When we first found the property/homestead we fell in LOVE with this 1850s carriage house but as the renovation of our house and yard went on and on (with all the financial stress that goes along with it) we went from our “We’ll have projects forever!” enthusiasm to “Omg…we are going to have have projects…forever” dread. I can only say that now that we are on the other side of it, and so very excited to start this 1850s carriage house – in a slow DIY way (as much as possible). Last week, I took you through the inside, so today I’m going to show you the outside of the house, as we first found it in 2019, and what it looks like now (in 2025, pre-renovation).

2019 – When We Fell In Love With The Property

I love that we were all naive and like, “THIS LOOKS AWESOME”. But really, it had so much potential. I totally forgot about the carport that was built (likely so people could park there and walk under the covered walkway to the back door. It wasn’t in good shape, as you can see.

You can see how the two buildings connect here – WOW, it’s just so different now. We kept most of the covered walkway (we had to remove the “turn,” disconnect it from the house because they forgot to take into account the roofline of the walkway when they designed the windows, and the view out the window was 1/2 of a roofline – so awkward).

As you can see, it had very old white paint and green trim (all the outbuildings had the same trim).

She was pretty CUTE. Classic lap siding, a big picture window, and an awkward second-floor window just sooooo close to that roofline (which we can only move if we move the bathroom “stalls” upstairs). Is it weird that I like the charm of the awkwardly placed window? The shed-style room on the right was added on likely decades after it was built, probably serving as a shed to the kitchen garden that lived inside the split rail fence.

She was rundown, of course, and no contractor would advise us to attempt to fix it unless they were an old house enthusiast like us. But I actually really loved the vibe.

Now, Summer 2025

A few years ago, we had the outbuildings painted white, just to clean them up (I think we paid $6k for the garages, this building, and the two barns – like no prep work, no sanding/priming, just lipstick on a pig situation). IT’S probably why no one really notices this house as they walk by – my friends were like “where is that house that was on your IG?” and I was like, “you’ve literally walked past it 100 times.”

So let’s talk through some of the details of the structure. That big sliding door is on a train track, and I guess it is original and super valuable. We aren’t sure what to do with it because it’s solid for sure, but when closed, it still allows for a lot of air to come through. I thought it was retrofitted in the 30s or so and wasn’t feeling too guilty about putting in a normal front door (or French doors), but now I’m conflicted. But that little bird house is definitely staying (on the left).

It’s a super basic, classic farmhouse. The lap siding is in OK condition (more on that after the inspection results next Thursday). The windows are wood, wonky, and in relatively ok/bad condition. The roof looks fine, but the inspection report has more insight. We’ll see…check out the siding below…

We aren’t sure what or where the front door should be – the one on the left (below) goes into our old prop house (which is a small room), so it feels natural that where this sliding door would be is the main entrance. But then it could be just boarded up and have the main entrance around the corner.

See how the roofline of the covered walkway dead ends into the house? That’s pne problem I know we’ll need to solve. Well, without water management (gutters), it’s made that corner all rotted out. So the siding and wood are likely needing to be replaced.

I have no idea why that pipe/hot water vent has fallen all crooked, FYI, but it feels appropriate. From a distance, the house looks in pretty good shape!!!

We are getting foundation quotes now (which is NOT in the best shape). But at least that little garden room has a cement foundation. Maybe there’s hope for it??

I’m nervous that the covered walkway is going to need to be torn down, but my hope would be just the posts on the end that are totally rotted and hanging on by a thread. I mean, it’s not like it needs to be in perfect condition – it’s not holding a second floor, and no one sleeps underneath it.

That sweet little path goes to the gardening shed, which could be just a back or front entrance to the house. Maybe this home’s mudroom???? OOH, that is NOT a bad idea!!! Like, do we need the other entrance at all? Or would it be weird to not have a kitchen door??? (Yah, that’s weird and super annoying now that I think about it).

I wish I knew more about the condition to tell you, but the inspection report post will be next week. My hope is that it’s an extensive repair, but that the structure itself is in OK/saveable condition. At this point, we can still demo and walk away if it’s truly unsalvageable, but we really, really don’t want to do that. Come back next Thursday to find out :)

*Pretty Photos by Kaitlin Green