Twice as Nice
Neither a swarm of bees nor a damaging fire dissuades a Pennsylvania couple with a keen eye for primitives from transforming a ramshackle 18th-century house into an inviting country sanctuary.
Neither a bee infestation nor a damaging fire dissuades two resourceful Pennsylvania residents from transforming a ramshackle 18th-century dwelling into a country sanctuary.
No one could understand what
Linda Hanson saw in the derelict centuries-old stone-and-log farmhouse in Glen Rock, Pennsylvania. The electricity consisted of lightbulbs tacked along wires running across the ceiling. Pipes from the solitary sink and shower emptied onto the ground outdoors. The toilet didn’t work, but an outhouse stood nearby. A swarm of bees inhabited the second floor. Linda’s mother took one look at the residence and declared, “What a dump!”
The year was 1988, and despite the building’s shortcomings Linda had fallen in love with its primitive architecture and the scenic rural setting. The original structure was built in 1794, with a natural stone first floor and a log second floor. Sometime later, perhaps the 1830s, the home was enlarged with a two-story stone addition that is now the living room and master bedroom and bathroom. Few improvements, if any, had been made since.
In Linda’s view, the farmhouse perfectly complemented the primitive style she adores. After she and her husband, Mike,
bought the property, they couldn’t move in for almost 18 months. They hired an architect and a contractor who were experienced in restoration projects, plus a beekeeper, to make the house habitable. The team gutted the interior and built bedrooms, bathrooms, closets and a modern kitchen. A new back-of-the-house addition contains laundry facilities, a sewing room, a powder room and stairs to the basement. Later projects created a guest suite in the attic, added a screenedin porch and finished the basement.
They also chose to open up the kitchen to the dining room, replacing the wall between the rooms with an island. This allowed them to include a keeping room area within the retooled space. For visual continuity, they finished the rooms with creamy beige woodwork, reclaimed pine flooring and punched-tin light fixtures.
During the extensive renovation process, the Hansons retained many of the home’s original architectural features, including heavy beamed ceilings and striking wood moldings. “We have no insulation in the walls because we wanted to keep the old plaster,” Linda points out.
A former home economics teacher, Linda took on the decorating herself once the remodeling was complete. She has little training in design, but she’s an avid antiques collector and a longtime reader of home decorating magazines. “Maybe I had an eye for putting things together,” she says. “I just knew what I liked.”
Though her walls are crisp white and wood trim wears subtle shades, Linda gravitates toward colorful painted furnishings and accessories. “I don’t leave any wood natural except beams,” she notes. “Or, if it’s very old pine, then I leave it natural. Old pine, like 100 years or older, is so much prettier than new stuff.”
Most surfaces are decked with arrangements of her many collectibles, which include birdhouses, decoys, game boards, homespun crafts, family heirlooms, baskets and dishes, as well as paintings by her sister, folk artist Nancy Woodrow. Linda readily mixes antiques, reproductions and new objects. “It’s not rocket science,” she says. “If you think it looks good, it looks good.”
After many years of perfecting their home, the Hansons suffered a tremendous setback in 2015 when an ember escaped the wood-burning stove in the keeping room, and the home’s cedar-shingled roof caught fire. Thankfully, no one was hurt, but the structural and water damage was severe. The home once again underwent restoration, this time for a year.
Some soot-stained items, for example, two striated velvet Queen Anne chairs and the master bedroom curtains, could not be cleaned spotless, but Linda chose to keep them despite their imperfections. In fact, she cherishes their contribution to her home’s comfortable, lived-in look. “I’ve been in lots of old houses where you feel you’re in a museum,” she explains. “I want to take advantage of the 21st century and what it offers, just keep the 18th-century flavor.”
“It’s not rocket science. If you think it looks good, it looks good.”