Talk of the Town - Sisterly love October 30 2003

Renovations and happy hours in Grant Park

Starting as children, then as Duke University students, and now in a bungalow-style house in Grant Park, fraternal twins Sandra and Paula Frederick have lived together for much of their lives. Twins, but not clones, the ladies pursue different careers: Paula is a lawyer and Sandra is a social work administrator. Their house is in the midst of a charming neighborhood of former shotgun houses and Sears model homes that have undergone many improvements.

Creative Loafing: What condition was the house in when you bought it?

Sandra: The biggest thing was updating aspects of the house like the plumbing. We have been working on it on and off for 16 years and there is always something to keep us busy. There were lots of little rooms that impeded flow and limited the available space. We opened the house up a lot by knocking down some walls. The neighborhood is certainly nicer now, which has made it a good investment.

Paula: That is the good and bad of having an old house. You get the history, but renovating and repairing can be difficult. There were almost no closets in the original house and the ones that they did have were so small that a regular-sized hangar didn’t even fit inside. There are no simple repairs. There is always something they don’t make the same anymore.

What renovations and additions are you particularly proud of?

Sandra: My favorite renovation is my bathroom. I tried to restore it as it could have looked at the time it was designed. I bought period pieces, such as the sink and toilet. We also redid the kitchen two years ago, which is not my favorite renovation stylistically, but definitely functionally. We knocked out a few walls to open the kitchen up, what used to be several rooms are now two (the kitchen and den) with an open bar separating them.

Living with your twin sister must add an interesting dynamic, do you enjoy it?

Paula: We shared a room as kids. We are also pretty different; I think that’s why we get along so well. She’s the bossy one, always pushing to do the projects. Living together makes economic sense, since we are not married, why not live together? If you are going to live with someone, it’s easier to live with your sister, since you can just be yourself.

Sandra: Paula is really outgoing, likes to go somewhere most nights. I’ve never seen her invited to an event she didn’t go to. I’m the opposite. I keep the household centered and do the majority of the cleaning. I am probably the reason we live together. I like having someone around. We have two other sisters who live nearby and are always over here.

The house has nice open spaces. Do you entertain a lot?

Sandra: All of our sisters’ friends congregate over here. Our sisters, Lisa and Judy, have hosted parties here several times. We like to entertain too and have friends over pretty commonly. It’s great for them since they get a happy hour and don’t have to pay.

Paula: That’s from our dad being in the military. We know how to do a happy hour.

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