I’ve had a fondness for old houses and buildings for as long as I can remember. The architecture, style and bits of character speak to me. Each house has a different shape, roof line and it’s own personality. I know that inside those walls there are interesting stories about people, families and history, to be told. Our little “Gem” on The Hill is no different. Out of all the the spaces I have entered, the Schoolhouse is by far our favorite.
I’ll never forget the first time Jesse brought me to The Old Schoolhouse, aka Camp, in the late 90’s. The two mile drive into camp was on a narrow dirt road canopied by large ancient oaks and maples. Grass grew in between two, barely visable, tire treads. As we crested the hill, the sky opened up and wide open blueberry fields surrounded this old flaking, yellow and brown, building. On the overgrown front lawn a large rock fire pit peaked out from the thick grass. At the front door a wooden ramp had been installed, years prior, so Jesse’s grandmother, Effie, could still visit the place she loved and called her second home.
The front door to the house was an old wooden door that had cracks, numerous patch jobs and was kept “secure” by a small paddle lock. The door casing was broken and splintered from break-ins years past. Upon entrance to the small porch there’s an interior door, with the curtain drawn. I remember the smell of the Schoolhouse, as we opened that second door, and how heavy the air felt in the dark one room. The old metal shades had been drawn, barely allowing in any light. The stagnant air held hints of old wood and musty papers. I remember the scratching in my throat from all the dust that had accumulated as the Schoolhouse sat unoccupied for years, holding all these intriguing treasures of years gone by.
After many over nights and years of leaving things as is, we decided that it needed a bit of tidying. The mice had taken over every nook, cranny, drawer and box. Some things were salvagable, while others…not so much. We cleaned out, organized, scrubbed and borrowed my parents generator to give the house a thorough vaccuming.
2005. The year the Schoolhouse Came Alive.
It’s amazing what a fresh coat of exterior paint can do to a place. The Schoolhouse beamed, as we did. From dull yellow and brown to a vibrant Autumn Apple red puncuated with crisp white to accentuate the trim. This would just be the beginning .
Over the next 16 years we did what we could, as running two households can be expensive and takes a lot of time. Every 5 years we repainted the exterior, fixed more glass, continued cleaning out and little by little painted the inside. Along with regular upkeep and maintenance, we made a few improvements but still kept the original character that camp always had.
It wasn’t until we moved to the Schoolhouse, which we initially thought would be temporary, that we started making more changes. Some structural work was done as we needed foundation sills replaced and a few cosmetic changes, first and foremost a new front door and changing out the 1950’s paneled partition. It was replaced with pine shiplap.
Some changes were harder to make than others, but with 400sq feet, 2 adults, 2 dogs and 4 cats and what we had left of belongings, we had no choice. We had to suit our needs. The best decision we ever made, which we had talked about over the years, was putting on an addition. We felt the east side of the Schoolhouse was missing something. Being our biggest project, it has definitely been our best and now our favorite part of the house.
The Farmers Porch. Every house should have one.
We started the porch October 2020. Our good friend David plained out the lumber and our “Son-in-Laws” Parker and Ronnie started building. As the project progressed over the next few weekends, our neighbors Mark and Greg became involved. I was quite particular on how I wanted the porch built and what I wanted. My vision was so that it looked as though it had been original to the Schoolhouse. With 6×6 rough sawn timbers, Parker did just that. As cold weather approached a temporary rolled asphalt roof was laid. We had discussed putting a new roof on the house the following spring/ summer, as it had been over 25 years for the main part. The March wind storm gave us no choice. Three quarters of the shingles on the west facing roof were blown into the fields. Some were found a 1/8 of a mile away. Sounds insane…I know. But true. We needed a new roof.
Spring and summer arrived. The naked lumber of the porch was painted white. Pieces of scrap lumber, that I hoarded, were used to enclose the base of the porch to keep out any critters and I framed in the sides and added clapboards to match the rest of the house. Just recently, the shiny black metal roof was added. Jesse’s cousins Tyler and Tim came up and built the cricket to redirect snow and ice off the porch over the steps and finished the porch roof . Our favorite room was done. Which is really good timing. Our porch at the old house took 9 years😉
We spend a lot of time on the porch. Morning coffee, as we watch the sunrise. An evening beer as we sit, listening to all the surrounding sounds, discussing the day. Enjoying the shade in the summer or dodging the wind on a cold winters day. Over looking the fields watching the wildlife. It’s another room in my favorite place. Outside.
Before the porch, we really had no comfortable place to relax outside. Sitting at the fire place was fine, but that felt awkward when there was no fire burning. If it was raining, we had to go inside. Now we have our favorite room that looks as though it’s been part of our beautiful gem for nearly 200 years. Apparently, Willa and our tree frog friends enjoy it as well.
Off-Grid Soul 