Creative Destruction

At last we have started construction - or really I should say DE-struction - on the old house at VMF! We thought we'd be at this almost a year ago, but the past 12 months have brought a lot of good ideas and needed time for thought and reflection on what we want this to be, so it was worth the wait.

I've always wanted to make this a reflection of my parents hospitality, a place of welcome and good cheer and fellowship where people can relax and enjoy one another's company, or just enjoy the beauty and solitude of nature that surrounds the house. The old house was built - I'm guessing here - somewhere between 1900 and 1920, and we're trying to preserve and enhance the styles of the period in the new construction, and make the new construction in keeping with the older part of the house which will remain untouched (except for a new coat of paint!). We are fortunate that this period was also the heyday of the American Arts and Crafts movement, which articulated a lot of the ideas and values that we embrace at VMF. Rejecting the stuffy formality of the earlier Victorian era, the Crafters believed in open floor plans that encouraged congregating and open dialogue between people. The outdoors and natural life was embraced by the Crafters, and consequently they attempted to 'bring the outdoors in' in their interior designs - many themes from nature, birds and animals; natural materials like plainly finished wood, hammered metal, ceramic and stone; harmonious 'earth' colors. Although our home is not truly a Craftsman style home, we are working some of these elements into an overall plan that celebrates a simple life in harmony with its natural surroundings. We're taking down all the walls in the common spaces (kitchen, dining, hearth area) and knocking out a small bedroom and bath in the main section of the house to make one large 'great room' separating spaces with short walls and large openings framed with old barn beams. We're putting in a kitchen that I know Mom would approve of - lots of room for cooking and congregating - but unlike her design, this will not be a 'one-woman' kitchen, but a place where many hands can contribute to making a meal. Outside we will keep an 'Ohio vernacular' exterior - white clapboard siding, with the traditional dark green shutters, and adding some stone columns that pick up the stone of the old fireplace chimney exterior in the front. Here's a drawing view from the front 'play-yard'.

As of last week, we had interior demolition underway by a crew of stalwart Amish guys, who I'm told are also the rough carpenters and will put the structure back together after they tear it apart. The excavators were in, digging massive holes front and back where new foundation will go in for the front entry, the rear entry and kitchen extension. Paul was careful to move the flagstones himself so they don't get all broken up!

Below is the back side of the house - you can't see the big trench along the side of the house, and the chimney in the old dining room had to completely come out, but we managed to save the interior stone fireplace and with a new firebox and chimney it should look just like it did back in the day.

So while we are looking forward to the finished project, there is meanwhile LOTS of work to be done. I have engaged two willing photographers to document the progress - Helen and Jack get photo credits for these and hopefully many more pictures!