Renovations!

Mark truly saw the diamond in the rough with this early 1900s farmhouse. The woodwork and craftmanship is truly amazing. But without anyone living in it for 20 years, it needed a lot of TLC. Major changes include: removing the carport and adding an entry porch; complete renovation of the kitchen and downstairs bathroom; refinishing ALL the floors; putting a wood-burning stove in the living room; adding a second bathroom upstairs; and putting in a wall of windows in the large bedroom. Since then, we have created a Poker/Game room in the parlor.

When we first toured this property, we were surprised to see this church. We asked the person giving us the tour if it belonged to the property. He wasn't sure so started going through a large set of keys. He found one that opened the door lock, so belong it did! We later found out it was moved (!!) to the property in the 1930s. We've focused primarily on cosmetic updates to the exterior and interior and added some disco balls to provide lighting! A bigger renovation is planned for the future.

When we first started mapping out property projects and how we would get them done, Dan made sure to emphasize, "As long as I don't have to paint the barn!" Well, several years later we still hadn't found someone to do that job, so we took a week off of work and went at it! We also completely cleared out a ton of garbage and scrap wood left in the barn, and worked with a local contractor to shore up the overall structure, add 6 windows to the lower level, replace the side shed with a "party deck", and install new barn doors on the back side.

We were intrigued by this early 1800s cabin when we first got the property. When Mark found out he had Stage 4 cancer in 2020, he prioritized getting this project done before he passed away. A talented local cabin restorer worked with Mark over the next two years to (re)discover this beauty hiding behind old shingles and scraggly trees. Yellow pine trees from our forest were used to replace a few degraded logs.

In 1947, a 1/4 acre parcel near the river was given to the Adamson family by the May family for 2 generations. When we bought the May property, we reclaimed this parcel from the now third generation of heirs for "$25 and the value of any improvements" as outlined in the deed! Over the past year, we've worked with a local contractor to completely renovate the cabin and add a second floor loft. We kept the same overall footprint but only the living area floors and fireplace remain from the original cabin. We added a septic system, dug a well for water, and installed a HVAC system. All the interior and exterior wood surfaces we stained ourselves! We also built our first shed to house the water pump and filtration system behind the cabin. 

We've spent a LOT of time collecting and hauling away garbage from around the property; taking down dilapidated sheds; removing invasive trees and shrubs and planting native ones instead; cleaning up overgrown areas; creating a protective buffer along the river; clearing and making hiking trails; and better grading the areas around the property's buildings. Still more to go but we appreciate how all these efforts have added to the property's overall loveliness and opened up more views to its scenic beauty.