ouroldfarmhouse.com - Restoring a Historic Farmhouse

J.M. Proctor and the Legacy of our Midwest Farmhouse

Within the History of Boone County, Missouri 1882, partially credited to Col. William F. Switzler and others, there are several references to J.M. Proctor that provide a bit more color…

Phil Atkinson June 10, 2025

History

Builder, Businessman, and Statesman: James Milton Proctor

I ran across this historic tidbit the other day on James Milton Proctor, the man who built our old farmhouse. I’m reposting it here just in case, but also linking…

Phil Atkinson June 9, 2025

Progress Update

Breaking Ground: Progress on the Garage

A little progress last week on the garage... The ground in this part of the country is really soft, so a bit of excavation and some rock to provide a…

Phil Atkinson June 2, 2025

Demo Progress Update

Expert Care, Neatly Done: Our Tree Removal Experience

For nearly two weeks, we've had a couple of tree experts working diligently to clean up our property, removing dead and diseased trees. When we came home yesterday, it looked…

Phil Atkinson May 29, 2025

Money Pit Moments Progress Update

Leaky Roofs and Mouse Hunting: Updates from Our Ongoing Home Renovation

Another month has zipped by, and while it sometimes feels like we’re spinning our wheels, there’s actually been plenty happening behind the scenes. After a long stretch of living with…

Phil Atkinson May 27, 2025

Planning

ChatGPT: AI Render of the Garage-Shop

It took a bunch of attempts over a couple of days, and AI still didn't quite get the house right or the garage's relationship to the house. The more I…

Phil Atkinson April 24, 2025

Progress Update

Steady Progress: Not Much to Show

In some ways it's been slow... the calm before the storm. We did manage to get someone out and clean all HVAC ducts, I'll spare you the photos... I'm not…

Phil Atkinson April 24, 2025

Demo

Outside Demo: Complete

It’s been a good week and signs of real progress around here… Shout out to the Donaldson Execuvating crew for making quick work of things. The view driving up to…

Phil Atkinson April 11, 2025

Demo

Brick by Brick: Summer Kitchen Demo

Today, we took down about half of the remaining brick wall to the summer kitchen. We’re trying to salvage as many original bricks as possible. My wife is a good…

Phil Atkinson April 5, 2025

Money Pit Moments Planning

Home Improvement Adventures: Wins & Losses

A couple of weeks ago, I was feeling pretty good… and honestly, I still am. But the home improvement road is rarely smooth. The Gutter Debacle: Let’s start with Leaffilter…

Phil Atkinson April 4, 2025