Renovated Stone Farmhouse Before Tour Part 1
Join us for the before tour part 1 of this gorgeously renovated stone farmhouse that dates back to 18th century.
I am so excited to share this particular home with you as it is near and dear to my heart.
As mentioned in Designing Our Forever Home my love for old world charm started with the years of growing up on my grandparents’ farms, both of which dated back to the 18th century.
One of these farms belonged to Oma and Opa (German for gramma and grampa).
In the ’70s, my grandfather set out to find an old stone farmhouse to move his family of four into.
He knocked on doors, watched for ads, and found this old beauty.
The original log cabin was built in 1763 and then the main farmhouse was added on in 1790.
As you can see at one time the house was covered in plaster and questionable if it even was stone.
But off the plaster came and . . . voila . . . beautiful centuries old stone.
My grandfather bought this stony piece of history in 1972 and began the process of bringing it back to life.
The price tag for this home and adjoining 100 acres in 1972 . . . $90,000. Can you imagine?!
Front of house.
Side and back of house.
Renovated Stone Farmhouse
The Property.
View from the front of the house.
I loved the pond as a kid but the swans that lived there did not like visitors!
Road that ran along the left side of the house that lead to the barn at the back.
I created a DIY Farmhouse Cork Board Organizer using a plank of wood from that 200-year-old barn!
Side of the house where the addition would be built.
Back of the house. The original log cabin is there on the left. The barn is behind us here.
Renovated Stone Farmhouse
Let the construction begin!
Front of house under construction.
Notice now that the large tree is removed the obvious asymmetry of the window on the front wall.
Back of the house under construction.
Front house elevation.
The two-story addition on the right side included a two-car garage on the bottom and the kitchen and family room above.
Side addition.
Excavation prior to the addition.
My grandmother is standing in the corner where the stairs would eventually lead up to the first floor. My mother and her brother are standing above her.
The door that my grandfather is posing in front of (Or maybe doing calisthenics?? Not sure.) was an exterior entrance to the cellar of the original log house.
Once the addition was put on you could still enter the cellar through the garage. It was the perfect place for all of my grandmother’s canned goods!
That original log house took some work.
My grandfather would have been entirely justified in tearing it down, but in true Fixer Upper fashion, he went to work bringing this 200 year old historical gem back to life.
I am so glad he did because it became my favorite place in the whole house.
Log house before.
Log house under construction.
See the original stairs leading up? That narrow little staircase would be enclosed with a door in the wall that led up to a playroom for us kids.
It’s coming along!
Checkout these old windows.
9 panes over 6 with solid oak frame. Well-preserved because this was under the porch.
Look at the way they cased this window.
The space between the window and the opening in the exterior wall is filled with plaster and a lot of little stones. Not exactly energy efficient!
Don’t miss part 2 of this before tour, but if you can’t wait then check out the finished stone farmhouse tour!
