The Farmhouse Story

The Farmhouse was built around the time of the Civil War. It sits under the shade of a willow oak tree, equally historic. When we renovated the upstairs bedroom, we found an old piece of newspaper plastered to the wall. The date was 1863, and that was a part of the “new” addition to the house!

The Farmhouse had been abandoned for twenty or thirty years. In the meantime, a tree had fallen on it, a fire had damaged a part of the old kitchen, and poison ivy had grown in profusion over the whole heap. During the next few years, and with the help of many skilled hands, the Farm House reemerged as a living space.

The big question at the beginning of the renovation process was the foundation. The house was (and still is) sitting on stone piers. The floors had a gentle tilt to them, some places more than others. With great trepidation and creaking of beams, we jacked up the house, added new supports and bolstered the existing piers. We were happy to discover no sign of rot, termites or mold.

With the basic structure judged sound, we added insulation, cedar siding, windows and doors, new ceilings, heart pine floors, a screened side porch and a front porch. For extra support, we placed elegant hand-hewn beams and posts in the downstairs rooms.

The original house had no plumbing, electricity, bathroom or closets. We added a small bathroom downstairs, built a closet under the stairway, and designed the attic as a roomy storage space. Plumbing and electricity were easy to add on, with nothing old to replace or pull out.

It was time to move in, and the first residents prepared for winter with a wood stove in the living room-kitchen area and propane gas heaters in two of the three bedrooms. They discovered that the ventilation, which is a godsend in the summertime, makes for chilliness in the cold months. With the house completely insulated from top to bottom, the culprits are probably the double-pane windows and glass doors, which need insulating curtains. Another option is adding a heating unit for the whole house.

The poison ivy is history, as well as the invasive wisteria that snaked underground and popped up everywhere. In their place is a lovely garden of concentric circles off the side porch, and a clear grassy space in front.

September, 2008 - The farmhouse is now owned by Perrin and Jenny.