. “I thought there was no way it would be done on time,” confesses Hunter Dominic, owner of Hunter & Co., an interior design firm in Whitefish, Montana. Her firm made the selections and coordinated all structural decor inside Lazy Bay, including the hardwood and tile floors, light fixtures, cabinets, stonework and furniture.  A parallel-cord truss visually lowers the ceiling height while supporting the weight of the roof. The huge stone above the firebox is so heavy, it took a crane to hoist it into place. In lieu of a traditional mantel, it's the focal point of the hearth.  The great room's huge panes of glass, some weighing more than 700 pounds and sandwiched between slits cut into solid cedar columns, offer uninterrupted, panoramic views.

Success by Design

If pressed to single out one thing that makes this home so spectacular, Landi says it would have to be the great room’s timber windows. The huge expanses of fixed clear glass tucked between the naturally tapered cedar posts give the illusion of being outdoors. “It was the first time we had ever done windows like that,” Landi says. “People ask how we did it, but I won’t tell!”  The timber windows bring the outdoors in by their sheer size alone. At a massive size of  14 by 14 feet and separated by a mullion bar, a lot of engineering went into the project. Though he’s tight-lipped about most of the details, Landi will share a few secrets. “The mullion bar had to have a curvature built into it so that when we added all 700 pounds of glass on top, it would flatten out and keep the right amount of spacing between the two panes. You can’t just throw it up there and say ‘that looks nice.’ It takes planning.”

Pane-staking Process

Setting the glass was every bit as complicated as its design. Two cranes were required, and eight men on a scaffold slid it into place. “It was quite a challenge,” Landi recalls.  The glass must withstand 100 mph winds and keep the house warm when the mercury dips below zero during typical Montana winters. The glass is an inch thick and is insulated with high-density foam, silicone and chinking, but it’s set so deeply within the log frame that the sealant is hidden. “There is no visible framework, so it gives the illusion that there are no windows,” Landi says. “All you see is the logs, the stone and then the amazing lake view.”

Practicality Meets Panache

Lazy Bay uses both radiant heating beneath floors, as well as forced-air heat. “When you have that much glass, you need to blow warm air against it,” Landi says. “You won’t feel a chill in this house.” Once a constant temperature is reached, the furnace doesn’t have to work very hard to maintain it. One reason is that the logs and stonework absorb the sun’s heat and radiate it back into the home, making energy efficient as well as gorgeous.  The home’s stone serves another purpose. Large amounts of glass usually lend a contemporary feel, so the team used a variety of stone to make it feel grounded and homey.  The hearth is a blend of different local stone. “The huge rock above the fireplace must weigh a ton,” Landi says. “It had to be craned into place.” There’s a fireplace in the lower level, and the chimney is 45 feet high, free standing within the house.  No expense was spared in Lazy Bay. The alder wood cabinets were distressed and had a crackle finish applied. The countertops and sink are granite, and the kitchen boasts a Wolf range with and a Sub-Zero refrigerator; items that are not only stylish but are among the best, most durable choices on the market.

Contemporarily Rustic

Landi and his company designed and built Lazy Bay, but Dominic accentuated its natural beauty — with Landi’s help, of course — through its decor. “We presented him with options,” recalls Dominic, “and he went with most of the decor we suggested.”  It is clear that Dominic’s firm used only the best and most beautiful materials. The bathrooms’ tile floors are a combination of marble and slate in varying shades of gray. The wood floors — western larch and fir — were circle sawn and left rough, stained black, sanded, and then stained brown. “They have an antique look, but the best part is that you don’t have to take off your shoes for fear of getting it dirty,” Landi explains. “I wanted people to enjoy the house and the lake, not worry about messing up the floor.”  When it came to making the final decorating choices for the home, Dominic had another “silent” partner: the windows. “Those windows and the view just outside them had some say in the decorating process,” according to Dominic. “It is a major focal point, and it had a lot of impact on what we did,” The combination of slate and tumbled glass accents give the house a contemporary edge, even though it maintains rustic feel.  Lazy Bay was built as a vacation home for someone looking for an escape from the ordinary. “I wanted them to know they were in the Montana mountains on a lake,” Landi says. “I set up the views and designed character into the house so anyone who comes here would know they’re  someplace special.”  Did he succeed? One look through the majestic windows will tell you everything you need to know. 

Square Footage: 4,800 square feet

Company: Edgewood Log Structures

Builder: High Country Builders

Silly Saturday Babies

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