When Alyce Spruell purchased the old house in Northport’s historic district, she knew it had possibilities that other people could not envision. Colleagues, friends and even contractors she contacted about the property told her to just “tear it down”.

Despite this advice, Spruell, a Northport attorney, resolved to preserve and beautify the property, which was more than a century old. When she approached contractor Rick Jarman about renovating the house, he shared her vision.

She and Jarman assembled a corp of expert carpenters, restorers, electricians, and an interior designer to make their vision a reality.

“Alyce told us the house had to be ready to move in by July 31 and she didn’t want to go halfway with anything - she let us do it right without cutting corners,” Jarman said. “We nearly rebuilt the whole house in just 4 months.”

Spruell described the historic background of what are now the law offices she shares with Joe Powell.

“The house was built around 1898-1901 and it was originally a wood frame typical ‘shotgun’ style,” she said, “It was once built with one story then seven additions were made.”

“Earlier this century, it was damaged on the right side, by a tornado. With repairs made from the storm, and additions made by different residents, as you walk through the house, you can see that it has several levels, also,” she added.

Jarman outlined the first of the major renovations that he and his son, Jacob, and master carpenter, Alan Farris, began in April.

“When we went in, we decided to completely rebuild and enlarge the stairway and foyer. We cut open the area between the first and second floors by 2 feet because to climb the stairs before then, people had to bend over at the landing. We removed the second-floor bathroom which hung over the stairs, and we made a grander staircase which is more functional, too.”

The house had a myriad of hidden areas and corners that Jarman and other sub-contractors uncovered.

“In what is now the library we found a fake fireplace, then Rick and the co-workers opened the area out and found that there was a double hearth which leads to what is now the foyer area,” she said. “There was another fireplace in the original dinning room that we didn’t even know existed. A third fireplace was found when Rick and the guys were trying to knock out walls but were having trouble because the fireplace had been completely plastered over.

The newly discovered fireplaces had their secrets.

“We found editions of the Birmingham newspapers from the 1940's stuffed in the fluxes. It was a hoot to read the stories and advertisements from back then,” she chuckled.

“I found old tools and we found old bricks from way back all the way to the 1800's.”

Rick and the crew demolished outdoor brick chases and added new bricks.

Many windows in the house contained historic glass that was unusable for the office. Spruell donated them to the Friends of Historic Northport.

Marvin Harper, head of the Friends of Historic Northport, expressed his love that the house was being salvaged.

Benny Sutton, a Tuscaloosa painting contractor, conferred with Spruell and the interior designer, Diane Darden, suggested that they pick colors for the walls, and he suggested colors like taupe, forest green and deep wine. These colors complemented the rooms’ furnishing and the historical ambiance.

“I don’t believe anyone could have hung in with us like Allen Farris did on this house. There were days that it was so hot and dirty but he stayed with us to the end,” Jarman said.