November-December 2022 - 71

a big, bustling city, and then he spent his
young adult life in Boston. He also comes from
a very prominent Thai family, so he grew up with
tremendous comfort and convenience. Now, all
of a sudden, he's out in the New Hampshire countryside
with a rundown house that's kind of eerie
and creepy inside. "
Despite his reservations, Chittkusol supported
his husband's dream and that was all the encouragement
Spychalski needed. " So I went for it, " he
says. " And he did enjoy the last years of the renovation,
when a layman's eyes could see what was
transpiring. He actually warmed up to it. "
It would take years for that moment of enlightenment
to occur. Spychalski, understanding the
investment required, realized the work would
need to be done piecemeal. Gauthier was agreeable
to that arrangement. The 71-year-old knew the
project would likely take years, but he was willing
to be flexible in order to create something special.
" I was able to put everything I learned my whole
life into that house. All aspects of it, " says Gauthier.
" Joe gave me carte blanche. We would sit down
and discuss it, but basically, he just followed my
lead with a lot of it and just let me go. "
For Spychalski, the seven years spent working
together with Gauthier was a reflection of a relationship
" built on trust and a mutual respect for
each other's skills, ideas and passions. "
" We started in July 2011, by getting these big
steel dumpsters and pulling out all the windows, "
he says. " Wayne brought in some guys and just
cleaned out the whole house.
" There was no estimate, no building contract, "
says Spychalski. " Every meeting ended with a
shake of hands. It all seemed like an old-world
Yankee way of doing things. It all seemed to fit into
the period this home was built, a time when doing
things was a little simpler. "
There were no architectural blueprints, no laptops
detailing intricate plans of the final product.
Concepts were sketched on a wooden plank, a
scrap of paper, or Gauthier's old, black-and-white
composition pads. In retrospect, Spychalski says,
the arrangement was " quite comical. "
Assembling a top-notch crew
Gauthier brought in several skilled craftsmen,
including carpenter Jim Heslop, mason Knut Indemundsen
and painter Kathleen Hill. The crew, like
Gauthier, worked on Spychalski's schedule, which
meant they'd contribute to the Andover house as
his budget allowed, and pursue other projects during
interruptions.
Top: The primary bedroom features a faux marble fireplace facade restored by Kathleen Hill.
Antique Gaudy Dutch plates rest atop the mantel.
Above: General contractor and custom carpenter Wayne Gauthier, left, enjoys a relaxing
moment with Dr. Joseph Spychalski.
nhhomemagazine.com | November/December 2022 69

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November-December 2022

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