Golden Rule Builders Revamps Sears & Roebuck Home in Middleburg
Written by Middleburg Life Staff
“We actually found the original catalog which the original owner had purchased it from,” shares Victoria Makay of her family’s home in Middleburg. Though many homes in town have a unique past tied to Middleburg’s history, Victoria and her husband Jeremy’s home speaks to the history of the country, and a time when one could order a home out of a catalog from Sears & Roebuck.
Makay explains, “You would order this house from this catalog, and then they would ship all the materials, blueprints, and instructions. And then I guess the local builder would put it together.” She continues, “It’s an Americus model… There are only a select number of these throughout the United States.”
The ad for the Americus No. P13063 states, “Here is a fine home that any American can be proud of and comfortable in. It is a dignified, substantial house that will stand out among its neighbors and never go ‘out of style.'”
This particular unit was built in 1923, and true to the advertisement, has stood the test of time. The Makays bought the property in 2022 and, while still honoring its history, decided to make modern-day renovations with the help of Golden Rule Builders.
Makay shares, “You see a lot of plots in Middleburg where they knock down the original house. We didn’t want to do that … and that is when we started partnering with Golden Rule Builders.” She continues, “Our first project with them was to put an addition on the home. We added about a 1,000 square feet to allow for three more bedrooms, including a nursery and two more bathrooms. … They turned that around in about 10 weeks.”
Impressed by their work, the Makays enlisted the help of Golden Rule Builders again, this time for a kitchen renovation.
“As with a lot of old homes, it was very compartmentalized … and they wanted it more open, and a more modern look and feel,” shares Tom Hambleton, the lead carpenter on the kitchen project. He continues, “We left the original exterior structure, but took up all the interior walls to open it up.”
Part of the project was the installation of a support beam that needed to be brought in piece by piece, as it weighed over 3,000 pounds. Though, when asked if there were any unique challenges on the project, Hambleton laughs, “Luckily, no. There are usually some surprises, but we had done our research, so we knew what we were getting into.” When pressed he adds, “I guess the biggest challenge was demoing an old chimney that was no longer in use. … It was built out of old rocks and mortar. I had never seen a chimney like that before!”
Photos by Stephanie Kennedy.
The Sears & Roebuck house seemed to hold more rewards than challenges for the team at Golden Rule Builders. For Hambleton, being surrounded by architectural history was an enjoyable aspect of the job. “I do enjoy the history and picturing how the past carpenters put it all together. It was really cool to see, and I had fun reconstructing all that and peeling back the layers — different years of wallpaper and paint colors coming off the walls… That part is fun for me.”
But perhaps the most rewarding part is the final reveal. “I really love seeing it all come together at the end,” Hambleton says. He continues, “All of a sudden the drywall goes up, the finishings start going in, and it starts looking really good.”
Makay echoes, “It’s been really great.” She adds, “Tom has been our project manager both times. He’s wonderful. We can’t speak highly enough about Tom, so we’ve really enjoyed it.” In fact, the Makays have enjoyed the process of working with Golden Rule Builders so much that “my husband and I joke that the basement is next, and then we’re going to put a pool in!” ML
Featured photo courtesy of Stephanie Kennedy.
Posted on: July 16, 2024