albritton

Remodeling down to dirt

Morse family renovates 90 percent of home

Rachel and Brian Morse didn’t have to go far to find country living close to town.

Brian’s brother had a 20-acre spread on North 40th Street in northwest Muskogee.

“My brother-in-law put it up for sale, and we didn’t want him to sell it, so we traded houses,” Rachel Morse said, adding that the brother-in-law lived there for about seven years.

Brian’s mother, Donna Morse, said the house was originally owned by a circuit judge.

“It was real small, he built onto it and he lived here,” Donna Morse said. “He raised his two kids here 25 years and sold it to my middle son when he retired.”

By Cathy Spaulding • Photos by Mandy Corbell

A stone porch framed by wood beams offers a welcoming entrance to the Brian and Rachel Morse home in northwest Muskogee.

Rachel and Brian Morse have country living close to town on their 20-acre spread.

Rachel and Brian Morse moved into the house in 2016 and found they had a lot of remodeling to do.

Rachel said they did a 90 percent remodel, taking it all the way down to the dirt.

“It wasn’t bad; it was just basic,” she said. “They still had floors from the 1970s. No hardwood floors, it was carpet and tile. The entry was old time hardwood.”

The exterior features the original log

“It wasn’t bad; it was just basic.”

— rachel Morse

siding, but Morse said her husband did much of the stonework on the porch and around the house.

She said her husband and nephew did most of the interior work, including wiring and plumbing.

It helps that Brian Morse is an electrician and owner of Morse Electric. Donna Morse said he used to work at Davis Custom Cabinets in Norman.

Brian also laid the floor with walnut flooring he got in Shawnee. A man named Cooco out of Tulsa did the painting, Rachel said.

They also put new stonework on the fireplace, and surrounded the fireplace

We have over30 companiesto compareensuringwecan find you the best votes &coverage

COMESEEYOURNEW PROGRESSIVE PLATINUMAGENTTODAY

•Auto •Home •Health •Medicare

Supplements •Rental Property •Boat •RV •Commercial •Business •Workers Comp •Insurance •Group Health •Insurance •Vacant •Builders Risk •Bonds •Motorcycle Commercial •Auto •Mobile Home •Motorhome •TravelTrailers •Dental,Vision &Prescription

Plans

ABOVE: An open cabana by the pool features a bar, television and comfortable seating.

RIGHT: Evening lights shimmer in the Morse swimming pool.

The Morse kitchen features granite countertops.

Visitors can play ping pong, billiards and tabletop shuffleboard in a sunken den. with shelves.

Rachel said they got a lot of the furniture from Bob Loftis Furniture in Muskogee, as well as Loftis Furniture in Tulsa.

Rachel said they bought the granite countertops in the kitchen and other rooms from Carpet Warehouse in Muskogee.

Stainless steel kitchen appliances came from Hahn’s Appliance Warehouse.

Rachel said she and her motherin-law designed the intricate tile pattern behind the stove with tiles from Lowe’s.

Down a few steps from the kitchen is the sunroom. Rachel said her husband installed a coffee bar with a small refrigerator.

Two sunroom walls are windows that look onto the Morse’s pond.

“We cleaned out a bunch of trees, so we could see it,” Rachel said.

Floor tiles also came from Carpet Warehouse.

Down a couple of steps from the living room is a den and game room with log paneling and a stone wall.

ABOVE: A formal dining area adds elegance to the home.

LEFT: A sunroom is down a few steps from the kitchen.

BOTTOM: A corner tub offers an outdoor view while ensuring privacy.

“We kind of divided the room. This is my husband’s area,” Rachel said, pointing to the den space, which has a stone fireplace and art work.

The other side has a built-in bench. There is a shuffleboard table and a billiards table. A ping pong tabletop fits into the billiards frame.

Part of Rachel Morse’s LP collection is displayed on the wall. Four autographed guitars came from Tahlequah’s Medicine Stone Music Festival – one guitar from each year the Morses went.

The master bedroom’s elegant bed came from Mathis Brothers, and the ceiling fan came from Lowe’s.

French doors open onto the master bathroom, which has a walk-in shower and a cozy corner tub. A window was installed by the tub. Faucets come from Lowe’s. The glass shower door comes from Binswanger Glass.

The Morses found the most convenient place ever for their washer and dryer — right in their walk-in master bedroom closet.

Three bedrooms are upstairs.

Daughter Tristin, who attends Hilldale Schools, has corner windows in her room. She said she keeps books and games in a hall shelf by the stairway.

A second bedroom belonged to another daughter, MacKenna, who

ABOVE: A stone fireplace and log paneling add a warm coziness to one side of the den.

RIGHT: New shelves surround the fireplace in the living room.

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: The back yard features several benches built into low stone walls.

(I cannot tell what this is. I need to see it larger and in color.)

The spacious back yard features a stone fireplace.

The Morse vegetable garden has yielded tomatoes, but now has morning glories.

A Sasquatch peeks from behind a plant.

passed away in February.

A third bedroom has wood paneling along the walls and ceiling. It has a three-quarter bathroom.

Another washer and dryer set is in the upstairs bathroom. Tristin says she washes her own clothes.

In the front yard, MacKenna’s ashes are kept by a vine-covered arbor with a bench, Rachel said.

In back, Brian Morse and others did all sorts of rock work including benches, garden borders and low walls.

An open cabana by the swimming pool features a place to sit and watch TV. The cabana also has a kitchenette, plus a bathroom with a shower.

The Morses are digging a koi pond on one side of the yard. They also plan to put a hot tub near there.

Farther down, there is a space where deer like to visit.

“He’s got a deer feeder out there, and the deer come up and we see them nearly every evening and morning,” Morse said, adding that she also sees coyotes and raccoons on their property.

Across the yard is space for grilling and smoking. Scout, a mixed breed, has his own dog pen. Beyond a fence are a few peach trees. Rachel keeps chickens in a wire coop. Her husband has a vegetable and flower garden.

“We’ve got morning glories. Every morning, we get covered in morning glory flowers,” she said. “We plan on building a greenhouse next spring.”