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A Farm of My Own:  Anyone Redoing a Farmhouse?  |
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twigs
True Blue Farmgirl
52 Posts
tiffany
lacie
ky
USA
52 Posts |
 Posted - May 31 2006 : 3:23:51 PM
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just wondering if anyone here has been redoing their farmhouse?
we purchased the 1800's general store in the hills of ky and turned it into my gift shop home decor with some primitive antiques in there. we also bought the early 1900's house beside it that was built for the shopkeepers of the town. well it hasnt been redone since it was built so we have gutted it out.
we start MONDAY on reconstructing it. i am doing it very colonial primitive style and just wondering if anyone has any tips or ideas on how they did their farmhouse.
im wanting a kitchen fireplace and wondering if anyone has one?
any advice would be appreciated
twigs
May you be surrounded by the things of olde that make you feel like a treasure! |
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Libbie
Farmgirl Connection Cultivator
3579 Posts
Anne E.
Elsinore
Utah
USA
3579 Posts |
Posted - May 31 2006 : 4:23:21 PM
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Yep. About 8 years ago we moved into an 1870's farmhouse that my great-great grandfather built. It has been in the family since then, but had been rented out for the last 30 years. It was a disaster. So, for the past while, that's what we've done. It's really quite finished, but there are always some finishing touches - a lightswitch plate here, a moulding there... We did all of the work ourselves, except the roof and the carpet, so it's taken a while, but I absolutely love it. Can you describe "colonial primitive" style for me? It sounds interesting, but I don't know what it is.
I'd love a kitchen fireplace. Mine is in what we most affectionately call the "stove room" and is located right in the center of the house for heating. Aren't woodstoves/fireplaces wonderful? Would you be using yours for cooking?
XOXO, Libbie
"Nothing is worth more than this day." - Goethe |
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twigs
True Blue Farmgirl
52 Posts
tiffany
lacie
ky
USA
52 Posts |
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MullersLaneFarm
True Blue Farmgirl
596 Posts
Rock Falls
IL
596 Posts |
Posted - Jun 01 2006 : 1:28:38 PM
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tiffany,
we added on to our late 1800's home a couple years ago. All but the actual kitchen was handmade by my husband out lumber from a 1910-something barn - even the floor used to be the old hay mow floor
this is how it turned out:
http://www.mullerslanefarm.com/kitchen
Cyndi
Muller's Lane Farm http://www.mullerslanefarm.com
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TejasFarmgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
105 Posts
Dawnn
Bartonville
Texas
USA
105 Posts |
Posted - Jun 01 2006 : 7:29:49 PM
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Twigs-
I dream of an old farmhouse - just like my grandparents had in Iowa, or like the old German Texas farmhouse in the central part of Texas. We are redoing a 70's house into what I am calling Modern Farmhouse = we gutted the inside and added beadboard to the walls in the kitchen and several of the other rooms. Eventually we will pull off the ugly no character brick and side it and add a metal roof.
I think a fireplace in the kitchen is awesome - like a Keeping Room. Keep us posted on the renovation! I would love to hear more about it! |
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vtharvestfolkart
True Blue Farmgirl
69 Posts
doreen
West Pawlet
VT
USA
69 Posts |
Posted - Jun 04 2006 : 06:31:30 AM
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Twigs. I love an old farmhouse. Congratulations on your great purchase. Mercantile Gatherings, they have a website and a magazine, have wonderful primitive colonial decorating ideas. If you are looking for some folk art to put into your home....just let me know....i am a folk artist. I just made my first extreme primitive doll (finished her yesterday)....my other stuff is primitive...but not as extreme. Take care and best of luck with your home.....i have always wanted a kitchen with a fireplace and a stairway to the upstairs...the old kitchens use to have them. I have always loved that. :)
doreen
Please take a look at my folk art. http://www.crowsoup.com/Market1137.php
"IT'S GOOD TO HAVE AN END TO JOURNEY TOWARDS....BUT IT'S THE JOURNEY THAT MATTERS IN THE END" |
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vtharvestfolkart
True Blue Farmgirl
69 Posts
doreen
West Pawlet
VT
USA
69 Posts |
Posted - Jun 04 2006 : 06:43:17 AM
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Cyndi. Mullers Lane Farm is fantastic. I love your kitchen and great room. Your site is excellent. Very helpful. It is clear you love your way of life. I will be visiting your site often.
Take care
doreen
Please take a look at my folk art. http://www.crowsoup.com/Market1137.php
"IT'S GOOD TO HAVE AN END TO JOURNEY TOWARDS....BUT IT'S THE JOURNEY THAT MATTERS IN THE END" |
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junebug
True Blue Farmgirl
2421 Posts
Sue
West Plains,
Mo.
USA
2421 Posts |
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twigs
True Blue Farmgirl
52 Posts
tiffany
lacie
ky
USA
52 Posts |
Posted - Jun 10 2006 : 3:29:01 PM
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thanks Doreen, so glad you like mercantile gatherings magazine, im the editor and writer for it.......and it is great to see folks loving it soo
ill check out your primitive wares, for im a designer too and always looking for goodies for my shop and home.
twigs
May you be surrounded by the things of olde that make you feel like a treasure! |
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vtharvestfolkart
True Blue Farmgirl
69 Posts
doreen
West Pawlet
VT
USA
69 Posts |
Posted - Jun 11 2006 : 2:38:47 PM
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Hello twigs.....i had no idea when i posted that comment that you were involved with the magazine. :) As you are aware then.......Mercantile gatherings has many, many ideas for a colonial home :) It is a great magazine. I would love for you to check out my primitives. take care. doreen
Please take a look at my folk art. http://www.crowsoup.com/Market1137.php
"IT'S GOOD TO HAVE AN END TO JOURNEY TOWARDS....BUT IT'S THE JOURNEY THAT MATTERS IN THE END" |
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Kate Talley
Farmgirl in Training
27 Posts
Kate
West Jordan
Utah
27 Posts |
Posted - Jun 11 2006 : 9:01:35 PM
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Libbie,
I didn't know you lived in your ancestral home! I love that. Good for you. Nowadays so many people just don't care about preserving the past. Just think of the time and energy your family members put into that home.
During your remodeling, did you run into trouble with anything toxic? Like lead paint etc? |
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Libbie
Farmgirl Connection Cultivator
3579 Posts
Anne E.
Elsinore
Utah
USA
3579 Posts |
Posted - Jun 11 2006 : 9:34:15 PM
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Kate - it's true - I LOVE my home. It has such a good "feel" to it. I am just so fortunate to be here. You know, I'm sure we DID run into some toxic things - the house is SO old that I can't imagine that there weren't places with lead paint, etc. During our remodel time, luckily we were diligent about wearing masks for sanding and being careful with dust. Also, one of the great things about the timing was that I wasn't pregnant during any of that remodeling time, and that's what I would worry about most. By the time my little one arrived, everything was covered by fresh coats of "safe" paint.
XOXO, Libbie
"Nothing is worth more than this day." - Goethe |
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westernhorse51
True Blue Farmgirl
1681 Posts
michele
farmingdale
n.j.
USA
1681 Posts |
Posted - Jun 13 2006 : 06:23:48 AM
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I'm not redoing a farmhouse YET but I have always wanted an old farmhouse and God willing I will have one. I know this may sound weird to some people but I don't want an old farmhouse to turn around and make it new & modern. My sister bought one in S. Jersey and it's all modern w/ no knowledge of it ever being an older farmhouse. What is the point?? Why not just buy a newer (not brand new) house to do that/ I guess it's me but I want my older farmhouse to resemble a farmhouse. If you walked INTO my mobile home, you would think you were in a farmhouse. The whole inside resembles one, especially the kitchen. I've got old hand cranks everywhere ( I use them) old tins, herbs hanging from my kitchen ceiling, a butter churn, spinning wheel, roosters, my kitchen chandalier is a wagon wheel, washboards on the walls, tins for dried herbs etc. I love my kitchen so much. If I can't have my old farmhouse YET, I make this one look that way, it helps!!
she selects wool and flax and works with eager hands Prov.31:13 |
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Redhen
Farmgirl in Training
33 Posts
Moe
Illinois
USA
33 Posts |
Posted - Jun 14 2006 : 1:47:18 PM
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I love farm houses! I live in one which thankfully had a lot of work done to it (electric, a/c, drywall) before we were given the opportunity to buy it. And fortunately they didn't remove the character. They refinished all of the wood floors and kept the old kitchen cupboards. Westernhorse, I know just what you mean, so I guess I am weird too. We don't have any fireplaces. Love the pics of your kitchen, Cyndi. I will have to explore your site a little further! As for primitive, I love to use primitives in my home too. I would say my home is more cottage-prim. Good luck with the remodel!
....I don't believe we're in Kansas anymore.The Wizard of Oz |
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jpbluesky
True Blue Farmgirl
6066 Posts
Jeannie
Florida
USA
6066 Posts |
Posted - Jun 14 2006 : 1:58:06 PM
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Cottage-prim. A new term. I love it!
Peace |
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scarlin3
Farmgirl at Heart
4 Posts
Susan
Kirkville
NY
USA
4 Posts |
Posted - Jun 14 2006 : 5:30:00 PM
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We're redoing an old farmhouse! We searched for a year before we found it, and most of our friends just shook their heads when they saw it. My father calls it "Tara" (probably Tara AFTER the war!)
It is in upstate NY and is called SugarBush Farm after the stand of maples on the property. It was built in 1803 and a later addition in 1853. The original owner was a land surveyor and as compensation he was given a land grant and had to build a dwelling and farm it within 5 years in order to keep it. The original structure was built in the late 1700's, and was gone by the time we bought the house.
We're the first non-family owners of the home. Many, many people looked at the house with an eye toward dividing it and converting it to a 2 family home (the house has 2 front doors - the original 1803 door & the 1853 door...and yes, we have the original skeleton keys for both!). The owners however wanted to see the house restored and a family live there...and we fit the bill (well, we didn't have children when we bought the place!)
About 7 years ago we were featured on "If Walls Could Talk"....it was very exciting! When we gutted the kitchen (it really needed it) we found old maps wallpapered on to the plaster & lathe walls and then covered by sheetrock. We found a map of NYS in 1853 and had it restored. We also found old letters in the attic (amidst the racoon poo) as well as some old printing stamps of when the house was an inn.
I could go on and on about all the neat things in our house (and it seems I have!). We have tried to preserve the past while living in the present and for the most part I think we have done a pretty good job of blending both.
Susan
Kirkville, NY |
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westernhorse51
True Blue Farmgirl
1681 Posts
michele
farmingdale
n.j.
USA
1681 Posts |
Posted - Jun 14 2006 : 6:21:46 PM
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Susan your farmhouse sounds wonderful to say the least. What a history it has!
she selects wool and flax and works with eager hands Prov.31:13 |
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Mari-dahlia
True Blue Farmgirl
269 Posts
Marianne
Hoosick Falls
New York
USA
269 Posts |
Posted - Jun 15 2006 : 05:02:32 AM
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We are redoing our farmhouse also. We have a 1820's New England, Adams Colonial.( Big white New England type ) I would love a kitchen fireplace but we did not put one in. I think the house tells you what needs to be done. Our home in this region would not have been "rustic". The post and beam construction has been covered with plaster walls etc. The walls in the front sitting room are curved in the corners.
It has been 3 years and we just got to the second floor this Spring. The kitchen still is not finished because I won't replace something that still works, so the stove, dishwasher etc. are from when we moved in.Until they die we can't finish the cabinets and counters correctly.
I love it and am at peace everyday I spend here. Have fun! |
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asnedecor
True Blue Farmgirl
1054 Posts
Anne
Portland
Or
USA
1054 Posts |
Posted - Jun 15 2006 : 06:55:44 AM
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We do not live on a farm, but our house is definitely a farmhouse. When it was built it was surrounded by a cherry orchard back in 1912. We have lived in our house now for 9 years. We are slowly redoing it. We are trying to stay within the original "flow" of the house, not adding things that would be too modern or out of place. We decorate in a 30's/40's type theme, but stay close to the farm style. Nothing too fancy. We put in red oak floors, there were no hardwoods in the house. We chose a grade 2 flooring, which is not a clear oak, but has some discoloration and flaws - which is in keeping with the age of the house. We have added crown mouldings where they were missing and should have been years ago. We have put in light fixtures that are reproductions of early 1900 fixtures. We have saved and restored our solid wood doors. Next on our agenda is to redo our upstairs bathroom. We do have a clawfoot tub, which we will keep. We already replaced the toliet getting one that is styled after a 1920's version. We want to put in the "honeycomb" style floor tiling and use subway tiles for a shower. I want it to look like someone might have added the bathroom in the 20's. We are lucky because we have good resources here in Portland for recylced and reproduction house parts. Someday we will have the whole house finished, but I think that is still at least 5 to 10 years off.
Anne in Portland, OR
"Second star to the right, straight on till morning" Peter Pan
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scarlin3
Farmgirl at Heart
4 Posts
Susan
Kirkville
NY
USA
4 Posts |
Posted - Jun 15 2006 : 08:45:29 AM
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We just finished redoing our kitchen floor. I came home from a meeting one night to find some peel & stick tiles missing from in front of the fridge...DH wanted to see what was underneath. "It's just plywood" he says. I say, "Well, they may have patched the floor there with plywood, but I think there's a hardwood floor underneath" Next morning he gets out the circular saw & cuts a 1' square chunk out of the floor....sure enough hardwood! We then spent the next month tearing up the existing flooring which consisted of: peel & stick tiles on top of red and black tiles which were glued on with a tar-like substance on to plywood which was nailed to the original floor!
The original floor is hard MAPLE!! No cheap pine here! And of course, no subfloor...just tongue & groove boards nailed to the joists...sigh. We just had it refinished this week & the floors are absolutely gorgeous! No stain, just sanded and sealed. There's a lot of variation in the floor & I love it...of course, I have natural hickory cabinets in there as well....nothing calm about me!
Our dining room floor was also hard maple, but narrow boards. It unfortunately was not salvageable (very warped & many holes that were covered with plywood so you wouldn't fall through to the cellar!). We put in a new oak floor & recycled the maple flooring into wainscoating in the dining room. The DR had a few spots of wainscoating & we were able to complete the whole room with the flooring.
Susan |
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verbina
True Blue Farmgirl
231 Posts
randi
n.j
USA
231 Posts |
Posted - Jun 15 2006 : 5:42:19 PM
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| we did restore a old farmhohse and may i say if murder was legal WELL one of us might not be here.lol. was a beauty and i miss it so .my soul is old we now live in a cabin in the woods on 10 ac.VERY PRIVATE but i hope to move to another old house in a year or two.we did put 200 yr. old carrage house floors in living room. REAL WIDE . I PUT AN ADD IN PAPER AND GOT THEM PRETTY CHEAP.put a door from rev. war times in my kichen and nothing else but old suff. STILL want my old house. randi |
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wvtracy
Farmgirl in Training
15 Posts
Tracy
Stephens City
VA
USA
15 Posts |
Posted - Jun 15 2006 : 5:55:35 PM
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Twigs, you are a lucky, lucky girl to have two houses to restore. Our last house was an early 1920's farm house and I loved it. We painted the house in a pale yellow with white trim. Wood floors through out. Now I'm trying to make my 20 year old two story colonial more of a farm house. I'm even considering putting down a brick floor in the kitchen. The stock oak cabinets have been painted and a tongue in groove paneled ceiling is next. What fun!
Susan, I would love to see pictures of your house. It sounds fantastic!!!
Tracy
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A Farm of My Own: Anyone Redoing a Farmhouse? |
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Anyone Redoing a Farmhouse?
