I have been posting on Tractorbynet for a couple of months, and decided to take the plunge and join this board. I'll start by telling you about a project that has consumed copious amounts of time, money, and planning for the last two years.
My wife grew up on a small farm in the same county in Middle Georgia that I did. When we married, she lived with her parents in a house that was constructed in about 1890 (best estimate from tax records), and that her father was born in in 1913. http://www.taylor.k12.ga.us/~tcss/ho...es/Image0.html
Well, that got entered before I intended, but I'll just carry on from here.
My MIL died about 8 years ago, and my FIL lived with us for the last 6 years of his life. After his death, we didn't really know what to do with the house. It had been sitting empty for 6 years, and it was beginning to go down, the way old houses do when unoccupied. We didn't really want to rent the place out. In the Fall of 2003, we decided to undertake a minor renovation, and use the house for a weekend getaway. It is only 10 miles from the small town where we live, and it would be handy to use for a guest-house or just a "country place." As they say, one thing led to another.
What started as a minor remodeling job evolved into a major restoration/renovation. We wound up gutting the interior, completely replacing all wiring and plumbing, applying foamed in insulation, tearing out 3 walls to make a large 18X45 living/dining area, moving the kitchen back to its original location, drilling a new well, putting 3 coats of paint on the entire exterior, and a bunch of other stuff I can't remember now.
The house is situated on 50 acres in Central GA, about 100 miles South of Atlanta. It is about 100 feet off The Old Federal Road, known locally as the Wire Road or the Stagecoach Road. The Flint River is about 2 miles East of the house. The land between the Flint and Chattahooche Rivers was ceded to GA in 1828 by the Creek Indians, and the Old Creek Agency is very near the house.
I think the barn in the second picture is the oldest building on the place. It has been re-sided at least once, and is framed with posts and beams, held together with wooden pegs. It has a front and rear door, and I believe it was originally a dwelling. My guess is it dates at least to the War Between the States. All the buildings are in great shape, and I will have to spend some time and money in the future keeping them up.
My wife's father was a small farmer, and grew cotton, corn, and pigs until the early 70's, when he dropped the cotton and planted soybeans instead. He put the place in the CRP "pine tree program" in the early 80's, and we have recently thinned the pines. There are about 10 acres of land still open, and I plant a large garden and plant the rest in wildlife plantings. I have dreams of having my own little quail hunting preserve. There are a couple of wild coveys now, and there is a farm about 2 miles from there that raises quail for the plantations in S. GA. Here's one of my daughter and my Llewellin Setter. Note the GA Bulldogs sweatshirt. http://users.pstel.net/harris/crowel...s/Image11.html
By the way, the term dogtrot house refers to a typical old Southern style of home where two rooms, or "pens" are separated by a large hallway, all under one roof. They were usually built in sections, with rooms added when there was a good cotton crop. This is the way ours was built.
Quite a change without changing the charactor of the place. Old fabric is comfortable.
I to am undertaking a pretty big job and can now see the fruits of a lot of labor, so keep up the good work
Later, Nat
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