There is a boom in old house love and with the release of HGTV’s newest show, Cheap Old Houses, more people will be able to get a peek into the lives of those who dedicate themselves as stewards and who often risk it all in effort to save these early American treasures!
In 1984, my parents made the bold decision, before it was even popular, to move to the country and into an 1850s Federal style farmhouse that had them living in one room while they got to work. Yes-eating, sleeping, and everything else in between all in one room. Did I mention they had a newborn too?! Their house was not only what is now deemed a fixer-upper, but also a cheap old house coming in around 40k!
Growing up in a farmhouse was fun until about high school when I felt like there was “better” out there when it came to housing. Little did I know how completely wrong I was but still I declared I’d never live in an old farmhouse. It wasn’t until after being married for 10 years did I find myself unsatisfied with a stick build that lacked the character my childhood home oozed. There was no thick baseboard or fancy trim. The stairs lacked spindles and the creak under our kitchen floor was not the creak of nearly 200 year old floors. It was poor installation I was standing on and it made me long for the feel of my childhood home’s hardwood floors. Even though when I was four a popped nail snagged my sock and the floor laid my chin open. I still love those floors and they gave me a cool scar nonetheless.
I’ve observed my parents live the life of stewards to their picturesque home for 36 years and hope to carry on the same love and dedication with our 1837 Federal style home. These old houses aren’t for the faint of heart. They are a fairytale of their own filled with plenty of unexpected journeys, bouts of turmoil, plenty of laughs, abounding love that gets everyone through to the end and memories to last a lifetime.
Be sure to tune in TONIGHT, August 9th to HGTV or Discovery + Mondays at 9pm EST to watch my old house loving friends, Elizabeth and Ethan, share the magic behind old houses on their new show Cheap Old Houses! You’re going to love it!