Pink Roses

fireplace makeover: family room...

My old farmhouse has 6 fireplaces, none of which were in working, useable condition.  The fireplaces had been used to burn coal, and all but one had been boarded up.  I wanted to clean up/fix up all of the fireplaces, and rebuild one so that we could actually use it to burn wood and have a fire.  I decided that the family room fireplace was the most useful, and over the past 2 weeks it has been rebuilt, and refaced with stacked rock.  Here is the progress...This is the family room last summer after I first bought the house.  We had removed the dropped 8 foot ceiling, and brought the room back to it's original 11 foot ceiling.  You can see that the original ceiling was a mess! Layers of wallpaper, and plaster walls were hiding the chimney.

Later in the summer, we removed the walls, ceiling, and the floor.  We got under the house, jacked it up, and replaced the supporting floor joists-making everything safe and straight and level once again.  You can see the full fireplace at this point. (don't worry, I saved the mantle!)

We repaired everything structurally, and then ran electrical, then insulated, then hung sheetrock. New plywood subflooring was installed. New windows were also ordered and have been installed.

To rebuild the fireplace I hired two brothers who were experienced masons.  They were also very kind.

We bought 3 1/2 tons of Tennessee stacked rock...

and this is what they did...first they cemented over all of the old bricks and installed firebricks in the actual fireplace.  They installed a damper, and then they marked the dimensions of the fireplace with strings (leveled) up to the ceiling.

 

As they began laying the stone, they asked me to go outside and walk around the farm and find a special rock that could be placed in the fireplace.  They said "we want you to have a rock from your land, in your fireplace.  Someday you will stand here with your grandchildren and tell them the story of this rock".  That made me cry.  I found a beautiful piece of pink rose quartz out by the lake.  They showed me how to trowel the mortar, and let me place the stone in the fireplace.  Like I said, they were very kind.

We took 2 original beams from the house and installed then on each side of the chimney, and they applied the stone around them to secure them.  These 2 beams will be used to support the mantle, which will be a huge old beam from one of the barns.

They used cement blocks to build up the original brick chimney and make it larger for the stone.

This is the fireplace today...the stone work is complete, and the hearth has been built. 

 

They will be back next week to clean all the mortar off of the bricks, and spiff it up a bit.  The mortar at the top of the chimney is still wet, and so it looks dark grey.  When it dries, it will be pale, like it is at the bottom.  My carpenters will be cutting a beam to size and installing it to make the mantle.  I am happy with the way this has turned out...a bit rustic...but I think that's what is appropriate for an old country home.  They have also refinished the other 5 fireplaces...but that's another post :)

edit: fireplace after it was acid washed to remove all of the mortar from the stones...

gifts from the farm...

Every day I seem to find a new treasure here at the farm...a candy striped Camellia blooming in the side yard, tiny Spring Snowflakes (leucojum) popping up by the house, and even this tiny glass bottle found in the woods...the neck is broken yet still so perfect to hold these blooms.  Yesterday I received one of the greatest gifts of all...a phone call from a descendant of this farm.  He was delightful, and shared so much information of his family history.  He sent me emails of articles written about this property...wedding announcements, and accounts of the people and crops...true treasures.  My favorite gift might be that he gave me a NAME...the name of this "country home" as it was called in articles dated from the 1890's...it was called "OAK GROVE".  I love it!  I had been thinking of a name for this home, and never quite decided on the perfect one.  Now it is settled, and it seems so right.  I will continue on with the name that was given over a century ago.  Thank you Dan!  Please come visit Oak Grove anytime...

 

Here is a family wedding announcement that appeared in the local newspaper dated June 18, 1896.  The brides name was Pearl!

It describes Oak Grove as "one of the loveliest country homes in the county".  I hope to some day make it that way again:)

Jackson Argus
Week of June 18, 1896
LEACH – CARMICHAEL The Beautiful Wedding Was Solemnized at High Noon Yesterday
The wedding of Miss Pearl Carmichael and Mr. Joe M. Leach was solemnized
yesterday noon at the home of the bride near Jackson, the Rev. Jno. Speer
of Stone Mountain officiating.
The home of Mr. and Mrs. D. N. Carmichael never looked more beautiful,
nestled as it is, in a beautiful grove of oaks, from which it takes its name,
“Oak Grove”, the same being famous as one of the loveliest country homes in
Butts County and owned by one of the most prominent and wealthiest planters
of this section of the State.
The decorations were very beautiful and tasteful and everything seemed
to conspire together in making the hour one great joy and gayety. The bride
was lovely attired in a pretty tailor made traveling suit of gray and
blue cloth, and she never looked prettier, and with the handsome and
distinguished looking bridegroom by her side covenanting an everlasting love
and protection to his bride, made the union a living picture of poesy, and
dreams of perpetual happiness and joy.
Precisely at high noon the groom with his bride on his arm appeared in
the beautiful drawing room where awaited the minister and a large concourse
of relative and friends of the contracting parties.
Very soon after the wedding ceremony the spacious dining hall of the
Carmichael home was thrown open to the invited guests, and tables laden with
all sorts of lovely things eatable, weir made the victim of a wedding party.
Mrs. D. N. Carmichael assisted by Mrs. H. E. and J. B. Settle, Mrs. Rose
Carmichael and Mrs. P. H. Watkins proved to be hostesses of the most elegant
kind.
The bride is a very lovely lady of less than twenty years, and numbers
her friends by the score. The groom Mr. Joe M. Leach, is a worthy and
honorable citizen of Griffin and a member of the leading grocery firm of that
city.
The bride and groom left in the afternoon for Griffin where they will
make their future home.
The guest present were:
Mr. and Mrs. Leroy Daughtry, Mr. and Mrs. J. H. Carmichael, Mr. and
Mrs. Frank Curry, Mr. and Mrs. Jno. B. Settles, Mr. and Mrs. P. R. Watkins
and family, Mr. and Mrs. Joe S. Ham, Mr. and Mrs. F. S. Etheridge, Mr. and
Mrs. Jno. Huff of Griffin, Mr. and Mrs. Tom Carmichael; Mesdames N. E.
Settles, Rose Carmichael, S. G. Etheridge, W. F. Lee, Mary Heflin, Mr. Walker
Moore, with Miss Annie Carmichael, Misses Agness Carmichael, Myrtis Peavy,
Eva Sassnett, Mary Goodall, Rosa Thornton, Annie Wright, Emma Ezell, Edna
Madden, of Concord, Mary Harkness, Mary Brooks of Griffin, Judie Brooks,
Sallie Saunders, Susie Manley, Geneva Carmichael, Messrs. C. C. Smith, Joe
Wright, E. P. Bridges of Griffin, Claud Hutchinson of Atlanta, Mr. R. T.
Watkins, B. F. Watkins, Joe Carmichael of Molena, Cliff Ford of Griffin,
Walter Carmichael, Van Fletcher, W. G. Goodrich, Lem and Harrris Carmichael,

farmhouse upstairs...completed!

It's taken months of work, and I'm excited to say, the upstairs is completed!  Oh a few minor details remain, and I still need FURNITURE :), but the hard work is over!  I am starting a gallery wall...

The antique heart pine floors just GLOW!  They turned out better than I could have ever expected...I am thrilled!

I had every room painted the same color for continuity, and the pale cream color really lets the floors shine, and be the focal point.

I needed so many light fixtures, that I was overwhelmed.  I ended up buying very inexpensive lights at Home Depot for all of the bedrooms.  They can be replaced if/when I find a flea market treasure!

A few light fixtures are extra special...this chandelier was purchased on a trip to New Orleans to visit my son last month.  He is living and working in Louisiana, and took me to some fabulous antique shops.  I love having this chandelier in my home as a souvenir of my trip.  My electricians rewired it, and it's perfect in the hallway over the staircase.

I designed these custom beadboard bookcases around the chimneys in each bedroom.  My carpenters did an amazing job building them, and I think they look as if they could have been an original feature of the house.

I was fortunate to find a wonderful painter, with such attention to detail.  Her meticulous painting makes everything look perfect!

I am so thrilled with the finished product! I love bringing this old farmhouse back to life.

Now comes to best part...decorating with vintage finds!

farmhouse update: upstairs (part 1)...

This is the first picture I took of the upstairs hallway at the farm house. My crew had already gotten to work, and had removed a wall.  Unfortunately, I don't have a "before" photo of the upstairs including the wall, so imagine a wall extending the full width of the hallway, right where the wallpaper stops on both sides .  I am guessing the wall was constructed sometime in the 1970's, to provide a 5th bedroom.  We tore the wall down and restored the hallway to it's original layout.  This opened up the space and allowed the light from the window to shine in.  Removing that wall made a HUGE difference!  My initial plan was to keep all of the existing walls and ceilings in the upstairs, and just repair them.  This would have saved a LOT of time, and money on labor and materials.  Unfortunately, as we started to build the bathroom and demolished a wall, we changed our plan.  All of the walls and ceilings were plaster, but many had one or two layers of sheetrock on them.  The ceilings were heavy and sagging, and really not safe...they had to go. And so the demolition began.  (I had my crew save 100's of plaster slats from the ceilings-you can see them stacked in the corner-and we made them into giant stars at Christmas!)

Unfortunately, the walls were just as bad as the ceilings.  Once we removed ONE wall, we saw years of debris behind it (and NO insulation), and decided to GUT the ENTIRE upstairs, and build it back.  That was a BIG decision, but I know now, it was the right one.  We filled 7 dumpsters in total, with sheetrock, plaster, and DIRT!  We positioned the dumpster outside a bedroom window, and tossed our debris from the roof!

      

It was a long, hard, DIRTY process. 

 

The boys escaped to the roof for some fresh air, and I crawled out there to take their picture.  That is my son, with his AT trail beard-he worked at the farm for a few months after he returned from his hike.

Once the upstairs was gutted and cleaned, we reinforced/replaced the studs as needed, so the new walls would be straight.

 

Then we framed out closets and bookcases around the chimneys that were in all 4 bedrooms.

We had all of the electrical and HVAC installed while the walls were open. Then we insulated the walls. After the ceilings were installed, insulation was blown in the attic. The original beams in the house were huge, and made from trees cut down on the property...some still had BARK on them!  We kept them all.

 

Then, sheetrock was installed...

 

Then came tape, mud, sanding and priming.  New windows were installed, and then my guys built custom wood trim to match all of the original trim in the house. Then came a very exciting part... we had the antique heart pine floors sanded down.  I had been hoping the floors would look nice, under years of paint and varnish, but they were prettier than I could have imagined!

The floors were sanded and varnished twice, and then we covered them up with drop cloths, and painted the walls/ceiling/trim.  Everything was primed, and then received 2 coats of paint.  The walls are painted with Glidden "Heavy Cream" in an eggshell finish.  The trim got 3 coats of Gloss White paint.  It took almost a month to complete the painting.  

Then we worked on the staircase railing and banister... which took several weeks to complete.  Lots of tedious sanding /priming/painting  on those spindles!

While I worked on the railing, the electricians hung all the lights, and installed the switches and receptacles.  When the banister was complete, the floors received one last light sanding, and a third coat of polyurethane, in a satin finish.  I'll show you the "after" in my next post...

vintage inspired farmhouse bathroom...

 

It's been a LONG time coming...

let's start at the beginning...

In the upstairs of the farmhouse, there was a tiny little bathroom.  Tub, sink, toilet...circa 1950. The bathroom opened into the 2 adjoining bedrooms, jack-and-Jill style.  You HAD to walk through a bedroom to get to it.  I wanted to update the bathroom, and enlarge it.  We closed off the doors that led to the bedrooms, and borrowed closet space from one bedroom, in order to extend the bath all the way to the central hallway. NOW, the door to the bathroom is in the hallway, and easily accessible for all 4 bedrooms.

 

We more than doubled the size, and made 2 separate areas, so that 2 people can use the room at the same time, and still have privacy.  We installed new plumbing, and switched from well water to county water.  We installed a new septic tank too.

All the old plaster walls were taken down, everything was insulated, and new sheetrock was installed.

a "before" photo with the plaster and the door into a bedroom...

waterproof cement board being installed, and floor tile going in...

the shower taking shape...with a bench and built in niche...

Crown molding, bead board wainscoting and chair rail, and a cheery blue paint.  I picked the blue paint color based on a wallpaper that was originally in the farmhouse.  Double doors separate the toilet and shower from the sink area.

The best part of the remodel was choosing the furnishings. I wanted the bathroom to have a "vintage" feel, although originally, this 1875 farmhouse wouldn't have had an indoor bathroom at all!  I didn't want to be that authentic:)  I chose black and white tiles for the floor, and white subway tiles for the shower.  Chrome hardware adds to the vintage feel. A custom cabinet was made to look like an old dresser...free standing, with feet.  I had it painted black and distressed to look aged.  The granite countertop was finished on all sides, to add to the "furniture" look.

I chose a granite for the countertop, because it was durable, but selected a color to look like marble.

 

Here is the cabinet and sink area before...and during...

and AFTER...

 

the shower area before...and during...

The seamless shower doors still need to be installed.  I can't tell you how happy I am to finally have a working bathroom, and running water!  We had a faucet installed in the front yard, and that has been our only water source for the past 4 months!

We are now working on a small powder room, that we are tucking in under the staircase downstairs.  It will have a petite pedestal sink, and I think I will use vintage floral wallpaper and a tiny crystal chandelier! 

critters on the farm...

We've seen lots of wild animals on the farm...Beavers in the lake,  dozens of bird species, including ducks and cranes and hawks.  Squirrels, raccoons, armadillos, and other small mammals are common sightings.  We were curious about the nocturnal critters, so we set up a motion activated trail camera in the woods, just to see what was lurking out there.(The date on the camera is incorrect, but the time and temperature are both correct) We saw 5 LARGE (like 250-300 pound) hogs...and 8 piglets...

 

beautiful wild turkey...

 

opossum...

and tons of deer...

 

 

I think it's exciting to know that all of these creatures are out there, but I can promise you, I will NOT be hiking the woods at night!!

the parlor...

When we first started the farm remodel, I knew it would be a lengthy process.  I also knew that in order to endure a house that was always in a state of chaos, I wanted to have ONE room that was an "after"...one room that I could show visitors and say "someday it will all be nice like this".  One room that would give me hope, and keep me going.  That room was/is the parlor.  Come on in...

The parlor is 16' x 16'  and has 11 foot plaster walls that were covered in wallpaper...peeling paint and cracks everywhere.  I spent almost a month stripping the wallpaper, then hired a painter who specialized in plaster, to come and repair and paint the walls. Here it is "BEFORE"...

a very long during...

and finally...all the wallpaper GONE!

 

The walls and ceiling were repaired, patched, sanded, primed, sanded again, and painted.  We added crown molding, and a decorative plaster medallion to the large plaster ring that was already around the light fixture (bulb!). The walls are linen white, and the ceiling is ballet slipper pink.  All the trim is high gloss white.  I am keeping all the original windows in this room, and re-glazing the antique wavy restoration glass. I am having storm windows installed on the outside of the house to help with insulation.

Then came the mantle...first I tried stripping off all the layers of paint, then I decided to paint it with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint and use a clear wax finish.  Here it is "BEFORE"...

during stripping...just couldn't get all the paint off...

starting with Annie Sloan...

waxed and finished...

the floors still need to be sanded and refinished...

a crystal chandelier makes the room sparkle...

 

another before and after...

I partially stripped the door, then sanded down the layers of remaining paint with sandpaper and steel wool to expose the different colors.  I added a clear coat of matte polyurethane to prevent chipping. The outside of the doorframe still needs to be painted...

I added a gorgeous antique crystal doorknob from a friends great-grandparents home that was built in Virginia in 1840.

the back of the door was  left rough as well...

I'm not furnishing the room until all the messy work is completed, but I can't resist bringing a few accessories in:)

I am trying to document every step of the restoration...thanks for letting me share it with you! 

the farm...

 

It was love at first sight.  From the moment I saw this farm, I knew it was where I was supposed to be.  It had all the things I have been looking for: it is within one hour of home, near a small town with an old fashioned town square, it has a few acres of land, a lake, barns, an old farmhouse, and the price was right!

A bit of history about this farm...it was originally 300 acres, and the home was built in 1875 by a Confederate Officer who had just returned from the Civil War. In 1900 the property was sold to another family, and it remained in that family over 100 years, until 6 years ago.  The property had been abandoned and neglected, and last December the 300 acres were divided up into smaller parcels, and sold at auction.  My parcel contained the home and barns and lake...the other parcels were all pasture.  The gentleman that bought my parcel of 22.5 acres, was going to fix it up, but his wife was not keen on living here.  He listed the property for sale in April, and that is when I saw it...overgrown and needing repair.  I have always wanted to restore an old home, and knew this one had potential.  The 100 acre parcel across the street was purchased by a man in town that owns the livestock auction house...so my only neighbors are cows! 

Every week I get someone stopping by to tell me stories of this place...neighbors, family members of the original owners, old men who worked on this farm when they were young boys...it is such a blessing.  EVERY single person that I meet, THANKS ME for restoring this home, because it has so much history and meaning for so many in this town.  When the "for sale" sign was up, many feared this land would be turned into a subdivision, and the home would be torn down.  It has been a relief to the community that it is being loved and restored.  I have been blessed to find an amazing crew of 3 men, who are helping me restore this home.  They are skilled craftsmen, and share my love of this old house.  I have an awesome guy with a tractor (he's the Sheriff) and he has been mowing the pastures all summer, and helping me cut trees and weeds and vines and tame the wilderness.  I also have family and dear friends that have been a HUGE help and source of encouragement:)

My vision for this farm is a weekend retreat, where my friends and family, children and grandchildren (someday) can come and enjoy the country life.  Someday, perhaps, I will host an art retreat, or a country wedding. Cookouts, campouts, barn sales and more.  I may retire here and have some farm animals...cows, horses, sheep, a pygmy goat.  Bees, honey, lavender, a corn maze, fruit trees, a Christmas tree farm...my head is spinning with ideas.  POTENTIAL. Next year, for sure, I am growing heirloom pumpkins.  And flowers...lots of those!  Someday, lots of things can happen...but for now, I am working on the house. 

What attracted me to the home?  Things such as:  11 foot ceilings, heart pine floors, 6 fireplaces, a wrap around porch, layers and layers of vintage wallpaper, but mostly, potential.  With the property I inherited a fishing boat, a piano, and an antique piece of farm equipment.  There was no electric, no plumbing, 3 (completely unusable) bathrooms, no insulation, no heat, no air.  All the walls were plaster, many with layers of sheetrock over them.  The front porch was sagging.  Our first job was to jack up the foundation and repair/replace any rotten wood.  This involved a lot of demo work.  A LOT.  Like 7 GIANT dumpsters FULL!!!  It is a huge project and I am loving every minute of it! 

here are some of my first impressions...

(the picture above is the vintage wallpaper in the dining room)

the road over the dam at the lake, leading to a pasture...

the little fishing boat...    

one of the small barns...the "hog barn"...

the front hall and staircase...see how nice the floors look clean:)...

upstairs looking downstairs...

the big dairy barn...

daylilies in front of an old shed...

one of the 16 porch columns...all are being rebuilt exactly as they were...the old columns have been saved to build a pergola..

the tall windows with antique wavy glass...

Maybe now you can see why it was love at first sight...:)

and while he was away...

And while my son was on his adventure of a lifetime, I embarked on an adventure of my own...I purchased a farm!  I saw it for the first time in April , made an offer in May, and closed on the property June 26.  It has an old farmhouse, built in 1875, that I am completely restoring, as well as 22.5 acres with several barns and a lake.

  

This is where I have been spending all of my time:)  I have been taking lots of pictures of the progress and hope to organize and share those soon.