Our Renovation Story Begins

Today we go to settlement on our big yellow house and I didn’t sleep a wink last night. I’ve bought and sold nine houses in my life, and I don’t remember being this excited since I bought my first townhome in the spring 1982. Instead of worrying about whether or not I could afford the mortgage, this time I tossed and turned thinking about all the things I want to do to help restore this home to its full glory.

As you can see from my first posting, our big yellow house is BIG. It is also in remarkably good shape for being 96 years old. Not only was it well built (its first owner was also the owner the town’s lumber mill), it’s been lovingly maintained and upgraded by its 7 former owners. Since all of the difficult work has been done, my job is to bring it into the second decade of the 21st century without losing its 1916 charm.

The Kitchen

Here are some pictures of what the house looked like the day we took possession. While small, the kitchen is a real charmer. Exposing the back of the fireplace was a stroke of genius by the former owners. While I know I want to expand the kitchen by incorporating a nearby enclosed sun porch, I don’t plan to make any changes to that fireplace.

The Foyer

The stain glass windows surrounding the front door are a trade mark of the home’s builder, Frank Fred Muth. Similar windows can be found in other homes around town constructed by the same builder. I like the simplicity of the geometric shapes.

The living room with its five large windows, built in bookcases, and working fireplace is a place I am certain to enjoy while reading a good book on Sunday afternoon. If I don’t want to hear Larry watching the football game in the nearby family room, I can always close the glass pocket doors.


The Living Room

 One of the first jobs Larry tackled was closing up the pet door on the back porch. Since the previous owners moved next door, their cat is a bit confused about where he lives. The silver duck tape on the swinging door should be a good clue he needs to try someplace else. 

Closing Up the Cat Door


While in good condition, my list of desired modifications is many times larger than my budget. I know I need to sort out what is a must have vs. a nice to have so we can prioritize and start renovations...but right now I want to do it all!

How We Got Our Big Yellow House

Tomorrow is the day we settle on our big yellow house.  Owning and renovating a historic home is something I’ve dreamt about for most of my life.  Having purchased 8 homes over the past 30 years you might be wondering, “What took you so long?”  The truth is it just wasn’t the right time.  I was too busy, living in the wrong place, didn’t have the money, or was married to the wrong man.  Then, in late 2010, I realized the wrong time was quickly becoming the right time.  With children launched and retirement rapidly approaching, Larry (my handy around the house new husband) and I realized we could live anywhere we wanted.  Secretly I wondered, “If not now, then when?”  So one evening, over a glass of wine, I shared my long-time dream with Larry. He agreed the wrong time was quickly becoming the right time and together we started our search for the perfect historic home. 

"The South's Prettiest Small Town"



Realizing we needed to find the perfect location before we could find the perfect historic house, we quickly settled on the four criteria that eventually led us to Edenton, NC : 

·    No more than a 4 hour drive from Northern Virginia

·    Small town (less than 35,000 people)

·    On the water (ocean/river/lake)

·    Sizable historic district with plenty of  shops and restaurants

We first visited Edenton in the fall of 2010 and for the next 18 months I stalked the town and their real estate market via the internet.When Larry asked what I wanted for Christmas in 2011, I didn’t hesitate a moment when I told him I wanted to go back to Edenton and look seriously at real estate.  One week later we had reservations at the Grandville Queen, one of Edenton's historically significant B&Bs, and I went to work surfing the internet identifying more than 26 historic homes I wanted to visit.

With my two sisters and their husbands in tow, the “big yellow house” was one of 26 homes for sale we strolled past as we carried out our walking tour of Edenton the week between Christmas and New Year’s.  At the end of two days, I had eliminated all but 6 homes and was anxious to see each from the inside.  A serendipitous meeting led us to realtor Fraser Kelly and the following day we visited 5 of those 6 homes.  Sadly, the “big yellow house” was already under contract and no longer available for viewing.  We left Edenton pretty sure we had found the right location, but not the “right house”.

Two weeks later we received a call from Fraser telling us the contract had fallen through on the “big yellow house” and it was back on the market.  Since Larry and my brother-in-laws were scheduled to complete some renovation work at our weekend home, we girls jumped in the car and took another road trip to Edenton.  It was love at first sight when I stepped inside the “big yellow house”.  Armed with a multitude of photos and a significant amount of video, I returned home to introduce Larry to what would ultimately become our new home.  Tomorrow, we become the 8^th owner of “our” big yellow house.  The list of families who lived here before us includes:  the Brown’s (1916), the Stephenson’s (1922), Mrs. Brown (1930), the Colombo’s (1968), the Underkofler’s  (1975), the Kearns’ (1994), and the Cumby’s (1998).