I Always Wear a Hat When I Am Buying a House
We fell in love a month ago and have bought this little hundred-year old stone cottage.
It needs a lot of work, and a big can of Nandina-Be-Gone spray,
but it is loaded with charming details and has a very sound structure.
A porch with three stone arches, and a free-standing garage with a full apartment above. That will be the Composer's new office and studio space.
In this back view, the garage is on the left. The main house is just one story (that's the kitchen you see there). We'll rent the main house out, and use it as extra family housing when necessary.
So much work to do! Dead trees came down today, new roof goes on later this week, and the painters are already hard at work on the wooden window trim.
Inside pictures to come, and lots and lots of before and afters, so stay tuned.
37 comments:
It looks like a fairy tale, come true! I have always loved stone houses, I hope you will unfold all the details for us in the future.
I actually like
Nandina. =-) So do the song birds in our area of the world. Now, poison ivy, Rose of Sharon, privet, holly.......not so much. Love your new purchase.
How beautiful, what a lovely find. I can imagine the fun you'll have doing it up. And the hat was essential, perfect for the task! :-)
Pretty house!!! Does this mean you are moving out of the Schoolhouse?
-Alyssa
O! A cottage! How charming! A little cottage is always very snug!" It is just idyllic. We love our stone lake cottage built in the 1950s. Happy restorations!
Oh, I thought at first you were going to move! It's beautiful, and houses from that era can be so charming. I'm excited for you! (Have to look up that spray, though.)
Lisa Teresa
This reminds me of Frances Mayes buying that stone cottage.
Oh my, what an adventure for your family! How exciting. It almost looks like Grace Livingston Hill's house. Oh to be a guest in that house!
Wow! Amazing. Can't wait to see more pictures. Good luck!
Oh it's beautiful. I can't wait to see more pictures. Good luck with all the renovations!
Oh, I love it! Can't wait to see the transformation.
Beautiful
Looks beautiful.... I can't wait to see the inside pictures and all the "before/after" pics. Just lovely Anna. :)
Straight out of a Grace L. Hill novel.
Perfect! I love it...
Such a charming cottage Anna! So excited for you and the Composer. Looking forward to seeing the transformations.
That is completely charming!
It's like a fairy-tale house!
I love it Anna!
So happy and excited for you - the plans sound wonderful.
Looking forward to all the details as you move ahead
Swoon! Stone cottages are wonderful :)
The Grace Livingston Hill thought came immediately to my mind also....
I'm a wee bit jealous. Stone houses have always been my favorite. Around here there seems to be nothing but vinyl siding, which I detest.
Funny, about Sylvia's comment, and the plants we treasure differently in different parts of the world. My lilacs, rose of Sharon, and golden privet are the things I nurture most in my yard!
So gorgeous!! Can't wait to see more photos and hear more stories as you enjoy this space.
So you are leaving the schoolhouse? I do love stone houses--my late inlaws had a wonderful old Tudor style rock home with oak floors, arched doorways and crystal glass doorknobs. Sadly, it was torn down a few years ago for a parking lot!
Oh, I almost forgot--I grew up in a house with a nandina bush in the front yard. It made perfect switches for my mother to punish us with!
No, we're not moving! This is a tiny house, and we'll be renting it out.
I agree this is a perfect Grace Livingston Hill house. The fieldstone (it has a lot of iron in it, and "makes very artistic houses"), the shaded porch, and soon enough, a shiny white kitchen.
Such an adorable little home! No wonder you fell in love with it!
Oh Anna hasn't this come up at the perfect time! And it's so story-bookish and sounds just right.
I wish you all lots of fun with it and I hope the Composer loves his new work space.
Gorgeous photos.
Oh my!!!! The house is full of charm! The hat is perfect, lovely! Blessings to you from Kansas!
Oooh! SO exciting!
Enjoy.
I love house stories so I'm happy you are sharing this one with us. Is it not too far from you so you can oversee the works?
This is darling! My husband loves stone cottages. I am so looking forward to the before and afters--living vicariously through you, as I can't imagine taking on such a huge project. But the place oozes charm!!
Oh-also-is this the dress pattern you keep in a lockbox? Because I am liking it very much, especially that hemline.
Lovelovelove! Thank you for giving us a peek at your fabulous find! :-)
Polly, this is it! But the hemline--it needs evening up. I'm finding that after a few wearings the sides of the skirt are drooping from being on the bias. Nothing a pair of scissors can't cure though--these are unhemmed.
That's the beauty of the jersey dress! (Last year I actually fixed a hem in a dressing room right before a wedding. And by "fixed" I mean hacked it until it looked better. Which it did!)
I like your chapeau and look forward to seeing the house. I am glad that you are not moving out of the schoolhouse.
in my dreams! ♥
Ok, I am moving in.
Well, I guess everyone has their own way of handling things or should I say habits while doing things? Apart from the regular checking out of amenities and facilities around the house, I guess there are indeed other things which we think will help us secure our ideal home. As for me, after estimating the floor space which I would have to fulfill my storage needs, I tend to walk around for a bit aimlessly to get a feel of the ambience.
Beautiful house!
But....why the hat?? :-)
(It's nice too!)
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