My First Country Farmhouse

In June 2016 I found the house of my dreams. After looking at the listing and going over the online pictures I decided to go see it.  I called a local realtor and made the appointment for a warn Wednesday afternoon.  I decided to ask my sister to come along to view the house for a second opinion (being a first time buyer). When we arrived at the property two hours later, we instantly fell in love with its victorian charm. The house was built in the early 1900’s. I later learned that this house had been moved from another location to finally end up in the small town of Campbellford.

The yard was very well manicured. Green grass with no weeds, flowers, shrubs, bird feeders, apple trees and a pond with gold fish.

Concrete patios already laid out, vegetable and herb gardens and a 100yr old train barn that has parking for two vehicles and a storage room/future outdoor entertainment room. The potential was here.  I could see it.

We entered the house from the back door. Jack, the man of the house, welcomed us and told us to take our time and look around. We started threw the kitchen. Dark blue wall paper with a boarder of a farm scene, dark kitchen cabinets with a 70/80’s counter top, ceramic tile floors and a wooden farmhouse table. Dated. Warm and cozy and in beautiful shape. On the wall over the table is a water colour by the owners brother which was a wedding gift 40+ years earlier.

From the kitchen you enter the formal dining room. Brown shag style carpet and shimmering wall paper surround you as you take it in.  Lit by a crystal chandlier this room boasts two massive windows on either side.  Each room with its original baseboards and crown moulding.  The main floor is an open plan each room visible from the front to the back making it appear even bigger than it is.

The front entrance is a small 5 foot by 5 foot area. Styling another shimmering wall paper and shag carpet.  Lit by its original layer cake chandelier and beautiful solid wood door with original cast hardware. This room was added later on.  Originlly you would enter directly into the living room.

At the front of the house is the living room. Probably the darkest room in the house as the window is behind a mature maple tree. Where the original door to enter was is now a  built-in to house knick-knacks or collections. The room is decorated with a cream stripped wall paper, brown shag carpet and some of the most stunning antique furniture I’ve ever seen.   So far the entire main floor only requires cosmetic updates which I knew I could tackle on my own if this is the house I would buy.

The upstairs has three bedrooms and a full bathroom. Each with its own unique wall paper and carpets. The front room is only accessible by going through the middle bedroom – which I love.  The bathoom has a ton of storage, the original tile work, toothbrush and towel holders on the walls.

From the top floor we went down to the basement.  A slanted wood staircase leads you down past the stone walls to concrete floors, a washer and dryer and a handmade workshop with storage.  At the back a wooden door leading to the exterior of the house up a steep set of concete and wooden stairs.

We end in the sunroom. Wood cedar wall paneling and a half bath finish the tour.  We take in what we’ve seen and step out on to the back patio. To the left is a clothes line that goes all the way to the back of the yard over the pond. We thank Jack for having us and drive away.

We then see 5 other houses in the area, none comparing to the first which was making my decision easier. That the house was exactly what I wanted. We return to Toronto and talk about what we liked and didn’t. The next day I schedule a second showing to view the house again which solidified my decision and I made my very  first offer. After negotiating for a couple days the owners accept my offer and the house closed September 2016.

Being able to visualize the house and what I wanted to do in each room as we had the tour I was able to move in and start the renovating process right away.

Stay tuned for before and after pictues of the renovations. I will also include information on where I got the supplies and furnishings and the cost of renovating each room.