Is that the original wood clapboard? It looks wide, and in glorious shape. I always figured porches were painted sky blue to emulate the sky.
What a wonderful home to come home to, or, even better, to stay home to. Kudos all around!
Actually, the house faces South - but when I took the picture the sun was in the West, and we have a large Maple that shades the porch and that side of the house. It’s going to be TRAGIC if anything ever happens to her. She is home to tons of birds and squirrels and the occasional raccoon which the dogs just love. ;)
Metal siding, believe it or not. Beau replaced the shingled roof with metal over the course of 8 years - but it is DONE and he shouldn’t have to be up there again - other than to spray for wasps which also love to build up there.
The house was built in 1900. The kitchen was added in the 1950’s; the front porch was just a cement slab, no overhang. Beau bought the place in 1985-ish. It had been standing EMPTY for 5 years, and was in rough shape. He’s one of those handy guys, so he moved the raccoons OUT, and started remodeling it. I think the porch was added in the 90’s sometime. Beau added a large Family Room (to the right) with a fireplace and a 2-car garage beneath. He did all of the stonework that matches the original foundation, and the retaining walls with rock dug out of the hillside! (I THINK it’s Limestone or Sandstone.) Our project this past winter was new wood-look flooring in the Family Room; good-bye gross carpeting! Our Foster Son does flooring and painting for a living, so he helped us.
We have people stop buy from time to time to see the house because they once lived here. The guy that fills our Propane tank grew up here, and he brought his Mom back to see it, as well as his young daughters. His Mom cried and cried to see how nicely it’s been restored. Their Grandpa (the 2nd original owner after his parents passed) lived in a house trailer behind the house, also now long gone.
Also - when Beau’s wife was alive, there had been 14 Foster Kids through here, too! I wouldn’t be surprised to find out it was once part of the ‘Wisconsin Underground Railroad’ moving southern slaves to FREEDOM!
Lots of History, lots of memories. VERY happy to be here. :)