Diary of a ReClaimed House

Maple bowling lane finds a new use in
a home saved from the wrecking ball

Homeowners Eliza Lake and Bart Niswonger of
Easthampton, Massachusetts saved a 1916
New England farmhouse from demolition and
then remodeled it with reused building materials
from the ReStore Home Improvement Center.

Eliza and Bart spotted a stack of reclaimed
bowling lanes at the ReStore; light bulbs went
off. They knew the bowling lane would create
the perfect countertop: resistant to chipping
and cracking while being unusually recognizable.
“Our house has a whimsical nature to it and we
had heard of old lanes being reformed into
tabletops,” states Eliza. “We knew it would
be a natural as our new kitchen countertop.”

“Installation has taken more time, due to
customizing the lane to fit our ReStore kitchen
sink,” Eliza comments. “Then again, when we
began our house renovation we never knew
where the journey would lead us.” Eliza
and Bart are seasoned shoppers at ReStore,
reclaiming vintage plumbing and lighting fixtures
to fit into their vintage reclaimed house.

In 2005 Eliza and Bart put together two 1916
quarters and one half-dollar to purchase their
circa 1916 Easthampton farmhouse, which was
slated for demolition, and began the painstaking
process of relocation and rehabilitation. “After
the house was moved is when we became friends
of the ReStore,” explains Bart who designs and
builds unique furniture for his Studio Cochineal.
“We have salvaged sinks, glass light globes, and
other building materials from ReStore which we
have incorporated into our home,” adds Bart.
“It’s great to find unique items, save them from
becoming landfill and get them at great prices.”

Check out the gallery of pictures from ”Diary of
a ReClaimed House” as well the link to Studio
Cochineal and the link to see how they made a
table from a piece of bowling lane
and two doors.

See the gallery of images from the reclaimed house.

Visit the Studio Cochineal website, where Bart designs
and builds unique furniture.

See how to make a bowling alley coffee table (pdf file),
like the one built at the Studio Cochineal. See the
coffee table on our scrapbook page.