"We don't run the water for conservation reasons, but the statue still works," Preston says.
The house once had all the fashionable features of its era: a double staircase, a one-door garage, and a maid's closet with a door leading to the outside, to shake off mops and brooms.
But in the 1960s, its second owner removed one side of the staircase to make room for a bigger kitchen, turned the maid's closet into a powder room, and converted the garage to a family room, in addition to blacktopping the rear yard for a basketball court.
Enter the third owners in 1999: Ichniowski and Preston and children Elizabeth, 13, Timothy, 11, and Carly, 4.
"We were looking forward to hosting our family Thanksgiving dinners in our new home because our parents are getting older and it is our turn," Preston says.
But the hosting would have to wait a while, the family soon discovered. The house was very cold in the winter, especially the dining room and kitchen - so cold, they ate all their meals in the living room.
"We set out small tables in front of the fireplace," Ichniowski says. "It is a beautiful fireplace, but this was not satisfactory, and our heating bills were about $1,000 a month."
Architect Shep Houston helped the couple determine that the '60s-era family room was the chief culprit: The former garage had been lined with painted plywood, with no insulation.
"We were heating the outdoors," Ichniowski says. "Our heating system was also out of balance, so we replaced that, and Shep made some important modifications to our house."
Says Preston: "Shep redesigned the family room and changed the character of the entire first floor."
