GRAFTON — A nearly complete 18th-century replica Cape house being built by a Maryland man in his spare time burned Tuesday evening in a blaze that drew first responders from across the region.
The home, located at 133 Cherry Hill Road, was based on designs by a Rhode Island architect, according to homeowner Bob Tucci. It was heavily damaged in the fire, which officials say likely started in its western half.
The cause of the blaze is still unknown, according to Grafton Fire Chief John Babiarz, who said the state Fire Marshal’s Office is investigating.
Tucci said in a phone interview Friday that it’s too soon to tell whether the building will have to be demolished.
“It’s just an unfortunate happening,” he said. “Some things in the building process you can rip out, reverse and go again but this is different than that.”
Tucci said he spent about two decades building the house and visiting antique salvage stores throughout North Carolina, Michigan and Vermont in search of items to go inside.
“I would come up on my vacation, on my days off,” he said. “Anytime I could put three days or more together, I would come up and build the house.”
He said the project was about 98% complete and had started moving furniture into the house. Rugs were ready to be laid down and he had hired a house cleaner.
That was until Grafton firefighters were called to the street, about a mile north of the Grafton Fire Station, at 5:27 p.m. on Thursday.
They were helped crews from across the Upper Valley and from towns as far away as Andover, N.H., who arrived to help put out the blaze, according to Babiarz. Overall, he said, it took about two hours to get the fire under control.
Babiarz added that crews had difficulty with the terrain and getting water to the house because of its long and narrow driveway.
Tucci said he isn’t yet sure how he’ll proceed, saying it’s too soon to tell what sort of work the home will require and whether it’s salvageable.