Aaron wanted to title our first post, “new beginnings,” and it really is for us! For the last year or so, we’ve been wanting to take on a project together and fix up a home, and a few weeks ago, we bought a beautiful old farmhouse in a town called Buckley about 35 minutes from my work at PLU. I don’t think either of us knew HOW big a project this would be, until it was too late and we’d already fallen in love with this 1930’s, Dutch colonial farmhouse on six acres. Some of my favorite things about it are the old fruit and nut trees around the property, the many small “outbuildings” including chicken coops, goat sheds, cow stalls, etc., the gambrel roof on the farmhouse, the spring that sources all the water, and the family history there. The last owners lived on the farm for about seventy years, building everything on the land themselves (they lived in a tent in the yard for months while the house was being built!). There’s an old milking shed behind the barn, a room with a concrete tub to put the milk jugs in to cool, four different chicken coops, and plenty of interesting farm tools – one of them is a “hog cane,” which looks a bit like a walking staff, but was used to steer pigs around the farm.
The home is tiny – two bedrooms and one bathroom. We’re hoping to do some additions that will add a bump-out on the second floor for a third bedroom and bath, and some space below for a covered porch. We are so thankful for family and friends who came to help us do a “demo day” last weekend where we were able to get most of the downstairs demo done – old, 1960’s cabinets removed, walls taken out, and many, many bags of old, peach-colored sheetrock removed. We found the happiest surprise of cedar shiplap walls and ceilings under the old sheetrock, and beautiful old original fir floors under teal and pink floral linoleum. We filled about 35 contractors bags! At some point, we’ll need to get a big dumpster in to get rid of those, and all the other things left on the property. Aaron was disappointed that the sellers took an old motorcycle behind the barn before leaving, but left us a broken down station wagon covered with tarps!
We’re excited to document this adventure together, and hope you can come visit us when we’re finished with our farm on Fettig Road!
