When Craig Britton and Carleen Bruins turn the lights out in the evening, the night fills their home for nearly the 57,000th time. Their house – originally built by Susan B. Dennison in 1859 and then acquired and added to another building in 1871 by Henry Landes – is simply called the “Landes House” at 1034 Franklin St., and has been a part of Port Townsend for more than 150 years.

In May 2015, Craig and Carleen were the recipients of the prestigious Mary P. Johnson Award, the Jefferson County Historical Society's "highest honor given to projects that meet the strict guidelines of the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Historic Preservation," said Chris Prescott, chair of the awards committee. "It is not presented every year."

The couple received the award in recognition of their restoration work to the property, which included an overhaul of the kitchen and downstairs bathroom, and restoration of an old barn on the property and a carriage house, the award description reads.

What the description doesn't cover are the dozens of tiny changes the couple made, such as changing the light switches to push-button switches, or installing the same company's wallpaper used by previous owners to match. All of their furniture, too, is meticulously chosen to complement the house's simple yet historic design.

"The new owners, Craig [Britton] and Carleen [Bruins], can be credited with having achieved a faithfully implemented restoration with a superb and meticulous quality," wrote Marsha Moratti, archivist for the Jefferson County Historic Society (JCHS), in an email. "The house is in a pristine condition, showing commitment to both period details and the historical context."

When Craig and Carleen purchased the house in 2002, they weren't expecting any heavy-duty restoration projects. In fact, they weren't expecting much of anything. The married couple bought the house as a place to retire, as an outlet for solitude away from bustling Los Altos, California, where they both worked.

They figured they would spend a few thousand dollars here restoring the kitchen, or a few thousand there replacing the windows. After more than $100,000 in restoration work on top of the $695,000 purchase price, the couple have completed "95 percent of the restoration work," Craig said. "[It doesn't] get much more complete than that."

EXTREME MAKEOVER

Craig and Carleen met while working together at the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District in Los Altos – a greenbelt system in the Bay Area near San Francisco, where they worked to preserve the uninhabited land. They married in 1993, and it wasn't long before they noticed their shared love of antiques and Victorian-style homes.

When the time came to retire, the couple knew they wanted to live in an old-style home. They both had an appreciation for historical construction and design; even while living in Los Altos, the couple occupied a house built in the 1920s.

In the early 2000s, they knew exactly what they were looking for.

"We wanted a Victorian home, for it to be within 25 miles of the ocean, and we wanted to spend less than $1 million," Craig said. "The reason we picked $1 million is because there was a nice Victorian for sale in Los Altos for $4 million."

After looking up and down the West Coast, the couple finally settled on Port Townsend, after a recommendation from a friend. They then spent months looking at different historic homes in town before discovering the Landes House.

"We really liked the small town," Carleen said. "The fact that it was on the National Historic Registry as a historic seaport was appealing to us. We quickly found out that there aren't many [places] that met the criteria we were looking for."

In 2002, the couple bit and purchased the property from Gary and Mary McDowell, whom, just six years earlier, had purchased it from Dr. Randy and Mary Jacobs. The McDowells were in the midst of building another home near Fort Worden, so they rented the house for a few years as Craig and Carleen worked with the late Barbara Marseille of the Jefferson County Historical Society on a plan to faithfully restore areas of the house.

"She was our consultant, helping us make sure that the things we did were historically fitting in our home," Carleen said.

"She was a real stickler," Craig added. "I wanted to put in a tin ceiling in the kitchen; she wouldn't let us do it."

The kitchen is where the bulk of the renovations were made by Craig and Carleen. In the massive open space, the oak flooring from the hallway was extended into the room to match, and the countertops were replaced with soapstone.

Modern appliances such as the refrigerator and oven were covered in oak paneling with nickel-plated hardware to give the illusion they're part of the cabinet walls. Without knowing where the appliances are hidden, it's almost impossible to tell there is anything from this century.

For every step of the way, Marseille was there to consult and help make sure every detail was historically faithful. Craig and Carleen said the planning phase is what took the most time. In fact, they didn't even start renovating until years after the McDowells moved out.

The hard work did pay off, though. In 2014, while hosting a dinner party, Pat Durbin of the Jefferson County Historical Society started noticing the details in the renovations Craig and Carleen had made.

"What happened was, Pat called and asked if we had any pictures, so I sent them some. Then, we didn't hear from anybody," Craig said. "Then, [Chris Prescott, JCHS president] called. Three of them came by to take a tour of the house. They looked under every carpet."

"Then, we didn't hear from them for a couple months," Carleen said.

While they were vacationing out of state, the couple received the news when a neighbor congratulated them via text message. Apparently, a letter and award had been sent to their address – in addition to many voicemails left on their answering machine. Since they were unable to accept the award in person, Pat Durbin filled in for them.

MODERN COMFORT

The Mary P. Johnson Award hangs on a wall, framed and tucked away in the kitchen. Craig and Carleen said they are certainly honored, but they maintain that the real recognition should go to the previous generations of owners as well.

“I think, yes, we put a lot of effort into it, but so did others who lived here before us,” Carleen said. “It's kind of a continuation on the scale. And so, I think anything we can do to help preserve Port Townsend's history and the things that make Port Townsend a special place, we feel glad that we can participate in this opportunity.”

Although the award specifically recognizes the couple for their restorative work to the inside of the home, the couple doesn't look at living in such a historical space as something that's limiting or foreign.

“I don't think it’s like living in any other home,” Craig said. “I do think more things go wrong with them than a new home. Things need attention: older equipment, older plumbing, older wiring, older fixtures; all those things.”

In their spare time, the pair are often working on fixes and improvements to the property. Their goal is to have the backyard garden up and growing again. Craig's personal project is installing one of those old bells with a string that goes through the ceiling and into second floor, “so we don't have to shout when dinner is ready.”

Day to day, Craig and Carleen said, they live like any other retired Port Townsend residents, give or take. Craig can often be seen at the Port Townsend Athletic Club on weekday mornings. On Saturdays, the couple likes to frequent the Port Townsend Farmers Market.

Since moving into the Landes House in 2013, the couple agreed that their time there has been no different than any home they've been in before.

“We find the home livable,” Craig said. A lot of people restore these things and people wonder, 'Is it like a museum?' Well, to some degree, but people live here, and it's actually quite comfortable.”

“The unique thing about owning an older home in Port Townsend is the fact that we're caretakers. We like the fact that it's in an historic district. Many people owned it before us, and we hope many people will own it after us.”