I have taken quite the blog hiatus. Early in the summer my husband took a new job which almost tripled his daily commute time. He was spending almost 3 hours a day in the car and I was spending almost 2. The real estate market was also heating up around us so we decided to take advantage and move. Selling and buying at the same time was chaotic and stressful but we absolutely love our new house.
When we set out to by we knew we wanted something old. As much as we loved our old house, a 1970's split level wasn't really our style. Our goal was to find something pre-1950. And oh boy did we find it! It was pretty difficult though, there was a sea of post 1950's ranches and split levels on the market!
Here it is! A 1860 antique colonial with a wrap around porch:
It was at the top of our budget but was completely remodeled with it's historic charm kept in tact. It crossed off almost everything on our dream house check list:
1. Wrap around porch
2. Porch swing
3. Farmhouse sink
4. Walk in closet
5. Old house character
6. Hardwood floors
7. Fenced in yard
8. 1+ acre
9. Claw foot tub
Old house + lots of land is almost impossible to find in our area unless we are spending big bucks. And the claw foot tub can always be remedied. The house even features some bonuses such as a secret staircase, gazebo, and balcony off of the master bedroom.
Shall we begin the tour? Let's just start with the downstairs (minus the kitchen that will come in a separate post along with the upstairs).
The entry has a beautiful door, I love the window above it. We also have the most ornate radiators!
A better look at the banister and the radiator in the entry.
The formal living room, or as we affectionately call it the "parlor" has amazing hardwood floors in a square pattern. There is also an original arch into the dining room.
Both the dining room and the office on the opposite side have a curved windows. The dining room also has a tin ceiling (not original but fits with the period).
A view of my office, the opening overlooks into the dining room. Since there is no radiator in the office it helps to flow heat from the dining room in. The picture below shows the curved windows on the office side and the detail work of the wood floors. I'm debating putting in a window seat, the only downside is it would cover up some of that detail work.
The downstairs bathroom has an old cast iron tub (although not a claw foot).
The previous owners when remodeling kept the old antique door knobs turning them into quite the conversation piece as a coat rack. It hangs in the mud/laundry room off of the garage. I'm so happy they left it!
The last room downstairs (minus the kitchen) is the family room. It is huge, 20X30 feet. This part of the house is an addition from the 1970's-1980's. We love the gas fireplace, it makes it such a cozy room. You can also see the 2nd staircase leading to the back wing of the house.
I will be following up with more pictures of the rest of the house soon, along with some decorating, antiquing and DIY updates!
