ouroldfarmhouse.com - Restoring a Historic Farmhouse

Our first Grandbaby, Two Cracked Drains, and a Race Against Winter

I’m getting pretty good at this monthly posting routine… which probably means I owe everyone following along with us an apology. Let’s catch up! Honestly, we’ve been stuck in pretty…

Phil Atkinson October 19, 2026

Progress Update Restoration

Foundation Work, Dirt Everest, and a Grandbaby

It’s been nearly a month since the last post, and yes—I’m still working on the foundation. At this point, I’ve worked my way around nearly the entire house foundation by…

Phil Atkinson September 25, 2026

Progress Update Restoration

Foundation Work: One Third of the Way There

“Second verse, same as the first,” right? We’re continuing the work around the home’s foundation, and so far every corner we’ve opened—about 12 to 24 inches deep—has needed to be…

Phil Atkinson August 31, 2026

Demo

Letting Go of Old Roots

The past several days have been awash in noise and commotion—in what has become a never-ending saga of surprise after surprise. On Sunday, while mowing the grass, I noticed a…

Phil Atkinson August 13, 2026

Planning Progress Update Restoration

140-Year-Old Brick, Bad Drainage, and a Weekend of Digging and Repointing

More masonry work this past weekend—and everything hurts… We’ve started digging around the perimeter of the house to repoint the brick about 6–8 inches below grade, where the mortar has…

Phil Atkinson August 3, 2026

Demo Progress Update Restoration

First Attempt at Masonry (and What We Found Along the Way)

Work has picked back up in the parlor/office after a few weeks of delays for family commitments. From the beginning, it was obvious something was hiding within the fireplace wall…

Phil Atkinson July 6, 2026

Demo Progress Update Restoration

Restoring the Old Parlor: Update

Another month has passed, and we’re still renovating the office. What started as a simple “let’s freshen things up with some paint” has escalated into what will likely be a…

Phil Atkinson May 28, 2026

Demo Progress Update Restoration

One Room at a Time: Restoring the Old Parlor

For the past several weeks, it’s been demolition and restoration work in the office—what may have originally been the home’s parlor. There’s still a lot to tackle in this space.…

Phil Atkinson May 1, 2026

History Planning

Digging Deeper: The Hidden Bricks of Proctor Place

So, one of the mysteries now has an answer... For years, the history of Proctor Place included this claim: "The footings of the house are of brick-five rows of brick…

Phil Atkinson March 23, 2026

Money Pit Moments Planning

Foundations and Faith: One Year of Stewardship

As of today, it’s been one year since we became stewards of ole Milton—and I’ve got to say, he’s been a bit of a grumpy old soul. In many ways,…

Phil Atkinson February 28, 2026