Breathing New Life into a 1767 Farmhouse

The house in question? A built-in-1767, pre-Revolutionary-War farmhouse whose condition at the time of purchase Caron described as “engulfed in vegetation.” The location, Rye, New Hampshire, a historical coastal town of some 5,000 residents, was exactly where the couple wanted to settle down and they’d made a promise to the home’s previous owner to restore it in a way that made it both livable again and reminiscent of its original glory.

So armed with a spreadsheet of tasks, Caron set out to tackle what surely seemed like a daunting odyssey. To help expedite and coordinate the work, the couple turned to a general contractor to coordinate the home’s exterior needs, but everything inside would be up to them. From working with subcontractors to upgrading the HVAC and electrical systems, to refinishing the home’s beautiful but neglected wide pine floorboards to spending two winters scraping what Caron described as “centuries” of paint off of the brickwork, the proverbial and literal in some cases, blood, sweat, and tears of the renovation fell on their shoulders.

One major decision for Caron was deciding what to do about the windows. Despite wanting to preserve as much of the home’s original, or at least old, elements as possible, she knew that they were beyond repair or restoration.

“We knew that we needed to replace the windows,” Caron said. “The ones that were there could have potentially stayed, but they were in pretty rough shape, they weren't watertight, or doing the house any favors at that point.”

To research how to move forward with the windows, Caron took a trip to the Atlantic Design Center, inside Eldredge Lumber & Hardware in York, Maine, where her mom happened to work. It was on this trip where she found a window option that kept with her desire to preserve the home’s centuries old look, but also had the construction, detail, and performance the home needed.

“Again, keeping it as historically accurate as possible,” Caron said, “while preserving what's still there.”

With work wrapping up, Caron can finally take a step back and think about all that’s been accomplished. There’s one centerpiece in particular: the dining room.

“It has a fireplace in it, it needed a lot of work, which is done now. The floors are gorgeous and restored. Then there are two built-ins in the corners with the wavy glass,” Caron explained. “So, just bringing all of that back to life and knowing families have sat here and gathered here and spent time here since the 1700s is just a really special thought to have.”