C11 - Sunday, July 11, 1982 - North Shore News

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REAL ESTATE ADVERTISING & FEATURES * RESIDENTIAL + COMMERCIAL « INVESTMENT + RECREATIONAL

Photos and story by
ELLSWORTH DICKSON

Built in 1912, the old
farmhouse of Alex and Mary
Baker, located at lith and
Jefferson in West Van-
couver, has been completely
renovated to serve the needs
of their growing family.

For many years, one of
West Vancouver's earliest
teachers, Dorothy Jones
lived there and taught at
Dundarave and Caulfeild
schools. Over the years the
house gradually became
dilapidated, and when the
Bakers bought it in 1975,
Mary took on “the
redesigning job and Alex
handling of the construction.

Since the house was
originally built of cedar, the
Bakers continued the theme.
In addition to the new cedar
siding, the “L” shaped
verandah was rebuilt and
double front doors installed.

On the inside, starting
with the master bedroom,
the house underwent a

Clockwise from top left, the Baker's restoration of a
major transformation, not

, ae . < --~« 912 farmhouse has been beautifully done. The size of

just cosmetic surgery. “H. SSe ee. or ne . the breakfast nook was dictated by the size of the
A sunken family room was ae ee t i ae 7. table. The dining room has its own brick fireplace. A

added at the rear, as well as 8 : oe eae) ay See “a | view of the entrance hall. The living room also has a

a breakfast nook which was ~ kee oo AS me Oe . <| brick fireplace. (More photos, see pg. C12)

built around the size of the ee se ka LAP gee® ig Pah og eo Ee — =m .

table. There is alsoa laundry [| Hie ne * oe he ne oS! ee

room with a small studio
area at the rear. A good
sized sundeck is off the
kitchen.

An unusual feature of the
house is the twin fireplaces
located in the living and
dining rooms which are at
angles to each other.
Throughout most of the
house the old windows and
frames have been replaced
with custom built ones.

To make the most of the
space available, an old
stairway was converted to
the kitchen pantry. To cut
down the high cost of
heating, the cnure house was
re-insulated to R-28_ stan-
dards

Mary told the News that
the toughest part of the work
was coping with the constant
dust and dirt from the
construction.

Much of the furniture is
heirlooms and = antiques
collected over the years.