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Randl Bye
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Randl Bye
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Randl Bye
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Randl Bye
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Randl Bye
by Beth S. Buxbaum
From a tumbled down structure to a masterfully rejuvenated Buck County farmhouse, this restoration spanned 18 years. Jon and Monique Atkin purchased their historic 1820 stone house in 2003. The house was advertised in the Penny Power newspaper “as is,” and there were no surprises when Jon and Monique visited the home for the first time. The house had decomposing walls, a collapsing roof, overgrown foliage…and that was just the exterior. Jon says, “The house needed to be gutted for the renovation, beginning with all new wiring and plumbing,”
Prepared for an extensive restoration, Jon and Monique began their renovations. A major challenge was that Jon, owner and operator of Doylestown Building & Remodeling Inc., could only work on the house when he had time in between running his business, that specializes in restorations of older homes.
“We both have a passion for old houses,” Jon says, “and enjoy working on historic Bucks County stone properties.” Jon and Monique’s first venture was in 1985 when they purchased the old stone Stagecoach Stop, built in 1748. Then he bought the Old Water Wheel restaurant in Doylestown, an old mill built in 1714 that had been abandoned for three years. This project was right up his alley. “My goal is to preserve the integrity of the house while updating it for today’s family and lifestyles,” he adds. Jon has an accomplished track record of skillfully restoring historic properties, as well as building additions, custom kitchens and bathrooms. Taking on a major renovation of his own historic farmhouse has been a labor of love. Not only a love of the process, but also a dedication and love for the area.
Making Bucks County their home was a conscious decision. Jon and Monique were both drawn to Bucks County for its charm and beauty. “The area reminds me of my early years growing up in Yorkshire, England,” Jon explains. The neighboring town, within the county of Yorkshire, was called Wensleydale, for which they named their new homestead. Jon came to the United States in 1982 and visited Lambertville. “Bucks County has so much of Europe in it,” Jon proclaims. This feeling is also shared by his wife, Monique Gaumont, who grew up in LeVesnet, France and lived for a time in Paris. Purchasing a piece of Bucks County history was an exciting chapter in their lives. While preserving the structure’s integrity, Jon also infused his eco-friendly systems and designs. A preservationist of sorts, he believes very strongly in restoring, re-using and recycling and those precepts guide him in his restorations and renovations alike.
Jon followed these precepts as he began the renovation. In collaboration with Monique, as the architectural and interior design consultant, he decided to restore the house’s integrity, while equipping the old section and adding modern-day materials and systems. Embarking on the restoration and renovation, they first tackled the infrastructure. Once the house was in live-in condition, much of the next phase of the renovation was done while they lived in the house. From the start of the project, they knew they were going to build an addition. “We started the addition in 2008 and it took eight years to construct,” Jon adds. This three-story, 4000 square foot addition created a first-floor rear sunroom, a foyer, a new 24 by 24-foot kitchen, a bar area and a powder room, plus a second-floor main bedroom suite and a lower level media room and office. With his eye to keeping the structure as eco-friendly as possible, he used recycled wood for most of the building material.
Most essential to the core of the house was a new kitchen. While renovating the house in the early stages, and building the addition, they constructed a temporary kitchen when they moved in. But adding a large kitchen was their ultimate plan. Monique, a graduate of the famous Cordon Bleu Cookery School in Paris, and Jon both love to cook. Monique designed the addition and had a very detailed vision of her dream kitchen. A new kitchen, designed during the remaining stages of their renovation, was the piece de resistance and the true focal point of the house’s final transformation. Infused with French-style influences, the kitchen’s design was more traditional. A centerpiece is the Lacanche French Range, a bright yellow expansive stove and oven with a cook-top grill, all accented with a custom copper and brass hood. Jon points out that this range is used in French restaurant kitchens today.
Another unique feature in the kitchen is the construction of a wood fired barbecue grill and a pizza and bread oven. “We wanted to take the fun and American tradition of cooking outdoors, and move it inside,” Jon explains. Tucked into an exterior wall in a back corner, the grill and oven have been framed with brick arches, adding an Old Country appeal. The pizza oven has cast iron doors made in France and below the ovens are two openings to hold the wood used in the ovens. An expansive center island, central to the kitchen space, is positioned on the other side of the range. Custom built by Ouldcott Cabinetry, of cherry wood and topped in black quartzite, this island has the feel of an antique piece of furniture. Designed with a series of side shelves and drawers in the corners, the island is uniquely topped with a row of brightly embellished drawers for storage. Each drawer has a hand painted motif done by a local artist. Together, all these design elements define the Old-World presence of this kitchen, combining a French-style influence with American lifestyle features. On the second floor of this addition several other rooms were added.
Part of the original house’s second level had four bedrooms that were so tiny it was difficult to even get furniture into these rooms. Jon and Monique knocked down walls and combined three of the bedrooms to create one large guest room. Now, with the kitchen addition, they had the opportunity to design and build a new main bedroom suite over the first-floor kitchen addition. In this expansive space they designed a large walk-in closet, a bedroom area with high ceilings and a gas fireplace with an old cast stone French fireplace surround. Designing a cozy and inviting room was Monique’s pleasure, furnishing the room with comfy pieces. A massive four poster bed is the focus of one section of the space. In another part of the suite is an inviting sitting area with a French-inspired settee under a window. The main bathroom suite is tucked into the left back corner of the space. In tones of green, pink and blue, this new main bedroom suite is filled with Monique’s special touches creating a soft, calming ambiance.
Monique’s eye and flare for design imbues all the living space with a European flavor, most of the French variety. This European influence is present in the heirloom furniture and drapes from local antiques shops to the wallpaper and the framed family photos. Many of the rooms have at least one such feature incorporated into the space. Monique’s delicate appointments create a sense of European, old worldliness throughout the house. For instance, in the new addition the sunroom is accented with a Gothic arched picture window and is embellished with French antiques, mostly from Monique’s family heirlooms that include the table and chairs and the armoire. Awash in peach and white, with tones of aqua accents in the antique store velvet drapes and Oriental rug, the new two-story foyer has been finished with Italian marble floors. Appointed with a traditional pie stair with wrought iron balusters, Monique finished this entry with a few heirloom pieces and drapes to complete the period look. Flowing from the new entry is a charming powder room done in pale blue and yellow. The white ceramic tile floors are a simple backdrop to the blue floral drapes and the faux painted walls. Another European touch is the toilet with the tank above and a pull-down chain. To the right is porcelain, hand-painted sink. Everything is brightened by the chandelier from Monique’s childhood bedroom in France.
On the second floor, several of the original rooms have been refurbished. Connecting the original farmhouse with the addition is a second-floor landing. Jon knocked down walls to open the flow from old to new sections. Monique’s family heirlooms and framed pictures give the landing that old world feel. Moving through the landing to the original section of the house is the guest bedroom, fashioned from three of the original bedrooms. Jon rewired, re-plastered and repainted this room and Monique added her signature infusion of Old-World charm, adding family heirlooms and portraits to the space, all embellished with a delicate floral motif.
Monique has filled their living space with reminiscences of her years in France. Rooms are filled with family heirlooms, a variety of chandeliers from Monique’s home in France and collections of old family portraits. She has defined their home with much of her history, documenting her past, something that was lacking with their historic farmhouse. In fact, not much is known of the farmhouse’s history. With very little documentation, what is known is the first structure was a log cabin built on the property in 1785. Remnants of logs on the property were found during the excavation. According to official records, the first recorded deed to Thomas Schwartz was dated June 5, 1808. Records also indicate that Thomas Schwartz died on April 22nd, 1895 and left the house and 64 acres to his wife Emily and their four children. Emily passed away two years later in 1897. From personal accounts and some recordings, Jon and Monique believe that the original homestead, dating back to 1820, was a modest Bucks County fieldstone farmhouse on 80 acres. What is known is the homestead is that it was a crop farm for much of its existence and that the 80 acres were slowly subdivided over the years. “We are fairly sure that the same family occupied the homestead for 90 years,” Monique adds.
As the newest residents of this historic farmhouse, Jon and Monique have dedicated many years and hours of labor to rejuvenate this home, finishing the renovation in 2021, 18 years after they first bought the property. They have preserved and restored the essence of this historic Bucks County farmhouse. Blending the old space with the new was masterfully executed with Jon’s artisanship and Monique’s eye for design. Each room has a distinct feel, with an easy flow from the original section to the addition. Jon’s years in the business and his craftsmanship, along with Monique talent for architectural and design elements, have culminated in the reincarnation of their centuries-old fieldstone farmhouse.
Beth S. Buxbaum is a freelance writer from the Philadelphia area.