03 October 2023 , 14:38
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A woman with a knack for renovating historic structures has completely transformed a 98-year-old lighthouse in a decades-long renovation process, costing her more than $250,000 (£200,000).
now 12 years later, the lighthouse in Fairport Harbor, Ohio, has three bedrooms, three bathrooms, a living room, a dining room, a kitchen and a utility room—putting it on par with most modern-day homes.
Sheila Consaul snagged the lighthouse in 2011 for $71,000 (£60,000) as part of a government scheme that allowed individuals to acquire government-owned property. It was meant to be a summer home.
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Sheila began renovating the old structure as soon as she bought it. She said: "The coastguards maintained the light the entire time, but they did not maintain the building very well. So when I got it, it was in really bad shape."
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Sheila Consaul acquired the historic structure for about 70 grand in 2011 (fairportharborwest/Instagram)Since then, she said she has poured about $300,000 into the project. It has proved to be a challenge as the lighthouse was first lit in 1925 meaning its utilities were largely from the 1920s. There were no electricity as well as no modern plumbing systems.
The home renovator made it her mission to make the lighthouse "livable." She added a power generator for electricity after determining that a renewable energy source wasn't possible. Additionally, she filled the lighthouse with new modern appliances like countertops and clean water systems.
Sheila determined that renewable energy sources, like solar panels, wouldn't work with the lighthouse (fairportharborwest/Instagram)These came with their own challenges, which were often expensive. Sheila said: "When it came to the really big stuff, like appliances, granite countertops, water treatment equipment, that all had to come by barge," she said. Sheila added that the barge costs $2,500 (£2,000) per day, Insider reported.
Some aspects of living in the lighthouse called for creativity. Sheila doesn't have running water, so she collects rain from the roof to use for showers and dishwashing. Her composting toilet eliminates the chore of having to dispose of "sewage."
Sheila originally wanted the lighthouse as a summer home (fairportharborwest/Instagram)Before the lighthouse renovation could begin, Sheila needed to find investors to help subsidise the project, which was difficult at first. "I went through a lot of tradespeople who might come out once to look at the job, and then I'd never hear from them again," she said. "It took me a lot of time to find the right people who were willing to take on the challenge."
Initially, the lighthouse lacked modern aspects like electricity and plumbing (fairportharborwest/Instagram)The process has had its perks. "We found a couple of interesting things that had just been thrown into the attic. One was a crate that shipped the original refrigerator into the lighthouse in the 1940s," Sheila said.
Another fun thing about living in a lighthouse is the community events. Sheila now has a open house every year on the anniversary of when the lighthouse was first lit in 1925.