Scott Ebbrecht previously worked as a school administrator and his wife, Sheila, is a social worker. But when they purchased a new home, the couple instead became general contractors and interior designers.
The Ebbrechts knew that, though the house had potential, it was missing a few non-negotiable features, and they wasted no time implementing changes. Within two hours of closing, they’d begun tearing down walls. For the next year, the family transformed a house they bought into a home that’s truly their own.
When it came to choosing the property, it was largely about location and size.
“We just wanted a little bit of land,” Scott says. “It has two acres on it.”
The scenery surrounding the house, which was built in 1945, also attracted the Ebbrechts.
“It wasn’t just like any other house,” Sheila says. “The trees and the setting were really important to us.”
After completely renovating their previous home, the Ebbrechts felt the new house was an opportunity to take what they had learned and improve on that process, making an even better home for them and their twin boys, Carson and Simon, and oldest son, Austin, who attends the University of Cincinnati. The couple each excelled at their new roles, Scott leading the contracting work and Sheila managing the interior design process.
Though the days were long and the work was tough, it was a labor of love.
“Looking at other homes and magazines and looking at pictures and then figuring out how to make that work for me and tweaking it, I think I just get a lot of joy from that,” Sheila says. “I love to see how things kind of come together.”
Scott says his time as an administrator has left him with many connections and friends who were willing to help with the project. In those few hours after closing, the couple had friends meet them at the home to start tearing down walls to open up the kitchen. That space has become a central gathering place for loved ones.
But the kids needed space, too. Scott contacted a former student, Alex Borger, an architect major at Bowling Green State University, to help design the addition of the two rooms. Scott and Borger worked together and came up with a plan for the extra bedrooms that best fit the house.
“We needed to be able to visualize what that addition was and he helped me do that,” Scott says.
The couple continued to change almost every room in the house, all while maintaining much of the original character and charm the mid-century home possessed. That meant keeping a lot of the black walnut wood, refurbishing the wood floors and preserving the unique wall textures. The couple also added a basketball court outside, an art studio for Scott and office space for each of them.
Any major renovations come with setbacks, and the Ebbrechts’ was no different. They lost electricity at one point and a boiler went out and frustrated an old cistern. But after a full year of renovations, the family has a home that they love.
“You know, I wouldn’t do anything differently,” Scott says. “I would hire the same people back, because we’ve been very fortunate that the people that have worked with me have all been phenomenal.”
The finished renovations make the home a true reflection of the family. Scott has his art studio, Sheila has her office and the more open space makes room for everyone throughout the house. Other highlights include a covered back porch and sunroom.
Kate Anderson is an editorial assistant at CityScene Media Group. Feedback welcome at feedback@cityscenemediagroup.com.
