Bringing an 1850s House Back to Life

In our last blog post, we broke down the nitty-gritty of renovating the kitchen of an 19th Century farmhouse in Richmond.

Now, we're shifting gears to a space that embodies the essence of family, relaxation, and shared memories—the living area. As a seasoned Vermont contractor, I loved unraveling the layers of time within these walls and breathing new life into a space that has witnessed generations of stories unfold. We found a ton of exciting surprises as we ripped everything back to the studs. The living space of this 1850s gem provided an amazing canvas for a fresh start.

This post showcases the project from start to finish, demonstrating the work poured into rejuvenating a living area that now seamlessly blends timeless craftmanship with modern comfort.

Before Photos of the Living Area

This living area is in the center of the house. It could be a great space for a living room or a dining room since it's right off the kitchen. As you can see (even in the before photos), the staircase is a true stunner, and we hoped that once we started demo that we would find even more charm.

We could tell that the ceiling and walls were plaster, so we were eager to see what was underneath. In the photos, you can see that the ceiling plaster was heavily patched. We were hopeful that we wouldn't find any major issues once we pulled the plaster off, but you never know! Worst case, we would find structural issues. Best case, the plaster was just old and cracked.

Demo Photos of the Living Area

Demolition is by far the most fun part of a renovation project. Here's are a few photos from the demo process.

The home was vacant and the entire floor was being remodeled, so we did not have to worry about the mess we were making during this massive deconstruction. The floors were covered by tile carpeting and area rugs, which actually made for an easy clean up. We vacuumed up debris, picked up nails, and bagged the trash each day for safety purposes.

Things we found in the ceiling / walls:

• Massive hand cut beams

• Live-edge wood support panels

• No insulation in the exterior walls

• Hand forged nails

• Disconnected knob and tube wiring

• Cashed checks from the 1980s

• Dead mouse (RIP)

Thankfully, we didn't come across any unwanted surprises during the demo! All the beams were in great shape and the knob and tube wiring was fully disconnected from the rest of the electrical system.

After Photos of the Living Area

We loved the hand cut beams and couldn't bring ourselves to cover them with sheetrock. We decided to paint the beams white to give them a modern facelift. Painting them was a labor of love - it took a lot of time and paint for full coverage (KILZ shellac primer really saved the day). We also decided to keep the wainscoting and chair rail, but gave it a face lift with a fresh coat of paint. Other new additions to the room included:

• Insulation

• Sheetrock

• Hardwood floors

• Trim

• A ceiling fan and light (the room had no over head light before!)

• Radiator covers

• Exterior and interior doors

• Outlets & outlet covers

• And more!

Overall, we're thrilled with how the renovations in Richmond came out. Let us know if we can help you with a future renovation project!