Jeff & Sue Ellen Smith Salisbury, MD United States: Share on Facebook Share on Facebook Share Twitter

Blog Posts
Discussions (36)
Events
Groups
Photos (27)
Photo Albums
Videos

Jeff & Sue Ellen Smith's Apps

Jeff & Sue Ellen Smith's Friends

View All

Jeff & Sue Ellen Smith's Discussions

Stair rail 25 ft, 60 spindles, treadsand risers, for sale

Started Dec 1, 2011

Unusual floor joists
4 Replies

Started this discussion. Last reply by K. Noel Barnes Nov 10, 2010.

Sleeping porch roof/floor

Started Sep 20, 2010

View All

Jeff & Sue Ellen Smith's Page

Latest Activity

Jeff & Sue Ellen Smith posted a discussion

Stair rail 25 ft, 60 spindles, treadsand risers, for sale

Dec 1, 2011

0 Comments

Jeff & Sue Ellen Smith replied to Nina Smith's discussion exterior paint stripping

"I have been working on mine for 3 years. I am a contractor so I have a combination of work time to devote to this. At times I work at it full time, sometimes I have a helper, but most of it was done by myself. I am also removing windows,…"

Nov 19, 2011

Jeff & Sue Ellen Smith replied to Jeff & Sue Ellen Smith's discussion Pet odors

"The reason that Anti Icky poo works is because it has an enzyme that netrualizes the odors. If you just cover it up, most animals still smell it and will mark the area with their scent, If you seal the floors that could prevent your paets from…"

Jun 4, 2011

Donna and Bob replied to Jeff & Sue Ellen Smith's discussion Pet odors

"Thanks! I'll give your suggestions a try. Hopefully, Bob's dog and my cats won't add to it all."

Jun 4, 2011

Brandon S replied to Jeff & Sue Ellen Smith's discussion Pet odors

"Im not sure how well it will work but I love simple green, its biodegradable, not that expensive and has a nice fresh smell. Home Depot sells odo ban, or odor ban, it was 10$ a gallon and that has a good smell to it also. There are all kinds of…"

Jun 4, 2011

Donna and Bob replied to Jeff & Sue Ellen Smith's discussion Pet odors

"I've been reading the blogs about pet odors and animals, i.e. mice, raccoons, (and I'd like to add birds and who knows what else), which leads me to a question. Our 1886 Victorian still has the original flooing, meaning 3-4…"

May 22, 2011

K. Noel Barnes replied to Jeff & Sue Ellen Smith's discussion Unusual floor joists

"It reminds me of when I rebuilt our front porch balcony a couple of years ago. The bottom rail of the assembly was tapered as your joists are, to shed water most efficiently. It wasn't obvious until the whole thing was disassembled because the…"

Nov 10, 2010

Will Stanton replied to Jeff & Sue Ellen Smith's discussion Unusual floor joists

"I believe that the original floor was a wet bead tile floor on top of the 1x6's, in between the joists-that is why they are tapered. Someone tore that out and installed the plywood and then a new tile floor on top. Will"

Nov 9, 2010

Profile Information

Tell us about yourself:: When we bought the Gillis-Grier house , our next door neighbor in Waxahachie Texas said "Do you guys know how old you are?" Well my answer was: Old enough to know better but too young to care.

Tell us about your old-house experiences and dreams:: The Gillis-Grier house is my wife Sue Ellen's and my second Victorian house. Our first Victorian, an 1887 Queen Anne, was in Waxahachie Texas. It had been extensively renovated in the 1980's. We bought it in 2002 and began a second renovation. We added a bathroom on the second floor by taking a closet from a bedroom and a nook in the hallway/landing, and creating a 5x6 bathroom which included a full size clawfoot tub. We took it out of the master bathroom which had been the only second floor bath.(You had to go through the bedroom to get to the bathroom.) We completely gutted the master bath and closets ,eliminating 80's louvered doors, fixtures, etc. We added new closets with salvaged four panel doors that matched the rest of the doors in the house, a shower, tub wood vanities, etc. It was done to fit the style of the house with wood wainscoting tub surround and cabinets. We built in a fabulous cherry armoire with mirrored doors that served as a linen closet. Salvaged wood floors completed the bath. It was beautiful. I refinished the original 6 inch wide pine floors that were covered with carpet, and installed about 1500 sqft of 100 year old salvaged long-leaf pine flooring on the first floor. Painting and new kitchen appliances (none of which fit the existing openings) pretty well completed the inside.
Outside we did lots of planting, rebuilt an existing fish pond added a new pond for koi with a new waterfall.The final big project was painting the exterior which became a rush job when we bought the house in Maryland. We loved our Waxahachie house, did two house tours while we were there and naturally we enjoyed showing it off.
One of my hobbies is looking at historic house real estate websites. One day I saw the Gillis Grier House for sale at auction in Salisbury Md. I showed it to Sue Ellen and she said "Lets go look at it". We flew to Maryland one weekend and took a tour of the house. We decided to come back for the auction and bought it.
The Gillis-Grier House is a two and a half story Queen Anne Victorian built in 1887. We have the original building permit. It came with the house. The major item on the permit was the four chimney locations (not on interior walls) and the flue lining. We bought her at auction in May of 2007 and spent 9 months with 2 mortgages selling our house in Texas. That was a killer. We have seven original fireplaces with mantels, tile, and some with cast iron liners. Only two appear to have ever been used. They are all gorgeous.
The oak double front doors open into a small vestibule with parquet oak floors and wainscoting. The inside double doors have large leaded stained glass windows with pineapples. These open into the Foyer with its fireplace, open stairway with fretwork, center hall, a side exterior door, and pocket doors into the Ladies Parlour. There are four leaded stained glass windows in the Ladies Parlour. They are in the turret area which is square on the first floor. There is a fireplace, and a set of pocket doors into the The Gentleman's Parlour which has three leaded stained glass windows in it. There is another fireplace and another exterior door. There is also a french door into the solarium. Another set of pocket doors open to the hall across from the Dining room which has a leaded stained glass window in it with a painted squirrel. There is a fireplace and another exterior door along with a door into the Breakfast Room. From there you enter the rear hall with doors to the back stairs, kitchen, back porch and the mudroom. The mudroom has door to the exterior. The kitchen was redone in the 70's after a fire. It also has a door in to the solarium which has original tile floor and another exterior door.
Interesting Tidbits- 7 originial exterior doors on first floor. Originial key in pocket doors. (key folds to slide into wall).

Website:: http://agelesstreasures.net

Jeff & Sue Ellen Smith's Photos

Loading…

Comment Wall (7 comments)

At 1:43am on January 8, 2009, Morgan Campbell said…: Jeff, what an amazing home!! Have you owned it for a while or a you just getting into the "old house bug"? I would think that anyone who would get involved with a home like this must be (many things come to mind - mad, inspired, knows exactly what they want.....) Anyway, it is beautiful!

At 10:34pm on January 11, 2009, Susan said…: Holy cow! What a gorgeous house!!! Is it restored, or are you in the process? Your home is a real beauty. Good Luck.

At 9:47am on January 15, 2009, Susan said…: Thank you Jeff! I wish I had thought of the roof on my tower when I applied for entry to the national register. I was turned down many years ago because there are numerous fine examples of victorian architecture in Lorain Ohio and my house was not significant enough, etc., without being part of a historic district. Many houses have been torn down here since. When I applied for a HUD 203K Restoration loan in 2000 to install the slate roof and rebuild the box gutters (they were dangling from the roof when we bought the house) the appraiser had to find a comparible tower roof. The only other copper tower roof on a residential dwelling he was able to find in Ohio was in Cincinnati and that roof was cone shaped, not bell shaped like mine. The mortgage paperwork alone took two years to complete and I had given up on ever getting my slate roof because I was turned down by two other mortgage companies that said I was asking for luxury items. When the mortgage guy called me and told me I was approved for everything I was asking for I hung up on him. I thought it was a prank call. The roof was put on in early 2002 and the gutters were all rebuilt. I had the same company come back last summer to do the gutter on the front porch (couldn't afford it at the time the roof was done). After several more years I was able to afford to remove the rotten siding and start re-siding the house. The plywood surrounding the front porch looks ghastly, but it will get us through the winter. I have to have the porch foundation and floor redone before I can have new porch pillars. A previous owner ripped off the supports and beams under the front foyer which overhangs the foundation. The only reason this was done was to put wiring through the basement, out the foundation wall and up into the exterior wall for the porch light!! There is no bottom to the foyer walls and the blown-in insulation was coming out of the walls under the porch. With this nightmare and old furnaces on their last legs it was no wonder the heat bills were almost as high as the mortgage payment. Hopefully you will be able to share more of your house photos in the future. I love the cat sitting in the fireplace. What is he/she looking at?

At 9:15am on January 19, 2009, Phil said…: What a house, outside and in I particularly like the stained glass in your front doors and the fretwork in the entry. Very sharp.

At 9:46am on January 21, 2009, Lady Anne said…: Hi Jeff,

The ceiling is comprised of numerous stencils, most of which I bought off the internet. The corners are a separate stencil. It was called a "Motif" stencil, which is just a single repeat of a design. If you like I can look back at where I ordered from. They had a lot to choose from. Let me know. But I'm sure if you do an internet search you will find plenty also.

I have to tell you that I love your house, it's a beauty! I have always been attracted to Turrets, Nooks & Crannies, none of which I have.

Thanks, Susan

At 5:16pm on May 14, 2009, Phil said…: My price: If you comment thusly for Jimmy Wang, I will complete the hat trick on the plagiarism writers.

At 4:12pm on June 9, 2009, Cass Liberman said…: Hi Jeff, Thanks for the comment on our house -- we are lucky to have several stone walls, in front and in the back of the house. No thanks to us, we "inherited" them!

Your house is spectacular. Amazing wood work and glass -- and that turret would sell me on it. Great chimneys, too. 7 fireplaces? Fabulous.
Our house looks awfully plain in comparison. Well, possibly because it IS very plain in comparison!

I love stalking old houses online, in real estate ads, too. it's how we found this one. We've got a few years of work here before we'd be ready to move on. I look forward to seeing MORE of your beautiful Victorian. Lovely!
Cass