Kotchish says they’re “getting in on the ground floor,” but they’ve had family in Manchester going back to Warriner’s great-great-grandparents and are dedicated to bringing back a community feel.

The house is a mutt of styles from modifications over the years. Through research at the Valentine Richmond History Center, Kotchish learned that in 1819 the building was the Brooks Tavern and was sold to a nailer. The residential half was held together with joints and dowels, not nails, and there’s a scar in the second floor of the residence next to the staircase where a trap door used to be.

Kotchish and Warriner oversaw the renovation on weekends. Their repair work was backed by a few high-school drafting classes and lessons learned from another house they fixed up together — their only other renovation experience. They kept as much of the original materials as they could.

The apartment rents for $800 monthly and the offices are $350 each a month. Kotchish says they’re just trying to cover the cost and the mortgage. “It’ll appreciate on its own,” she