“She wanted three things in a house,” said Haymes during a tour of the house earlier this week. “It had to be downtown, it had to have plenty of light and it had to be move-in ready. I thought two out of three isn’t bad.”

Haymes said his work was dictated by the fact that Buffett’s two priorities were retaining the historic integrity of the house and making it a comfortable place to live inside with modern features and fixtures. Those objectives were met thanks not only to the expertise of Haymes and the experienced subcontractors he brought in, but also by Buffett’s hands-on approach with the interior. Though modernized, the interior offers reminders of the house’s history throughout.

Haymes’ initial challenge was to make sure the house was stabilized. Built on a river rock foundation, the house needed to be shored up with new concrete footers.

Next was dealing with the old brick, much of it laid in Flemish bond and much of which had deteriorated. Some of it had been repointed with concrete—a true preservation no-no in that concrete is not mortar, and it also damages the old brick over time. The initial repointing and brick work was done by mason Hamp Covert, who had just completed similar work at Chatham Manor.