Liz and Michael set about bringing this property back to life:

 

First, they worked on the curb appeal: they cleaned up the debris on the 7 acres, removed the ugly siding, repaired and painted the clapboard, and installed a new roof.

 

They hired an architect who had knowledge of and experience with accurately restoring historical features of old farmhouses in the local area and whose designs had a fresh clean feel. 

 

Then they began gutting the interior, right down to the 2 x 4s and the floors. They wanted the building to exceed energy conservation standards, so this required thickening (furring out) as well as insulating the exterior walls, which had no insulation at all.

 

They researched windows and learned that while older windows are major thermal bridges, they can be as energy efficient as modern ones and less expensive when restored properly. So they carefully removed the old windows, stripped off the old paint, straightened and re-installed them. Storm windows that were consistent with the look of the home were added to enhance energy efficiency.

 

Though Liz and Michael considered themselves environmentally aware at the time, these changes were made more out of a concern for simply saving on heating and cooling bills than about embodied energy, carbon footprints and climate change.

 

Reconstruction of the interior came next. It was critical for Liz and Michael that as they renovated, they restored without "remuddling". The goal was to incorporate modern features in a way that blended in with the historic features of the original construction. By simplifying and refraining from introducing inappropriate features for the sake of convenience or out of a misguided design sensibility, the authentic dignity of the home was brought back to life.

 

Additional work included:

• Sanding the floors and coating them with 5 layers of thinned-out wood stain

• Replacing all plumbing and heating

• Replacing most of the baseboard heating with hot water radiators

• Tearing down the exterior mudroom and adding an extension to the kitchen, increasing its size by 50%

• Restoring all baseboard and trim moulding in a simple, Quaker style and painting it white to give it a bright, fresh look

• Painting the walls in muted, light colors

• Adding windows to the bedroom that matched the scale and proportions of the others

• Converting a second floor bedroom into a master bath and bath. The bath was covered with white subway tiles and the master bath was wainscotted. Period appropriate sinks were installed in all baths and the kitchen as well

• shopping around for some good deals on a period appropriate sink and claw foot tub at local yard sales

• Restoring the surviving original old doors, knobs and latches

• Installing a wood stove in the living room

• Building custom shelving and cabinets for the kitchen and painting them with milk paint