All in Good Time: Reviving a Federal Farmhouse Original

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It was 2012 when our feature homeowners felt the timing was most advantageous to start thinking of purchasing property on the Eastern Shore. With their current primary home in Clarksville, the Shore, where they both grew up, was their target destination for putting down their forever roots. It, they determined, would provide the ideal backdrop for extended getaways, future family gatherings, and the perfect place to pursue the individual hobbies they are passionate about. 

“My husband’s interests in terms of hobbies, hunting, and fishing really brought him over to the Shore frequently. He just had a desire for a place to call his own, [a place] where he could do that from,” says the homeowner.

They would find that place on the periphery of St. Michaels, on a marshy and fertile patch of land adjacent Harris Creek and encompassing 75 acres on top of which sat a precious, but somewhat neglected farmhouse circa 1820. A smaller guest house, which the couple would later refer to as the “pool house” for its proximity to the pool, was conveniently located nearby. 

A years-long process of introspection about what the entire property could become, ensued. 

Dream A Little, Plan A Lot 

The couple, who now have four grown children, knew from the jump that the main home would be uninhabitable as it was, as it needed an entirely new heating system (it still possessed its original radiators). It would also require additional bed and bathrooms, and the foundation was totally inadequate. 

To fulfill some immediate needs for weekend getaway accommodations, the couple fixed up and feathered their “pool house” nest first. It would provide the valuable time and space needed to dream a little and plan a lot.

By 2015, the couple was ready to reach out to the experts who would help them further define and design the vision that they had conceived for the property. As far as the nuts and bolts of the build, the couple, who were already familiar with the work of Mueller Homes, reached out to its President, Paul Mueller, Jr., (P.J.) who recently took the reins of the respected, family-based business from his father, Paul Sr., and who remains active with the company in a mentorship role.

“And then very early on we also met with Lars Erickson of East Bay Construction Services. He is an architect, and he knows the Talbot County permitting system very well,” explains the homeowner. “Our thought (of choosing Lars) was we didn’t want to take any steps forward that we might realize later, we would need to take back.”

It would be Erickson who would breathe new life into the main house by recommending that the core of the home that existed between its two original chimneys be structurally maintained. A floorplan was then devised that would tack on the necessary square footage to provide a first-floor owners’ wing, four bedrooms in total, and an open floorplan extending beyond the home’s original dining room and library located at the front of the home.

“And then the whole garage and mudroom wing was added, and that has a room above the garage…a [recreation] room and office area. So that is all new,” P.J. explains. 

The home’s unique decorative elements such as its curved archways and Federal period details, had all seen better days, however. A process of templating and replication would be employed to update certain features, such as the home’s two original fireplaces, so they could be a functional and integral part of a 21st century dwelling. 

Fortunately for the homeowners, the bench is deep at Mueller Homes, as they employ fine craftspeople including their own team of painters and woodworkers, including a master carpenter who both P.J. and the homeowners credit with re-creating interior details with deft precision and unwavering persistence.

To Be So Moved  

Before any of the above could happen, however, those weighty issues of the home’s placement and foundation would need to be addressed, and to say that the team had some unique problems to solve would be an understatement. 

The original home, unfortunately, was set on an outdated, rock-based foundation and situated within the previously required 100-foot buffer from the waterfront. There would be no easy or quick fix for this. Essentially the home needed to be lifted so a new foundation and basement could be poured, and then placed back where it was. The structure would then be upgraded with additions on both sides to accommodate the added square footage the couple required. 

The entire process of lifting the home would provide the project’s greatest challenge, with the initial step of temporarily re-locating the structure just a short distance away, taking up the first two weeks of the process. 

“It sat for another two-to-three weeks; it sat about 200 feet away, while we excavated the foundation, poured the footers, and then we put it back down,” P.J. explains. “And then it sat in the new foundation while we formed and poured all the [additional] foundation around it. All in all, it took about six weeks.” 

Salvage Strategies

Inside, a thoughtful process of deciding what to salvage from the old home had already taken place, with the homeowners and builder taking special care to repurpose as much as was feasible. Elements that were viable, but ones the homeowners were unable to re-use themselves, were donated to the nonprofit, Second Chance.

The homeowners were particularly interested in saving a collection of bricks dating back to the 19th century and stamped with the name of the town of St. Michaels on them. 

“We dug through the dumpsters and pulled those things out,” the homeowner says. “And then we placed them strategically throughout the house.” One such brick was set into an outside patio area; another as a focal point in the home’s library mantel.

Several of the salvaged elements found pride of place in the kitchen. Two vintage doors and their original hardware were re-purposed and now flank each side of the refrigerator, providing convenient storage and pantry space.

“Above the hood range there’s a piece of lumber that we re-milled and re-purposed around the hood vent for the stove,” P.J. adds. In its earlier life that lumber served as a floor joist in the home. It now makes a charming statement, acting as a shelf for a prized collection of decorative bird plates.  

And what was once part of an exterior brick wall unearthed during the framing process in the kitchen, became a great focal point and charming place to add a dedicated coffee bar to the space, with the help of a process called soda-blasting.

“We used [that method] because it was non-toxic, and you could use it inside,” P.J. says.

The home’s 24-inch-wide original staircase was conscientiously restored to preserve its natural character leaving a patina of hard-earned dents and chips for character. And elements such as a porcelain sink and faucet hardware proved to be original treasures too prized to part with.

One of the larger elements, a cast iron tub found on the second floor, would present another formidable challenge for P.J.’s team. Notorious for its extraordinary weight and bulk, this tub would end up being removed from the house with a crane and taken off-site for refurbishing and re-coating.

Once re-coated and re-crated for transit, the heirloom bathtub was craned back into the home. Timing became a factor once again, as this would only be possible just before the reframing on the second floor had been completed. 

For the exterior, the couple, who has an affinity and deep appreciation for history, were careful to consider what it means to maintain their historical home. Stripped to the studs, the home would go from its original plaster walls to sturdy drywall modernized with spray foam insulation. A state-of-the-art geothermal heating system would replace the leaky radiators, and the home’s board and batten exterior would be reinforced and safeguarded from the elements using all James Hardie materials, making the home as comfortable and efficient, as it is welcoming and distinctive.

Family Style

Among the homeowner’s favorite aspects of the restoration and re-design process was the opportunity to work with one of the most respected and accomplished interior designers on the Eastern Shore, who just so happens to be her sister, Terry, of the Easton-based Terry Price Interiors. 

“The Eastern Shore has its own design aesthetic that we know and have grown up with, and it’s unique to the area. Terry has a deep knowledge and history of that,” the homeowner says.

When it came to finishing touches and furnishings, the homeowner says she was so grateful to have someone who had a great understanding of the hallmarks of Federal-period styling and who understood their goals so clearly. Her assistance would prove valuable in the re-purposing of what was salvaged and the acquisition of additional statement pieces, soft goods, and creature comforts that would speak to the warm and convivial vibe that her sister wished to create for her family. 

“Our mantra was, ‘classic,’ but [on a] simpler, lighter-scale, with slightly more rustic, sturdy, and natural materials,”Price says.  

When flea-marketing, Price says, they were on the look-out for elements of copper, bronze, and zinc. Woods and wood tones would also play large roles in pulling together the vision.

“We stained the window and door sashes in the kitchen and breakfast nook, instead of painting them with the rest of the interior trim.”

With their mantra and their paint color charts in-hand, they went on very mission-specific trips: One day for all the floor and shower tiles, another for all the counter tops, others for the light fixtures, and another for interior hardware.

Bit by bit, board by board, and color by gorgeous color, the free-flowing interior space developed into the place the couple envisioned while dreaming a little and planning a lot in that cozy pool house on the property years ago. 

With their four grown children, who their mom says, enjoy nothing more than re-grouping and recreating in this sweet little spot on the Shore, now coming for regular gatherings, the family certainly has a place they all can call their own.

“And just in time for the grandchildren,” the homeowner says, beaming.