2115 Learnard Avenue

Mike and Rechelle Malin purchased 2115 Learnard in June 2016 and recently complete a major rehabilitation on the house, which is believed to have been built in 1865. Mike and Rechelle did most of the demolition themselves. Along the way they uncovered an old well, an old cased entry with a transom window that was completely hidden inside of a closet and a large beam in the subfloor that looked, due to a variety of peculiar notches, as if it had been salvaged from another project. 

When the couple tore out the ceiling in the foyer, a time capsule fell out. The Higbe family, who owned the house prior to the Malins, had placed several photos, a to-do list and a few other items inside a plastic bag in the floor of the upstairs bathroom when they remodeled it about 20 years ago. The Malins returned the items to the Higbes.

During the rehabilitation, the entire house was gutted, and the back of the house, which housed the kitchen, a utility room and an enclosed porch, was deemed structurally unsound and had to be pulled off. The house retains the same footprint of the old house, but the interior has been reconfigured to reflect modern family life. What was once a warren of smaller rooms on the main floor is now one large living space with an open connection to the kitchen. The four large bedrooms on the second floor were made slightly smaller to accommodate two new bathrooms and a laundry. The Malins were able to save some of the old wood floors on both levels of the house.  

Eric Wagner was the general contractor for the project, and Steve Malin of Treanor architects helped the Malins with some of the details of the plan. The house turned out beautifully and the family is very happy with the results. They enjoy the Barker neighborhood and the rural quality of life on Learnard.