Some of you have seen pictures of my son Josh’s new house. It is a huge red stone house built in 1876. It’s located on the corner of the main street of a small town near us. It’s his first house and a real project both inside and out. Very livable but with a whole lot of work to do. As a house warming present I gave Josh landscaping. Which means I get to weed and plant to my hearts content. I thought that I would post a few before and after pictures.
The previous owners were no longer living in the area when Josh was looking at the house. The Realtors had someone coming in and mowing the grass but nothing beyond that. So any area that was flower beds had just gone wild.
Before
He needs the yard to look nice but be pretty low maintenance. I cleaned everything out of this bed and then added these tree stumps I found laying around the corners of his yard. Right now I’m only working on cleaning out, next spring I’ll start planting and I thought the wood would give the bed some nice interest for the winter. This bed is full sun and one of the things I’ll be putting in it will be some Ornamental Grass. Along with some Echies, Mums and Asters.
After
I don’t have a before picture of this little walk area between his house and the neighbors but I couldn't’t walk though here before I started. I’m thinking that I will put in some ground cover between the walk and fence. There is some Ajuga growing in the yard and I thought I would move it all over to that area. There are a few Hostas growing on the side next to the house and I will add a few more and I was thinking about ferns along here. I could probably get all I want from the woods behind my house.
I was thinking about a couple of low growing shrubs maybe some Coleus and Heuchera in this bed. It’s shady and right next to the porch and I would like something pretty colorful here.
This area was really bad and I still have quite a bit of weeding to do. In this picture you can just see some of the brick patio. There were only a few good plants growing in here some Peonies, an Azalea, some Lily of the Valley and a lot of Vinca Major.
Before
This message was edited Oct 22, 2008 12:59 AM
I have no idea what I will do in this area next spring. It is a sunny area between the sidewalk and the back porch close to a small pond. I was thinking maybe it would be a good place for some taller bushes that would give Josh a little more privacy on his back porch.
After
This message was edited Oct 22, 2008 1:00 AM
No that isn’t just a pile of bricks, that really is a small pond.
Not much more than a small hole in the ground with a liner but it has possibilities.
Well I’m almost done down there for now but next spring I’m really going to be busy. As always ideas and suggestions are always welcome.
Daylilies for some of that sunny area(s)...of course, hehe. How about considering hellebores and hardy cyclamen for the shady area? Also, you might think about putting in some bulbs now (daffodils, crocus, scilla and some other tinies) for spring bloom.
Clethra is a very easy care shrub...and fragrant, too. As are some of the viburnums, just allow for space.
I saw a drive-by garden, now that I think of it...it was mostly bee balm, black eyed susans and coneflowers....very eye catching! Those are certainly easy care flowers that bloom for a long time in a sunny area.
Wow, what a lot of work you've done! And, what a wonderful gift to your son...
I LOVE the front porch.
Def put in some bushes for privacy along the fence.
He's blessed he has you to help.
gone_gardening, Yes, you are thinking right along the same lines as I have. Hadn't thought about Bee Balm, probably because I don't have any myself. I just got done planting a couple hundred spring bulbs here and had thought about putting some in down at Josh's but decided to wait till next spring and see what may come up.
Flowerjen, I'm thinking a couple of large hanging baskets for that front porch next spring. Josh put out some corn stalks and a couple of pumpkins last week to dress it up a little. Originally the house was a double you can see that it had 2 front doors. Not sure when it was converted into one single house.
I'm very lucky that all 4 of my children live in the area and everyone pretty much helps out when ever one of them has a project of some kind. When my daughter Jen bought her first house I did her landscaping too. Although her house and yard were not near as much work as Josh's will be.
That is so heartwarming that your family is so close, literally and figuratively. Very inspiring. And, how lucky you all are to have each other. I'll look forward to following your efforts. Good luck with everything!
I am completely in love with that house! Better show me some inside crap before I go into an obsession. My friend has a historic house and they have been working on it nonstop for 4-5 yrs since buying it. Even recently. they didn't realize the porch roof was rotting through. - major repair. Just heat gunning and scraping all the square post thingies on the front porch was/ is her 'hobby' every time they go to it (second home on Eastern Shore, but not on the water- my friends aren't THAT rich)
HollyAnn, What a good Mum you are! It's a very impressive house and isn't it cool that the builder put the date on the stone. For such an imposing house I think big baskets of hanging ferns in each of the porch's bays would work wonderfully. They would soften the look, provide some privacy from the sidewalk, and not be too fussy or needy...Oooh, and hung at the proper height too. You see houses where the baskets are hanging about 6" from the porch ceiling. People it's all about proportion. The pot height can always be raised as they get larger. Don't people bother to stand out front and see how they look LOL! GoneGardening, my bee balm was fantastic this year, spreading about three feet from one little 4" pot and probably 18" tall, even after getting nipped by a late spring frost. I don't know why it didn't get flowers, but the textured leaves and the bright apple green color were more than enough to justify itself. HollyAnn, I can tell you are going to enjoy this endeavor. Pam
I just noticed his house has the same low pitched roof mine has. Mine was built sometime after the Civil War, most likely 1870s.
It's such a pretty house, Holly. I can't wait to see what you do with the gardens.
and you can turn this account into several articles. We are kind of lacking on landscaping articles. You might research historical plants, if that strikes your fancy. You will need something to do in January!!
Holly, here is a start on some historical plants- gardens. http://www.oldhousejournal.com/Garden_Designs_for_Historic_Homes/magazine/1333
I have been reading this thread and admire all your hard work, keep posting.
You guys all have such great ideas. That's one of the reasons why I love it here at DG. So many good ideas that I would have never thought of.
Pam, I would have gone for big colorful baskets and never even thought of ferns. Ferns would look so nice on that colorful porch. Not too sure about the light but that suggestion has really opened my eyes to some other possibilities.
Lady, Thanks so much for the site
Sally, I have always loved old stone houses, too. To buy or not to buy was a big discussion. My Mom looked at it and said "Your not encouraging him to buy that are you?"
Yes I did!!! It is very livable but every room needs work. God awful wall paper, serious stains on the hard wood floors, very old ugly and incomplete bathrooms cracks in the plaster walls and mud on the basement floors. Lets not talk about heating bills. But it has such potential. He has a real project on his hands and Josh is a real craftsman. All ready there is so much difference with just a few improvements and a good cleaning. Mom was down for a visit first time since Josh moved in and was so impressed.
Can't seem to find much in the way of inside pictures. This is part of the kitchen, that was a walk-in fireplace and look at that old floor to ceiling cabinet.
Tell Josh it's a lot easier to heat these old houses with wood heat. He might want to look into woodstove inserts for one of those fireplaces or pellet stoves. If you live near any national forests, he can get a permit to cut his own firewood for a nominal fee.
We have a pellet stove in the living room, a woodstove in the kitchen. If it's extremely cold we'll have both going at the same time but 99% of the time it's one or the other and the entire house is toasty warm. By the way, those interior chimneys common in areas where Germans settled help keep the house warm, not to mention the stone walls.
Thanks Hart, He is already on that. One of the first things he did was get a wood stove. It's not installed yet but it is sitting there. It does have a fairly new oil furnace so at least the heating system is modern. Did you do any searches on your house to see what you could find out about it's history?
He'll see a big difference in the wood heat vs the oil. This house had an oil heater and it just flat out didn't keep the whole house warm. Not to mention the cost is far less for wood.
Yes, I did a lot of research on the house. The land was originally a much larger tract inherited by a woman from her father and whose grandfather had settled here and purchased a large tract in the 1700s. She married a local man early in 1861. He joined the Confederate army shortly after, was captured and died in a prison camp. They had one child, a daughter, who also married a local man. I think they built the house next to me. After her mother's death, they sold off and moved to West Virginia.
The woman is buried in the little cemetery just behind my property, which was part of the original land.
There's also an 1857 painting of the mineral springs spa that was popular in the 1800s and was located behind here. I'm certain the artist was standing at the top of my hill because the view matches perfectly, except there's a large pond and farm where the spa buildings used to be.
Oh, interesting story about the house. A woman who rented in the house about 40 years ago, had separated from her husband and had a baby. She went into the baby's room one night and saw a Confederate soldier standing over the crib. She moved out the next day. She knew nothing about the history of the house. Maybe poor Hiram was looking for his child. Oooo-ooooo-oooooooo
Hart, You live in a haunted house. LOL
I talked to the Historical Society this morning I'm going to see what I can dig up on Josh's house. We do have some recent history on it and some funny stories as one of Josh's friends lived there until he was about 12. Then they sold it to a relative who then sold it to the former owners.
Holly, the best way to research the house is to go to the local courthouse and follow the land records and wills back. I was able to take this land back to the 1750s doing that. I even found some of the old surveys that had the perimeters set out by old oak trees and so on. LOL You can also use tax records to find a jump in the "improvements" to show when the house was built, but you already have that information. Then use the historical society or any genealogical resources to get information on the people who owned the house.
It really shouldn't take more than an afternoon to follow the land and will records back. In fact, if a title search was done when he bought the house, he can get some of that info from his title company because that's essentially what they were doing. They don't take it back that far, though.
To follow the land records, just follow the names and dates starting with the people your son bought the house from. Find the records of their purchase, then the next purchase, then the next and so on.
Don't take anything for granted, by the way, including any family stories. Use the actual records instead although the family stories can help point the way to the right records.
Only one spooky thing has ever happened since I've been here. The night we moved in, we were sitting in the kitchen and there was very loud BANG as if something hard was hitting the side of the house right next to where we were sitting. We ran outside, there was nothing there. It's never happened since. So I don't know about any haunted house stuff.
There is a very old Indian burial ground near here. Not on my land but close by. A man who lived his very long life near here and died a few years ago started collecting stone tools, arrowheads, clay pipes and so forth from all over this area when he was four years old. He had a huge collection of artifacts when he died.
Oh, one more thing. Make sure to check the history of your county or city for any changes in the court records. For example, my county was part of Frederick County and before that Augusta County before being split off into a separate county. So the earlier records would be in those courthouses. Same thing for a city. If it was part of a county before becoming a city, you'll have to check those county records. I don't know how this works in Pa. but in Virginia, a town is part of the county but a city is a separate entity.
Thanks for the suggestions Hart. If I find anything very interesting I'll let you know.
Have fun. You'll be surprised how easy it is.
WOW Holly you've got a lot accomplished! Josh must be very pleased :) My daughter and her husband, Matt, have been looking for their first home and the first thing she says when Matt questions the lack of any landscaping in those they've seen - "Don't worry about it, Mom's going to help us" :) Might be a little more difficult than what you've been able to accomplish however, they live in Maine! They found the sweetest "little" house but it was way too small, and too old, for what they wanted. I looked at the pictures and told her if I was single and looking for a place I'd be on it in a heartbeat! I'm not sure if this link will work or not, but take a look - what a wonderful place for a "cottage garden"! http://mreis.mlxchange.com/EmailView.asp?r=1103051311&s=MRE&t=MRE
Rcn, You're right that is a charming old house. Old houses have such personality. My daughter Jen's house is and older house, too. It had belonged to a friends daughter and when I heard she was selling it I called Jen. They have been very happy there. I don't have a very good picture of it.
That's really neat! Echoing Sally's suggestion... I hope you'll do an article or several on the landscape renovation there, from maybe a basic "moving in and getting started" article to one on the surprises you unearthed and restored, like that little pond.
I love Jen's house! The fence is lovely :) My daughter actually found one house that was "almost" perfect - nice landscaping, great lot at the end of a cul de sac, etc. etc. However, when she discovered that the large lot's border was the field in back of the Maine State Prison!!! she crossed that house off her list! LOL
LOL, Talk about a problem neighbor. LOL
I planted MG on that fence this year. I tied white cotton string on a couple of the fence slats and let them hang down the back of the fence for the MG to grow up. Worked really well. I also planted creeping phlox at the base of the fence. She has a huge sweet gum tree in the back yard so it's pretty shady in the back, too. I've planted hellebore's, heucheras and ferns in the back yard but have issues with the rabbits at her house. They have been eating most of whatever I have planted there. I need to get her an oak leaf hydrangea for the one front corner under the dogwood. I also need her to pick out two tall thin evergreens for either side of her front porch. I keep looking at these lime green hinoki and thinking the color would be prefect.
I found this picture of the whole house the yard is looking pretty bleak as it's winter. It was taken one day before Jen and Matt bought the house. That's my Mom looking it over.
I put 2 big pots of Caladiums on either side of her front walk. She has huge blue hostas in the front yard and the colorful Caladiums looked so nice with them. Jen has a bit of an interest in gardening just not a lot of extra time. I gave her a landscape design 101 class as a present. When they first moved in her and I did a weed or what tour of the yard. They have started to put their personal stamp on the yard by putting in a slate patio and raised bed and Mat has started a Veggie garden in the small sunny spot that the end of the backyard.
Lovely :) My daughter's looking at another house this weekend, can't wait to see it! Unfortunately with some of the newer homes they've been looking at, they lack the personal charm and character of Jen's house but when they do finally find the "right" one, Emily will give me an opportunity to fix that!
I was down at Josh's the other day and finally remembered my camera. He has been pretty busy down there.
Sally you asked what it looked like inside. This is one of the stone living room walls. The opening to the right is the dining room with the "Got to go wallpaper". Practically everything he has was given to him, came from yard sales, or left by the previous owners.
It's nice to see him taking a little time and effort to make things his own. A few fall decorations by the door and some personal touches, deer head bell (Christmas gift), yoke hanging over the door (auction) and decorative beer bottle (personally emptied) . LOL
Not to mention the set of golf clubs as LR decor! Oh, I wish I could feel unfettered by the guilt over my semi-decorated house. Josh's porch is quite welcoming, beer included.
Here is another shot of the living room. This is the front wall and part of the other side wall. It's a bit of a mess right now as he is in the process of installing a wood stove and has everything sitting out.
Goawd I'd kill for those foot-deep windowsills.
I think those clubs have been sitting there since he moved in. LOL
That is the side door that goes into the kitchen and it is the door everyone uses most of the time.
He has has these huge trees and took some time to do his leaf raking chores. Yep up on the roof with the blower, LOL
Then he went next door and did the neighbors roof, too.
