Eliza is Moving... to a Dilapidated 1873 Victorian
Well, folks… it’s the end of an era. The Morrills are moving and Stephanie and I both have cried a lot of tears. BUT, the good news is— we’re only moving about 7 minutes away. And we’re doing something we’ve dreamed of doing for years. We’ve bought and are renovating an 1873 Victorian home in our town’s Historic District.
Mike and I have always loved historic homes. We also love a good renovation. Growing up, my family did a lot of historic renovations, so I feel like I can see the potential in almost anything. My sister and her husband bought a condemned historic home almost a decade ago, and it’s now one of the most beautiful homes I’ve ever seen. Mike renovated an older house in college and caught the bug.
When the opportunity to buy this house popped up, I was honestly a little shocked that Mike jumped on it will full force. I sent him some photos of the caving-in ceilings, debris, and holy floors, fully expecting him to say, “heck to the no-freaking-way.” Imagine my surprise, then, when he said, “Oh wow. This is amazing! When can I see it?” Soon after, we were under contract.
To say that I’m sad that we’re leaving our current home (and our amazing neighbors) would be an understatement. The idea that I can’t just walk over to Stephanie’s house on a whim is hard to swallow. But, at the same time, we’re only right down the road, and having Momstrosity means that we spend 85% of our free time together, anyway— and that won’t change. But the biggest thing is that renovating this home has been a dream of ours, and it has plenty of room for our 1000 kids.
I know this isn’t a home renovation blog, but I’ll be sharing updates here as things progress. Our goal is to be in 1 year from now— there’s a LOT of work to be done!
This past week, the construction crew filled up two dumpsters of c-r-a-p and began taking the back off of the house (it was an addition that was structurally unsound, so we’ll have to rebuild.) In the coming weeks, they’ll tear the majority of the house down to the studs and have a blank canvas to work with. We’ll make it more functional for our family while keeping as many of the original details as possible.
So, that’s our news! Let me know in the comments what you think, if you have any questions, and let me know how often you’d like updates!
This is the room directly to the left when you walk in. We’ll replace this opening with the original wall that was there, with french doors and a transom above. We’ll use this as the playroom until the kids are older, when it will become more of a formal living space.
This (and the photo below) are of the main living space. We’ll take down most of the wall on the right (while keeping the arch) to create a more open plan. Behind the door on the left is where the kitchen will be.
Here’s another angle of the main living space (you can see the yellow room in the corner— that’s the room in the first photo above). We’ll have a dual living-dining space in this room. I love the arch and natural light!
Here’s the kitchen as it is now. Because this was an addition to the original house and on a crumbling foundation, we’ll have to take off the entire addition and rebuild.
Just two examples of the condition the home is in now… yikes!
I love the natural light and details.
The third floor is a mess now (you should have seen it before they cleaned it out) but will be an awesome space once it’s finished.
This is the back of the house. The porch has already been removed, as well as the roof and siding of the addition.
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