The Bitter Truths (and joys) of Owning an Old Farmhouse

Last Updated on June 20, 2024 by Michelle

You learn to acquiesce to some things, even embrace the bitter truths with contentment, when you know the joys of owning an old farmhouse.

The Joys of Owning an Old Farmhouse

Walls, ceilings, and floors will never line up correctly. Anywhere. But the exposed beams make up for a plethora of crooked corners. 

Sagging floor boards will never be muted. But wide planks, boasting marks of hand planing, justify the loud crankiness of the wood.

Original windows, if we’re lucky enough to have a few that have survived, will never open easily. But sunlight bending romantically through handblown panes makes up for the window’s aged stubbornness.

Every job will be harder than you think. But treasures abound.

I am blessed to live in a 215-year-old cape with exposed beams; old, wide pine floors; and a few original windows in the hall that connects the house to the barn. It used to be the carriage house. I’ll confess I had no idea what that was when I was informed our home used to have one. But it’s exactly what the name implies. It’s the area that housed the carriages. The owner would drive in his horse-drawn carriage, unharness the horses, and walk them into the adjacent barn.

This is where our hand-blown panes have survived, because they were long ago enclosed from the weather by a front porch that stretches across the front of the used-to-be carriage house. In this picture, dated 1900, it looks like there is just a simple roof across the front of the carriage house, but that alone provided some protection for the windows, which were old even then.

The Old Windows

I showed off one fun relic that our pigs rooted up in the field right here, in this live video. And I show you the alternative that the homeowners installed on our old windows (in place of what they tossed in their dump area). Pretty neat stuff:

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Wanna know the 3 Secrets An Old-Home Owner Might Never Tell You?

Wanna know where you can unearth some rustic treasures of your own? Keep reading! (Or go here if the suspense is killing you.)

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The Uncovered Relics

But our current project of clearing fields, to prepare for a dairy cow, has been much harder than we anticipated. It has also unearthed treasures that would seem like landfill material to some but mean the world to us, knowing they are integral to the story of the last two centuries of life on our little corner of New England.

I love to repurpose my relics… help old things become new again. Antique bottles become perfect waterers.

And beautiful light catchers.

Old barrels and cast iron pans? Wonderful herb gardens.

Old doors? Wonderful “new” room dividers.

But some relics will remain where we found them for a little while longer, at least until we are ready to cut down some trees…

Although I feel very blessed, I’m also feeling just a little, well, older. Today happens to be the first day of my 47th trip around the sun. Maybe that’s why I love making old things new again. As my curls get a little grayer and my body gets a little crankier, I’m looking forward to the day that God makes all things new. Until then, I’ll just keep digging around our homestead and repurposing the old treasures I uncover.

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Just in case any friends or family happen to peruse this post and wanna, ya know, snag a birthday gift for me (Ahem. cough. cough.) I’ll plop this amazing new-found website link here…

Btw, Bill, honey, don’t stress too much over which item to get me over on Antique Farmhouse. Pretty much anything on there would make me happy…

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Although I enjoy altering trash, I’m so thankful for one valuable treasure I know will never change: “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning.” (Lamentations 3:22-24) As I open my eyes tomorrow morning and look forward to another year… my 47th year… and a day of celebrating my beloved country, I will rejoice in His steadfast love.

Happy Independence Day!

Articles about our old farmhouse:

Refinishing our old wide-plank pine floors

An old farmhouse at harvest time

Making pie in an old farmhouse kitchen

3 Secrets Old Home Owners Won’t Tell You

 

Take a tour of our vintage chicken coop:

Join me live as I show you the treasure our pigs uncovered in a field this week:

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And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Revelation 21:5

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Please take a second to follow along here on SoulyRested to catch up on a few of my memorable mishaps, discover fascinating things about my centuries-old farmhouse, glean a little parenting/homeschooling insight from this momma who’s been failing at the effort for almost 2 decades, or enjoy the inside scoop on the secrets other legit homesteaders might not tell you.

I hope my focus always encourages you, because simple joys require hard work. Let’s face it, we all need all the encouragement we can get! As soon as you subscribe (in the box at the end of this post), you’ll have immediate access to my Resource Library, which includes many useful printables, my FREE EBOOKs, and amazing recipes for things like whoopie pie cookies, maple sap switchel, and my grandmom’s perfect pie crust.