I’m finally getting around to writing my first blog post about our new home. If we’re friends on Facebook or you’re following me on social media, you’ve seen me post about the 1767 stone manor and farm we moved to in September.
I’ve been itching to write about this amazing historic house, all the quirky things that come with a house that’s over 250 years old, the barns, the cottage, and the almost 7 acres.
And I’m finally revealing what we’ve named the farm.
The Stone Manor and Our Farm
My husband and I had the same dream of living on a hobby farm, and we wanted to find something in Bucks County, PA. We love this beautiful area full of farms, rolling hills, and old stone houses, and we used to drive here a lot on weekends to go out to lunch or to antique stores.
The famous Pineville Tavern where George Washington and Alexander Hamilton planned the Delaware Crossing that changed the American Revolution is 1o minutes from here. There is so much history in this area.
About three years ago, we started to look at houses for sale online and went to about 15 open houses just for fun. Two years ago, we got more serious about finding the right property, found an amazing realtor, who we had met at an open house, and checked out about six or so properties with her.
We actually made an offer on one, but it was a long shot because ours was the backup offer. We didn’t get that house, and I’m so glad we didn’t, because this property is so much more amazing.
We had a long laundry list of things we really wanted, and we knew it would be very hard to find something close to our dream property and that it would come with a big price tag. We were happy in my husband’s house, it was quiet and private and had a lot of what we wanted, but we kept talking and dreaming about our dream house with more land.
One can dream, right? I’d say one should always dream. Go for what you want.
Our (crazy) dream house wish list went like this:
- an old farmhouse with a ton of charm (beams, build-ins, etc.)
- a porch
- views of farmland or pastures
- a tree-lined gravel driveway
- at least one fireplace
- enough rooms for our children and guests
- a barn (swoon)
- a workshop or a space for it (my husband is a hobby woodworker)
- NO pool (way too much upkeep and an eyesore in our opinion)
- at least a few acres of land to have privacy and a garden
When we drove onto this property, it checked off the driveway requirements right away. There were two barns, two pastures, and stalls for horses or sheep. There was a cottage. And the stunning stone manor. The previous owners got rid of the pool, thank goodness.
Aside from having four pretty fireplaces, the house comes with an amazing raised bed garden in the back, a greenhouse/sunroom attached to the house, plus a third-floor apartment.
This property had everything and more than we had hoped for. We had always seen ourselves in a typical farmhouse, not a stone manor, but this house was hard to resist.
There were four offers on this house within a week. We got the house, but at the last second, there was a sudden offer for $100,000 more. After getting the okay, it looked like we’d lose the house. In the end, the sellers decided to go with our offer. Long story. Nerves wrecked, I tell ya. Buying a house is not for the faint of heart.
The kitchen was added 100 years ago, with cabinets that are that old. Most people would rip it all out and get a new kitchen, but I absolutely love it. Why? I’ll write about that soon.
The one-pane windows are a challenge and deserve their own blog post. Let’s just say that I’ve spent quite a bit of money on weather proofing this Swiss cheese of a house by now.
I’ll also write about the creaky floors.
And the odd things we have found since moving here.
And the ancient doorknobs and skeleton keys.
And Bean (who sadly moved away with his owner).
And the $5,500 we had to spend on fixing just one small stone wall in the bathroom.
And the whole house water softener we had to install, storm windows having to be reinstalled, the fireplaces that can’t be used, and…
For now, let me just tell you that I’m still in awe that I get to wake up in this house every day. Yes, there are drawbacks to living in a house this old. The bedrooms and bathrooms are tiny, and ideally we would like to have even more land and a view of nothing but farmland — we are total homebodies, like it quiet, and enjoy working from home. But as someone who grew up in a house full of antiques and loves everything vintage, how can I not enjoy living here?
It’s going to be even more lovely in the spring, summer, and fall when the trees and pastures are green and the garden full of blooms (and hopefully vegetables).
For now, I’ll enjoy this view from the large kitchen window:
The fall was so busy with the move, which took us two weeks with many trips back and forth, and we dropped off my son at college. So far, life has been slower here this winter. We got a few major projects taken care of and are still settling in. I can’t wait for what’s to come. We have so many dreams and plans for this property.
I’m decorating the house and constantly changing things around. If you follow me on Instagram or Tiktok, you know about this DIY hutch I made just yesterday out of a thrifted shelf and my kitchen console table I moved here from the Blue Cottage.
Another thing we did get done: we agreed on the name of our farm. Welcome to Fallowlee Farm, our new home.
We plan to get chickens and grow a garden full of flowers and vegetables this year. I’m dreaming of a farmstand my husband can build to sell flowers and eggs. We’d also like to foster cats again, something we’ve both done in the past. And I’m planning to finish my second romance novel here this year, after publishing Loving Emelyn last year.
I hope you’ll come along for the ride and enjoy my future blog posts about this amazing property filled with history. We’re the 21st family living here, isn’t that amazing?
