A Family Style Remodel

We often get leads for our Open House feature from realtors trying to sell a unique property. The home we’re featuring this issue did come from Realtor Jamie Forrest of Exp Reality. She recommended it mainly because of its historic features and because it’s the house she grew up in and is her parents’ home still. We’re traveling a bit east for this story as the home is in Groton.

Jamie’s parents are Melodee and Jim Lane, and together with their other four children, they rehabbed this historic home that was in pretty rough shape. After buying the residence at an attractive price in the early 1990s which had been on the market for months, the whole family systematically restored and rebuilt nearly every square inch of the house. Aside from putting a new basement under it, adding bathrooms, replacing windows, moving walls, and utility upgrades, they stripped all the woodwork down to bare wood. Now, you might think they did this to remove years of paint, but that wasn’t the case. The stain and varnish on the pine had deteriorated over the years, which had bubbled and darkened dramatically. The family took to it with stripper, sandpaper, knives, picks, and scrapers. None of them enjoyed the work. Who would, honestly? But the results are very stunning. Instead of re-staining the trim work, they simply varnished the natural wood. They love that the contrasting grain patterns are now revealed.

None of the hardwood floors or the cabinets were worth restoring, so everything was replaced. There was even a servant’s staircase that went straight up to the third-floor attic that they removed. Major changes were made to the kitchen, making it more modern yet with a historic vibe. The cabinets are all solid oak, custom made by Sippel Cabinets of Groton.

Brown County records show the Victorian home was built in 1900, however the Lanes say documents left in the home suggest an earlier year. It is their understanding the home was built for a member of the Paetznick family, a brother to Jon Helmuth Paetznick, a cabinet maker who started Paetznick Funeral Home in 1887 in Groton. The original owner of the Lane home worked with his brother in the furniture and funeral home business. The business, now corporately owned, still exists as Paetznick-Garness Funeral Home.

Aside from the hints of historic architecture throughout, the Lanes have decorated their home in a unique style that reflects their family history and their passions. The main floor has a massive roll top desk and a wall feature above it containing artifacts from Jim’s dad’s feed business. Jim’s family ran Lanes N-R-G Feed, the animal feed mill in Aberdeen that is on Dakota Street with the Purina logo on it.

Three bedrooms are on the second floor with a fourth converted to a craft room. However, the attic is where things really get interesting. As you climb the steep steps to the attic, you’re faced with dozens of familiar board game boards (and many game pieces) displayed on the walls. As well, there are many vintage toys arranged on shelves, filling everywhere the eye glances. The attic itself is a terrific use of an odd space. The attic room is open and spacious, allowing for a recreation room featuring a pool table, video games, and a loft. There’s even a bedroom tucked up in a gable end.

The whole family can share stories about the tedious rehab and remodeling work involved in making it the home it is today. Every one of the five kids (with an age span of 19 years between Jamie and the youngest one, Marshall) was a huge help to their parents in whatever phases of the huge renovation project were underway while they were growing up. CJ, the oldest son, helped from the time he was four through high school and beyond when he became a carpenter. He worked for Lickfelt Construction when Jim and Melodee hired them to remodel the kitchen, back entry, and laundry room. That was the only time professional carpenters were hired; the family made all other improvements to the home themselves.

Jamie believes she developed a passion for real estate from the restoration process. She likes that homes are passed on and loved from one family to another. While the historic Lane house is not a total period restoration, it is a loving home, preserved to last, and to reflect the lifestyle of a caring family.