Many of you have asked for pictures and I wanted to oblige you. However, it was a long journey from finding the Mountain Farmlet, to finally signing on the dotted line, and then being able to set to work.
You will recall that we had said the Octogenarian could take as long as she needed to sort out her belongings, and then have her Estate Sale. It took a good while, but we feel better for having let her take her time.
This is the nutshell version of what we know about the Octogenarian and her husband’s history. Some of it may be a bit off, I was, after all, catching it in bits and snaps at the estate sale, but I am trying to be as accurate as memory serves.
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Her husband was born there in 1920. His family owned, if I recall correctly, 300 acres back then. (Some of which, I believe, is still owned by descendents.) They bought the place from the *(1) original builder of the one room cabin.
Living in “Rock Creek” was a hard life. Plowing with a mule, walking or riding by horseback on a *(2) “pig trail” through the mountain. When he was a teenager, he would leave the mountain to make a new life in Ohio.
In the 1940s when WWII began, he signed up and was shipped off to Arizona, and the Octogenarian followed him via a train that was carrying more troops to AZ. She was accompanied by her mother for propriety, and they were married when she arrived. Then, it was off to war for him, and back to Ohio for her.
After his return from the war, they raised a family there in Ohio and when the children were grown, and off beginning their own adventures, her husband wanted to return to the family home. That was about 20 years ago.
I have no idea when this photo was taken, but she did say it looked pretty much like this when they got here 20 years ago.
In their time here they patched, painted, cleared the property of weeds, and forged a trail on the southern end of this twenty-five acres. They dug a pond, stocked it with fish, planted a wonderful garden below the home, and beautiful flowers around the front entrance. They wanted it to be a garden spot up here in woods.
It is so different now, and of course quite a bit older too, but I would say that they had accomplished their goal.
I’m sorry I don’t have the same view as above, but at any rate, you get the idea.
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So now it is our turn, and there are a lot of repairs to do to an almost 175 year old home. We know many of them: plumbing, foundation, electrical, and roof repair/replacement… and others, of course, that will only reveal themselves as we set to work. 😉
When I talked to the plumber, the first words out of his mouth were: “You’re gonna get rid of that shower too, aren’t ya?”
Me: “Yes, it was in the plans…”
So our journey begins in the bathroom.
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- The bathroom/laundary. No window as it was closed up when the new bedroom was added. No fan, that fan cover is to close up the old wood burning cook stove’s pipe. This room used to be the kitchen!
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- Behind door number one… the water heater.
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- Behind the water heater, this old shower.
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- Floor tiles applied to protect the ceiling from moisture. Surprisingly, this did work!
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- Cracked shower pan!
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- Domolition!
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- This is a sapling pine tree, cut to fit as a support for the wall. It worked too!
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- Rotten subfloor under the cracked showerpan. Sadly, we may need to replace the old beam underneath as well.
We intend to remove and replace the rotten sub-floor, put in a plank floor, straighten/lift the ceiling (there is room up there for that now) put the bathtub where the shower once was, and if possible, move the water heater over near the washer and dryer. Also in the plans are a new window in the far wall, and an exhaust fan in the ceiling. (I neglected to mention that, so thank you, Deb!) I have been gathering up some really fun and unique ideas for the walls and the sink…
But, you will have to wait till we are done with the reconstruction for those pictures!
I am certain that there are some of you who will not understand what we see in a place with uneven floors, and that leans just a bit. A place where nothing matches and all was hand hewn…
Well, I understand it is not for everyone.
However, when we first saw it we knew it was for us. We may very well be tinkering on it till we are too old to do so, but I think that the work will keep us fit and healthy along the way. And no, we do not intend to try to make everything look like city living, or to change things out to make them all “matchy-matchy.” That would simply be too boring.
Besides, would new matching doorknobs on both of the plank doors to the bathroom make them look any better?
Not to our eyes.
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NOTES:
- I am uncertain at this point as to the original owner/builder, or about when it was changed to a “dog trot” and then later enclosed. But I understand that there are public records that can help me to find out!
- Her husband’s words for the little horse trail up to the cabin.
Life on the Farmlet 