The Process
Newly Added: A Narrated Overview
Enjoy this narrated recap of the entire restoration process and take a tour through the experience with homeowner Douglas LaBrecque.
THE FIRST PHASE
Mildew remediation was the first priority and with gloves and masks, they set to tear out the carpet and bleach every surface.
Leaks in the Cherokee red floor were identified and it was determined that the damage was too great to salvage the radiant heating. The balcony section of the exterior was stripped of the brown latex paint to happily discover the original Mahogany beneath the surface was in nearly pristine condition. Careful sanding and application of clear Sikkens varnish began the aesthetic transformation of the home’s exterior. The first phase of this project took almost a year and a half to complete. LaBrecque commented “Though the house was still hot in the summer and freezing in the winter, it started to become almost livable”.
THE SECOND PHASE
The next phase of restoring the Meyer house involved some delicate and creative adjustments. The dining table and banquette seating in the dining room and living room were reconstructed with slightly deeper seats and more recline and allowed a bit more room between the table and banquette. Custom upholstery was created by Schumacher Fabrics that perfectly complemented the original pattern which was no longer in production. Several other interim additions to the original design were removed to remain true to Wright’s concept.
Additions to the living room furniture were made in the form of Wright’s design for 4x4 tables - small movable tables that could be built from a single sheet of plywood. Building these tables required permission and licensing as well as sourcing specific types of material such as Honduran Mahogany plywood.
While the original design of the bathroom and the kitchen were preserved, lack of material availability and desire for a few contemporary upgrades led to selections that the team felt Wright would have approved of given his desire to evolve with the times. The Red Imperial Granite replaced the Congoleum originally used for the curved countertops that still follow the radius of the house. The floor was insulated and heated but restored to its original Cherokee red along with the staircases.
Upstairs, the walls and mahogany balcony were repainted and refinished, once again remaining as true to the original design as possible. The bathroom fixtures allowed for slightly more interpretation as they had not been specifically designated by Wright. The team removed the 1970’s slider shower door and added a simple panel of glass. The sink was replaced with a porcelain version the same size and color as the concrete block used for the structure itself. Several bedroom furnishings were added to accommodate more guests. The stripping, painting, and refinishing was constant throughout the first five years of LaBrecque’s restoration process. As an example of the dedication required, it took nearly 40 hours of craftsmanship for every 10 feet of mahogany restored. The stunning final results you see throughout the home today are a testament to the hard work and attention to detail across every aspect of the home’s restoration.
NEVER LEAVE TOWN
In 2014, after most elements had been lovingly and accurately restored, LaBrecque left town to sing with the Detroit Symphony only to return a few days later to discover a heartbreaking disaster: massive flooding due to a ruptured hot water pipe. For approximately 36 hours, 180 degree water had streamed from the upstairs plumbing through the house destroying the restored upholstery, paints and finishes.
Setbacks
This began the third phase of the renovation. To LaBrecque’s incredible dismay, much of the work that had been completed since he purchased the house was undone. While it seemed as though this could be an overwhelming prospect, the team continued to work diligently to make even more improvements.
In the spirit of “while we’re at it,” several underlying issues were solved including sagging rods and roof joists that were threatening the integrity of the windows, faulty wiring needed to be replaced for safety, ceilings needed new insulation to help maintain a consistent internal environment, and the entire structure needed to be secured to prevent further damage.
