Remember that amazing 1810 stone house you saw us post about restoring way back in the day? Well we finally finished the labor of love that was it’s restoration and we couldn’t be more happy with how it came out. It took over a year and a half of a steep learning curve but we learned a lot about what goes into historic restoration versus a traditional renovation. We think it’s one of the more unique farm houses for sale in Maryland and we’re proud of the way it turned out! the house came out fantastic and we hope you enjoy the pictures.
Selling a Historic House in Maryland
When selling a historic home in Maryland there are additional considerations. Any work you do to the outside must be approved by the local historic community. With 5122 Wetheredsville our exterior work included repairing the stone mortar, repairing and painting the single-pane wooden windows, painting the wood trim and siding around the house, and repairing and painting the barn behind the house. Working with the historic community we were able to pull from historic records a combination of colors that would be time period accurate for the home.
In addition to historic regulations, Baltimore City offers a special CHAP incentive program for potential historic renovation. By keeping the exterior historically accurate we’d be able to lock in the home’s tax rate at the lower assessment price for 10 years. Ruth Roberts was the individual spearheading these efforts on our behalf and she did a fantastic job. When selling a historic house in Maryland it is important to have a professional with experience working with both the city and local historic communities.
For all intents and purposes, this was a full gut with a focus on preserving as much of it’s old world charm as possible. The hardwood floors on the 2nd-4th floor were unreal and came out fantastic when finished. One major focus of our restoration was to restore the floors on the 1st floor that had been covered over with 2” pine floors about 20 years ago to their original charm. We were able to work with a lumber mill in western Maryland to recreate some wide-plank hardwoods that finished beautifully and really made the first floor pop.
Making the Historic Home Functional
Another piece of this was how to deal with just having one bathroom in a house with 4+ bedrooms so we opted to make that one bathroom as incredible as possible. With all of the space we had, we were able to give it an open spa-like feel that wows you the second you walk in.
The kitchen was a touch of modern without contradicting the historical nature of the home too much and complimented the style of the bathroom just above very nicely. The two-tone cabinets were more bold than we often go for a renovation, but this house deserved something a bit more on-trend and we’re happy with how it came out.
Over-All Experience of Selling a Historic Home in Maryland
Over-all, this house was a major learning experience for us in how to do a historic renovation properly but as the types who like to, on occasion, learn trial by fire we can look back on this as a major stepping stone for our careers as real estate investors. We can take pride knowing this house was restored properly and the community of Dickeyville was very happy to see this home brought back to life. There aren’t many stone homes for sale in Maryland and we ‘re excited to have made this one available.
And the best news of all for us? We’re under contract! Despite Dickeyville being a notoriously challenging place to sell a home…we went under contract in under two weeks at full price. Now we can go find another historic to restore with our new found knowledge, right? We’ll have to get back to you on that one….
Are you thinking about buying or selling a historic home in Maryland? We want to help! Give us a call at (443) 826-9024 or fill out the form below. We love working with new clients.