Unveiling Our Farmhouse Fixer: An Extensive Exterior Before Tour & Renovation Roadmap

Welcome to an in-depth look at the exterior of our farmhouse fixer! If you’ve been following our journey, you’ll know we’re embarking on a major renovation. This detailed “before” tour will show you exactly what we’re starting with on the outside, and perhaps more excitingly, share our vision for its transformation. We’ll explore both our immediate and long-term plans to breathe new life into this historic home.

After publishing our initial farmhouse fixer “before” tour, I quickly realized it should have been explicitly titled the “interior tour.” This is because I always envisioned this initial overview as a comprehensive three-part series: focusing on the interior, the exterior, and finally, the sprawling yard and garden. While the interior tour did include a few glimpses of the outside, I intentionally held back from discussing our exterior plans in detail, even mentioning in the accompanying video that a dedicated exterior tour was on its way.

So, here it is – the much-anticipated second installment of our farmhouse fixer “before” series. This post dives deep into the exterior of our cherished old house, revealing the challenges we face and outlining our ambitious plans for its future. We’re excited to share our vision for restoring its historic charm while integrating modern functionality and comfort.

Our Farmhouse Journey: A Quick Recap

For those new to our story, let’s quickly recap our journey to finding this farmhouse. We said goodbye to our beloved cottage in late summer 2016, placing our belongings in storage and moving in with family as we began the challenging search for our next home. Our goal was to downsize and find something unique, something truly special. Little did we know, this quest would span a grueling 15 months! It was a perfect storm of a wildly competitive housing market, incredibly low inventory, and our very specific criteria for what we wanted (and, perhaps more importantly, what we didn’t want).

We finally put an offer on this beautiful farmhouse, nestled on three acres, in November of 2017, and closed in January of 2018. (Yes, three acres is “downsizing” from one? That’s a story for the upcoming yard and garden tour!). Currently, we are deep in the process of interviewing contractors, finalizing detailed plans, and navigating the permit acquisition process. In the meantime, we’re living in a manufactured home conveniently located on the property, eagerly awaiting the day we can begin construction.

To fully grasp the interior’s current state and our exciting plans for it, we highly recommend you read our previous post and watch the included video. You can also hear us discuss the fascinating story of finding this farmhouse on our podcast here, and even join us for a live, on-site walkthrough inside the farmhouse in this episode for even more details and insights into our dream home.

But enough about the past – let’s shift our focus to the present and future of this farmhouse’s exterior!

Exterior Farmhouse Before Tour Video: A Visual Journey

While pictures certainly tell a story, I was able to delve into much greater detail and truly convey our vision in the video linked below. If you have the time, watching it will provide an unparalleled understanding of our plans, bringing the farmhouse and its expansive property to life. You’ll get a sneak peek at more of the land surrounding the house, an exciting precursor to the third “before” installment, which will be entirely dedicated to the yard and our overall garden plans. (If you’re eager, you can already explore the initial plans for our vegetable garden here).

Farmhouse Fixer Exterior: A Detailed Look in Pictures & Plans

The West Side: First Impressions and Siding Revelations

This view, showcasing the rolling hills in the distance, is likely the most familiar to you, as it’s the easiest angle for us to capture and has featured prominently in many of our initial photos. It truly feels like the prettiest perspective of the house. This is the west side, the welcoming face everyone sees when they approach the house from the driveway.

Let’s address the elephant in the room right away: the siding. Beyond being visibly dirty, the existing vinyl siding is significantly cracked and broken. It’s clear it was a lower-quality product, as it has become incredibly brittle over time; even the slightest touch causes it to crumble. One of our top priorities after taking possession was to uncover what lay beneath it, as there was no record of the original material. We were relieved to find a wonderful surprise!

By carefully removing just two small sections, we happily discovered classic, wide wood siding beneath the vinyl. This isn’t just any wood siding; it features a distinctive indentation between each row, giving it a unique character that’s hard to describe but easier to appreciate visually:

Our primary goal is to meticulously restore this original wood siding. The extent of patching required remains to be seen, but we anticipate a significant amount. Given our plans for a bump-out extension, we’ll need a substantial quantity of matching siding. If sourcing original-style wood proves challenging, we’re considering an ingenious solution: using a complementary siding for the new rear extension and carefully salvaging the original siding removed from that area to patch any damaged sections on the main house. This approach ensures continuity and preserves the home’s historic aesthetic.

Windows: Deferred Maintenance and Structural Integrity

Now, let’s take a closer look at one of the main-floor windows. As you can see, there’s a definite case of deferred maintenance here – decades, perhaps, since it last saw a fresh coat of paint. We were understandably concerned about potential rot, given the visible wear and exposure. Imagine our immense relief when the professional inspection revealed virtually no dry rot anywhere on the entire house, with the sole exception of one small area at the base of a single porch pillar.

This speaks volumes about the quality of construction in older homes like this. The wood used was likely tight-grained, old-growth timber, renowned for its natural resistance to rot and decay. This discovery was a huge win for us! With so many other renovation challenges ahead, knowing we have such a robust underlying structure is incredibly encouraging. While we plan to replace these older windows with more energy-efficient models that maintain the home’s period charm, knowing the framing is solid allows us to focus our efforts elsewhere.

The Back and East Side: Planning for Expansion and Modern Living

Moving around to the back of the farmhouse, we arrive at the area where our planned extension will take shape. To the left is the end of what is currently an enclosed porch, serving as an interior storage room. Our vision is to transform this space into a functional and bright laundry room, complete with one or two new windows. It’s a shame such a pleasant view currently has so few openings, and we’re eager to maximize natural light and airflow here.

To the right of this section is the current bedroom, which we intend to convert into our spacious master suite. The existing windows will be enlarged to match the grander proportions of other windows throughout the house, ensuring a cohesive aesthetic. We anticipate the roofline in this area will largely remain the same, preserving the home’s original silhouette. A significant practical change will involve relocating the exterior electrical box to the new laundry room, as the current fuse box is inconveniently situated outside.

You can also observe one of the areas where we’ve already peeled back the vinyl siding. This particular part of the house was added a bit later than the original structure (though not by much, according to our knowledgeable neighbor), so it was a pleasant surprise to confirm that it, too, features the same beautiful wood siding as the main farmhouse.

Due to the natural slope of the land, the east side of the house boasts a remarkably large crawl space. We are optimistically hoping that this generous space will simplify the process of adding the new foundation for our extension. As renovators often say, hope springs eternal!

Continuing our journey around the east side, the dramatically sloping ground creates the illusion of a three-story structure from certain angles. Those small, rectangular windows you see will definitely be removed. The back one is part of the master extension area, and the middle one is within the footprint of our planned kitchen remodel. For that kitchen window, I envision replacing it with elegant French doors that will open onto a charming eating deck. This deck will perfectly capitalize on the incredible views, and with its eastern exposure, dinners during the warm summer months will be bathed in pleasant shade – an ideal spot for al fresco dining.

The Front Porch: Restoring Charm and Enhancing Curb Appeal

Finally, our exterior tour concludes at the inviting front porch. From this specific angle, it might appear that merely centering the front door would solve all aesthetic issues. However, closer inspection reveals that the right side of the porch rail extends several feet longer than the left, creating an off-centered arrangement that we intend to rectify. This subtle asymmetry detracts from the overall curb appeal, and we’re committed to creating a more balanced and welcoming entrance.

As I mentioned in our initial interior tour video, I dream of installing a beautiful new front door complemented by a sidelite. This addition will not only flood the entry with natural light but will also dramatically enhance the home’s curb appeal, creating a more elegant and grand entrance. I also discussed the possibility of transforming the large single window on the right side of the door into two smaller, vertically aligned windows, mimicking the charming configuration of the upstairs windows. Whether this particular change comes to fruition will depend largely on the style of the new door we select and how it harmonizes with such a window arrangement.

Ideally, I would love to have a front porch entirely free of railings. While I recently discovered an effective method to make porch railings last longer, they still represent more maintenance than I’d prefer. However, the significant drop-off on the left side of the porch presents a safety concern that cannot be ignored. My current hope is to incorporate some thoughtfully designed raised planters along that edge. These could serve as both a beautiful aesthetic feature and a practical safety barrier, potentially allowing us to forgo traditional railings. We’ll explore this creative solution further as the design progresses.

Another crucial upgrade planned for the porch is the installation of a charming tongue-and-groove wood ceiling. This classic detail will add immense character and warmth, instantly elevating the porch’s aesthetic. Additionally, we plan to install proper lighting fixtures on either side of the new front door, enhancing both safety and evening curb appeal.

We sincerely hope you enjoyed this comprehensive exterior farmhouse fixer “before” tour. We are so excited about the potential of this home and invite you to continue following along as we navigate all the exciting ups and inevitable downs of remodeling an old house. Your thoughts and comments mean the world to us, so please share what you think! Thank you so much for stopping by and being a part of our renovation journey.