Homes On the Shore - Home Slice

This Mother's day weekend at the Humphreys House we took a small break from the work on the house, instead taking the time to do a little sprucing up, hanging some pictures, and enjoying more new floral discoveries in the yard. The peonies and a rose bush that were here before us decided to grace us with some blooms just in time for the kids to pick for a centerpiece for Mother's Day dining.  It was our first Mother’s Day in the house and we still had enough done to the house for the week to host a small family brunch.  Making things easy for the the head chef, who also happens to be the mother in the house,....read more

  We are often asked if we have to adhere to any historical guidelines, a review commission for the Humphreys House. Fortunately we do not, even though the house is over a 100 years old and so close to historic downtown Berlin, we fall outside of any governing committee or regulations. We do however take reverence and consideration of the wishes of the former owner as we fix things up. It is a renovation not a restoration, but still important to us to incorporate the old style and elements blended with modern ones. The kitchen is perhaps the best example of that. Brand new stark white countertops and new modern cabinets....read more

We have been in the house and have had a project budget set aside for all the projects  - with me doing all, or at least most of the work. Most of the funds set aside were for materials only.  Obviously the lions share of the materials were to the major pieces prior to moving into the house.  We had stocked up on some materials that have helped feed the projects that have been slowly trickling in. Now that that material has been exhausted it is time to reboot a budget plan for the projects going forward. Prioritizing the projects is important, but knowing what materials are going to cost can help you to figure which....read more

A rainy weekend is a good time to turn back to the inside of the house to finish up some trim. The old kitchen had a small window above the sink.  We decided that replacing the window with double casement windows would help bring in as much light as possible.  Switching out a window or installing replacement windows is one thing.  Replacement windows are custom fit to the existing window jamb opening and require very little work to be done on the outside of the house,  making it quicker, easier and cheaper to replace.                  The window that we took out....read more

Last week's article highlighted the variety of plants that we have discovered on the property, along with the ones that we have planted ourselves. After some feedback from readers, I discovered that one of the plants that I was unfamiliar with is actually an invasive weed, Creeping Charlie, also known as ground ivy. Next step is to get it under control even though it looked so pretty with the lavender flowers. With weather that was perfect and unexpected for mid-April, all work on the inside of the house halted as we concentrated on the yard. Before the mower completely died, the long overgrown grass behind the outbuildings was....read more

Spring is in full bloom, and at The Humphreys House we are discovering a whole new world of greenery. In our previous home, which was new construction, landscaping the property was a daunting task. There was a half-acre of topsoil laid over hard clay, turning to mud whenever it rained. It was a challenge to figure out which plants would work well and where. At The Humphreys House it has been such a treat to have so many established plants and groundcover. From everything we have heard, Mary Humphrey was a lover of nature. With spring arriving early this year we have been pleasantly surprised by the number of bulbs popping up around the....read more

Following along on our journey of historic renovation, you have seen the lessons we have learned along the way. Making adjustments and changes to adapt to the structure or budget, while making the compromise to allow for maximum use of space and comfort for a family of five. Moving into this home was an exercise in downsizing, shrinking our living space by 1,000 square feet. In a way this was refreshing, as we have collected too much stuff over the years that is not necessary for our happiness. We have purged many of these items and have kept only what we truly need. During this renovation process we have been concentrating on much of....read more

With this unseasonable weather this past week, it has been hard to resist doing a little work outside.  It helps when you have a gray Sunday with nothing to do other than work on the house and even better when you have in-laws in town for reinforcements outside. I was certainly not expecting to be itching to get stuff done outside before the end of March. My father in-law brought the heat, in the form of a chainsaw, to clear up some of the saplings in the yard while leaving the big trees to the experts. Maybe in an attempt to offset the power of the chainsaw, we cut the grass with the manual mower.    I still....read more

We moved to Berlin, MD 10 years ago, renting a home on Williams Street. Moving to Berlin from Jamestown Road in Ocean City, was more of an adjustment than originally thought. Used to the constant hum of vehicles up and down Coastal Highway, to literally crickets in Berlin, was at first unsettling. Taking time to adjust to the serenity of a small town, another unnerving adjustment was how bright the streetlights were, but they were an awful yellow.  After renting a home on Williams Street for 7 months during the construction of what became our home for 9 years, we forgot about the "yellow lights". This December when we....read more