Restoring that farmhouse and old barns that were built in 1850 in Lebanon Connecticut
Circa 1800's Lebanon Ct Barns
Lebanon, CT founded in 1700
Lebanon is a historical rural town,
Loving The Life and Times In Lebanon , Connecticut
Last updates: July 6, 2008
Below is an updated photo of the main barn. New wall built, new door (white slider) is only primed and I still need to install the window in the peak, Im waiting for the bats to leave. The green roofing is corrugated asphalt made by Ondura. 2 Sides Finished... 2 sides to go ! October 2,'07
Welcome...
My wife and I are living our own episode of "This Old House" and this website displays many of the before and after photos of the improvements we are making to the house, the barns and the property.
Built in 1850 and located in Lebanon , CT , it has become quite a project restoring. The previous owner had let the property overgrow and let the barns go to a state of disrepair. The interior of the house was livable but every room in the house needs attention. Some rooms need minor work and other areas needing major work.
All the work that needed to be done, made this house "affordable" for us in a difficult housing market.
When we decided to buy this place , I had predicted it to be a 10 year project restoring the barns and house, and after almost 5 years of work so far... I stand by my call ! Everyday is a surprise , but everyday I look forward to the challenge. The property is almost 4 acres with 650+ feet of road frontage and has 2 barns. There is the smaller barn that has 3 large stalls in it that I now use for goats and chickens and then there is a large Lofted Cape Style Barn that was built in the late 1800's. This barn is structurally sound and the stone foundation is solid so with some time and work , it will one day become the pride of the property again.
Its a shame but many of the old barns here in Connecticut are being torn down and parted out mainly for the large wood beams inside. There are big dollars being made on the seasoned Chestnut and Oak Wood. Many of the large tracts of family owned farmlands in CT that these barns stood proud on for so many years are being sold and subdivided just to make ends meet. Fuel and taxes are killing the small farmer. I guess they call this progress.
My barns and wood beams are staying where they are and the photos on this site will show you the progress we have made .
We hope you enjoy Our Old House...
The Anniversary Garden NEW !
( ) updated pages
Some Bad News...
After all the unexpected money spent this past winter on the Kitchen Renovation and the ever increasing COST OF LIVING I am sorry to say that this summers work on the last side of the barn and a new roof will have to wait till next year because those materials alone are in the thousands !
Now the good news !
This will give me time this summer to work on something fun ! I am working on a large perennial flower garden that will have some stone paths and a big cedar post arbor !
Estimated cost ... a few hundred !
Do you know what you get when you give a guy some time, a backhoe, free cedar poles, an endless supply of stone and a huge pile of composted topsoil ?
check it out... The Anniversary Garden !
Flowering cactus , lazy cat !
Photos taken July 5.08
