Thursday, October 2, 2008

Freemanville Country Home





For several months last year, I drove by this house and saw the For Sale sign. I was so curious, I called a real estate agent and got the code to the lock box so I could see the inside. It looked like the neatest farmhouse on two acres along a well travelled road and one so well known in the horse country of Milton, called Freemanville.

One day it was purchased and I began to watch it undergo a transformation which captured my curiosity since the renovators were obviously getting the idea of "living outside the box" in my vision for a "Miltonville". The integrity, the "bones" of the home were maintained and when I used to drive by and see the light through the windows, I wondered about the family who lived there and what it looked like inside. It felt happy. The home exuded love and warmth and all those familiar cozy feelings.


Last month I finally had the opportunity to a glimpse inside when I met Leonard Jacklett and Cynthia Chandlee who introduced me to Wendy McGrew, the lucky new owner of the Home Sweet Home.



Leonard Jacklett bought the home last March in foreclosure. He had a vision and then a little extra vision from Cynthia Chandlee. The bones were good, and the vibe was too. Leomard looked at all the possibilities and started working right away.

The house was originally built in 1978 and had some various additions to it over the years. The lot is spectacular and has unbelievable oak tree's in the front and back yard. The original RED barn was left to reflect on what Milton should be - farm land with barns and chickens.

Leonard and Cynthia added to the rear of the house and expanded the master suite and built a fantastic master bath. They took out walls in the inside and re-did the kitchen and all the bathrooms had a new "look". The original fireplace got a face lift and a new hearth was built.



Upstairs walls were knocked out and a new vision appeared. The house was renovated with simple elegance and

They had the tired yellow/brown brick painted white, replaced the red roof with a black one, built custom shutters, added pavers to the front porch (which was redone with rectangular columns vs. the round ones.


They added dirt to the front yard and lifted the elevation so visually the yard was level. Next came the four board fencing, a must for Milton, and it was adorned with white gates, new mailbox and a gravel driveway - bingo - a classic Milton Home.

The house was totally updated with new lights, new windows, doors and hardware. Whatever could be recycled was saved such as some interior doors, the upstairs blue tub, and some of the bath cabinets upstairs.





The house was restored to a loving home.

Along came Wendy Mc Grew who had her own vision and with loving hands she re-did the floors with her old antique ones, added wood beams, built a chicken house and continues embellishing it everyday with her own ideas. Perfect match for the new Milton home... because she wanted SIMPLE.

That is what life should be about.. simple as that!

This is Milton Country Living!
This is Making a Dream a Reality.
This is a place to call Home Sweet Home!

1