Half of 256

We’re making some changes at 256, inspired by some of you out there who have downsized to a smaller house.

The house at 256 started off life as the Shea family's house.  During World War II, Portsmouth had a severe housing shortage, as the shipyard worked feverishly three shifts per day, seven days a week. The patriotic thing to do was to take in boarders or divide your home up into apartments. The Shea family did its best to help.  The house remained as two apartments, one up and one down,until a family in the early 80’s reunited it back into a one-family house.  However 256 remained zoned as a two-family house and the electrical meters were never changed back to one.

You know where this is going, right?  We are going to recreate the apartment on the second floor and move into just our first floor.   All we need to do is put up one wall and turn our huge closet upstairs into a kitchen again.  This little pantry area above is an old Victrola case I found left out for the garbage man. The turntable is missing, but that's where I have my cansiters on top.  Underneath, the two doors fold to each side.  There's a lot of room for canned goods.

As part of phase one, I set up a nook so that the kitchen is eat-in once again.  Not only is this an efficient use of space, but it also uses my beloved church pew which I absolutely cannot part with.  I like to think of all the other people who sat in the pew and prayed while I sit in the same spot doing my devotions.