July 24, 2002

Renovations help 120-year-old house stand test of time

By Lisa Perkins
      Herald staff writer
      When the Gutzka family farm went up for sale, Todd Gutzka feared the property on Cedar Run Road would be sub-divided and the old house torn down.
      Gutzka, who grew up next door, was the fourth generation of Gutzka's to live on the property in the 85 years it belonged to his family. The 120-year-old house was full of family memories but had seen better days.
      That's when Jay Littell of JFL Properties in partnership with Sean Eisele came into the picture. Littell purchased the house and seven acres of land and Eisele took on the task of renovating the house.
      "It means a lot to me that they kept the place, they could have put eight houses in here, this makes it really nice," said Gutzka who lives on adjoining property.
      "They have done a really good job and kept a lot of the charm of the place, it looks better than it ever did," Gutzka noted.
      Eisele knew of the family history when he began the renovations last November, but didn't realize just what he would uncover in the process.
      "When we stripped down the layers of flooring in the dining room we found some crayon drawings. As it turns out Todd remembered drawing them when he was a young boy," Eisele said.
      "We found things that dated back before the Gutzka's owned the place, back to when it was built in the 1880s, like the newspapers that were beneath the plaster and lath," said Eisele, who made an effort to keep the house's original character in tact.
      In addition to keeping original floor boards and woodwork wherever possible, Eisele also created a "window of truth" showcasing an area of original wall board, newspaper insulation included.
      An 1880s classified advertisement for local property reads:
      Farm for sale
      Located 1 1/2 mile from Maple City and on the Traverse City and Glen Haven mail route: 20 acres, improved, 20 acres of fine timber, running stream of pure water and springs; bearing orchard, good fences, frame house and log barn.
      Price $1,000
      John Helm, Burdickville
      Now that the project is nearly complete, Eisele is glad to see it coming to an end.
      "It started out as a remodel project, but where do you stop. It has been awesome, but it has been huge," said Eisele, who will be putting the house on the market when the nine-month renovation project is complete later this summer.