Wednesday, September 12, 2012
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
Hello, all seekers of a beautiful house in Waynesburg, Pennsylvania. If you've dreamed of living with one foot in town and one foot in the country, this place is for you.
We have lived six very blissful years in what we fondly call "Wazoo Farm." The brick Dutch Colonial sits happily on a 3/4 of an acre lot (a triple lot) within walking distance of downtown and the local university. It is over one hundred years old with a fascinating history.
When we moved into the house, we immediately began "freeing" it from its previous owners, who had shut the poor house up, swathed it, and laid down horrible carpet over the original wood floors. This house and its yard has been a labor of love for us. We fully expected to live here for twenty years and so we replaced all the windows downstairs, installed fences the length of Porter Street, built a whimsical shed and playhouse, put in a fire ring at the bottom of our hill--the property ends just before a creek that the children love to play in and explore--and painted, had wiring and gas line replaced, turning the house into a warm, comfortable place that people describe as "feeling like home." And that's no nice way of saying the house is homely--no, with original fireplaces and mantles (one gas that can easily be hooked up for gas logs), original wood features throughout, and built-ins, this house is elegant.
The house has three bedrooms upstairs; two large and one smaller. In the basement, there is a cavernous, finished room off the finished laundry room in which we have comfortably fit a queen and a double bed as well as other furniture. We have had lots of guests! There is a lovely kitchen with ample room for a breakfast table as well as a large dining room--the most elegant room in the house--connected by an open doorway. Our favorite room in the house is the bright sun room, with four huge windows that overlook the gardens. The living room is warm and beautiful with an original mantle of brick and wood; through two, original, heavy pocket doors there is a spacious hall. There are oak and pine floors throughout the two main floors.
We are writers and gardeners, so we have found endless inspiration and delight in the gardens we have created and nurtured. All the herbs I ever want I find in my garden, as well as many flowers. We have planted dozens of trees, including beautiful flowering trees as well as fruit trees that are just beginning to bear fruit. There is a deck and stairs down the hill to the bottom yard, which is shaded in the summer by a giant black walnut tree.
Did I mention we have the best sledding hill in town? And (in my opinion) the most beautiful old maple tree?
336 N. Porter is a charming house that we have deeply loved for six years. If gardening is not for you, we can help to clear the gardens before you arrive, but we sincerely hope to pass this house into tender hands--a family that will delight in what has been an enchanting place for us to live for so long.
Below, you'll find a rather random assortment of photos that will give you an idea of our house and property. But why don't you just come and take a look in person?
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| this photo was snapped before the installation of the fence |
When we moved into the house, we immediately began "freeing" it from its previous owners, who had shut the poor house up, swathed it, and laid down horrible carpet over the original wood floors. This house and its yard has been a labor of love for us. We fully expected to live here for twenty years and so we replaced all the windows downstairs, installed fences the length of Porter Street, built a whimsical shed and playhouse, put in a fire ring at the bottom of our hill--the property ends just before a creek that the children love to play in and explore--and painted, had wiring and gas line replaced, turning the house into a warm, comfortable place that people describe as "feeling like home." And that's no nice way of saying the house is homely--no, with original fireplaces and mantles (one gas that can easily be hooked up for gas logs), original wood features throughout, and built-ins, this house is elegant.
The house has three bedrooms upstairs; two large and one smaller. In the basement, there is a cavernous, finished room off the finished laundry room in which we have comfortably fit a queen and a double bed as well as other furniture. We have had lots of guests! There is a lovely kitchen with ample room for a breakfast table as well as a large dining room--the most elegant room in the house--connected by an open doorway. Our favorite room in the house is the bright sun room, with four huge windows that overlook the gardens. The living room is warm and beautiful with an original mantle of brick and wood; through two, original, heavy pocket doors there is a spacious hall. There are oak and pine floors throughout the two main floors.
We are writers and gardeners, so we have found endless inspiration and delight in the gardens we have created and nurtured. All the herbs I ever want I find in my garden, as well as many flowers. We have planted dozens of trees, including beautiful flowering trees as well as fruit trees that are just beginning to bear fruit. There is a deck and stairs down the hill to the bottom yard, which is shaded in the summer by a giant black walnut tree.
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| My brother & husband looking like cave men at the fire ring down the hill |
Did I mention we have the best sledding hill in town? And (in my opinion) the most beautiful old maple tree?
Below, you'll find a rather random assortment of photos that will give you an idea of our house and property. But why don't you just come and take a look in person?
Inside. . .Outside. . .and then Inside Again
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| dining room . . .(for more "inside house" photos, see bottom). |
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| from front hallway; kitchen through hallway and living room to right |
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| one view of the kitchen |
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| our "sunflower" shed |
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| our front garden |
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| one of the rooms upstairs |
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| front pathway in summer |
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| front porch; there's also a deck behind the hous |
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| house from across the street; crabapple and eastern redbuds in front bloom in a profusion of pink in the spring |
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| stairs down the hill |
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| the stately maple |
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| I have collected endless bouquets from our garden |
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| the old peonies that have possibly existed for longer than we've lived |
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| view down the hill |
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| view of house from playhouse |
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| playhouse--built with high ceilings to also be a potting shed |
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| one view of front garden |
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| the porch again |
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| upstairs master bedroom mantle |
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| upstairs 2nd bedroom |
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| down the stairs to front hallway |
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| Master bedroom |
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| looking into sun room from living room |
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| sun room |
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| 2nd bedroom mantle |
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| living room |
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| walk into front garden |
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