If These Floors Could Talk: Welcome Home

Hello Darling,

I’ve heard you want to know more about my 1915 Colonial…

My fiancé and I moved our family from Frederick, MD to a small town in Pennsylvania. We really wanted that small town vibe - working in and around the city (D.C.) makes us crave simplicity…and no traffic. Don’t get me wrong, Frederick is a lovely city - but it was too big for us, and too close to work to really ever feel like we left.

I spent a year actively searching for houses, neighborhoods, towns- and it all circled back to this home. We took one trip and immediately fell in love-we didn’t tour any other houses, we had found our home, It’s centrally located near the three, top rated, schools (elementary, middle and high school), with multiple day care options, all of which are in walking distance. The closest fire station is two blocks away, and the hospital is three. This was a big factor for me. I grew up across the street from a hospital when I was a kid. When I moved to Frederick, Maryland, the closet hospital was ten minutes away. Now, I personally have not yet needed immediate medical attention which required a hospital -pauses to go knock on wood-, but I have had many family members who have needed it—and there’s a huge difference from staring one in the face to pulling up maps to find the quickest route to one.

We have five, large and spacious bedrooms, updated HVAC, two and a half baths, a large kitchen, a bonus family room, a formal family room with built in book shelves —YES, BUILT IN BOOK SHELVES - and a formal dining room that boasts a massive window. There are two working fire places, both on the main level of the house. One in the formal living room and the other in the bonus room just off of the kitchen. We have a detached, two car garage and an unfinished basement that has a lot of character, including the shell of a big, old fire place. One of our bedrooms also has a bay window, with window seating and craftsmen shutters.. It’s the PERFECT reading nook. It’s the kind that you dream of having as a kid. I quite literally found my fairy tale dream home here.

Odd fact: The wife who formally owned the house with her husband is a popular historically based fiction writer. - When we met, I told her this whole situation of us finding and purchasing the house was absolutely meant to be. She said my letter to them detailing the life I invisioned here of my family was what made them pick us. Not a day goes by that I don’t stand in my house saying, “this is it” with an overwhelming feeling of joy and gratitude. Maybe one day I’ll share that letter with you.

The very next day after we signed and closed on the house, I was painting the dining room, living room and first two floor hallways. I chose a lilac for our dining room, a deep blue for the living room and a light gray/blue blend for the hallways. I finished in four days. Our grand, and very detailed crown molding, doorways and window frames are all white, so adding the right pop of color really blended and contrasted smoothly from one room to the next. - side note: I will share pictures and the before/after photos of each project later-

With any house comes it’s fair share of problems too - but we’ve been taking them with large strides, because this is our dream home.

First: Three hours after closing, we found a leak in our porch roof.

Second: After one month, the washing machine gave out.

Third: Our kitchen sink pipe cracked open and began heavily leaking an hour before our Halloween Party - while we were still cooking and prepping food.

Fourth: Our hot water heater began leaking.

Fifth: Our downstairs furnace breaker blew out and we didn’t have any central air on our main floor for three days.

Things I came out being thankful for (other than it not being worse than it was—because it could have been disastrous):

1 - It took us three weeks to find a contractor willing to fix and protect the historical design…they really do exist.

2 - Our credit was so good, we actually got locked into a sweet and low interest rate on a new washer and it was so good we threw in a new dryer for a bundled discount. Thank you Best Buy! (I’ll share our thoughts on our new set soon).

3- My brother is a professional plumber and immediately knew what we needed to replace the broken pipe safely.

4 - Again, my brother the plumber, helped make sure our assigned inspectors signed off on full replacement of the busted water heater - installation was free and the home warranty we received at closing covered everything! As a new home owner, i absolutely love having a home warranty.

5 - A good family friend (and you guessed it, of the plumber) is a professional electrician. Not only did he check to make sure the new breaker my fiancé installed was safe and secure, he also CLEANED (yes cleaned), the entire box and wires of dirt and calcium build up to avoid future accidental arc flares or fires. On top of that, he said it was the best kept electrical box he’s ever seen, especially on an old house like ours & with it not being occupied for over a year-two. The former owners really cared for this house, and you could see it.

Our house has only passed through four family’s since 1915. The original family had passed it down through Last Will and Testament from children-nieces. Then, a doctor and his wife purchased the home in the early fifties. The family even left his safe in our basement…and yes, we do know the combination! He passed in the late 80’s, then the doctor’s wife passed in the early - mid nineties. After her passing, her family sold it to another husband/wife duo who began renovations on the home. They ripped out the old, shaggy blue carpeting (I have pictures from when they sold the house in the 90’s which I may share later), found the beautiful and well kept wood underneath. They installed HVAC, a new water heater, remodeled the kitchen, and even had plans drawn up for an expansion to be added upstairs for the master bedroom to gain a walk in closet and bathroom suite. However, they sold it in the early 2000’s before they had the work done. Which brings me to the last family. Their son finished up the projects the former family started. He gutted and restored the rotting porch floor out front, took extra good care of the exterior, and had gas inserts added to the two fireplaces. They took care of them though, and we can have the gas inserts removed if we ever wanted to go back to wood burning. His parents purchased the house from him a few years ago when his job moved him cross country. His parents rented it for a few years to a couple, who according to the neighbors kept a massive garden in the back but was almost never home. A year after the renters moved out, they decided to sell the property. Almost a year later, they accepted us all because of my letter.

It’s a lot to live up to - but we can tell each of these family’s poured love into the home and we want to continue that care.

Dream Homes aren’t cheap - but you have to care for a garden to see it bloom time and time again, and you have to care for your home to see it protect you & your generations to come.

Built with love, cared for with love - we’re home.

Until next time,

M.E.

My 1915 Colonial & a vintage Mini Cooper I wish I had …PHOTO TAKEN IN THE PEAK OF SUMMER 2018.