house photo
Beth S. Buxbaum
Four stone walls, barely standing, laid the foundation for Dave Yates’ latest project. This tiny, centuries-old homestead sat on a four-acre lot a bit off the beaten track in Springfield Township. Dave bought the property in 2007 with the intention of renewing the structure. “I wanted to restore an old house,” adds Dave, “and I liked that this property was in the countryside.”
With a preliminary blueprint and a vision, Dave began the renovations to restore the old farmhouse. What began as a restoration snowballed into the construction of a new home. Dave explains why it was fortuitous. “We were growing out of the house we were in,” Dave reveals, “and wanted more land in a less busy area.” So Dave and Jaime Fisher, started to conceptualize a basic layout for the addition. "Once we had the shell of the stone house completed we made adjustments in the original plans," Dave continues.
Six years later, the restoration and new addition were complete. Dave, Jaime and her son Riley moved into their new home in August of 2013. “I never thought I'd see the day,” adds Jaime. “We came everyday to check in, we were always here during the process.” Dave worked there whenever he could, many nights and weekends. It seems, in retrospect, that the project took much longer than anticipated and was lot more work than Dave had even imagined.
Dave bought the property before he met Jaime. He was living in a home he bought and restored when he was in his early 20s. Built in the 1930s, this house was one of several homes Dave has refurbished. “I was always into building and renovations,” he adds, “and have done a lot of different kinds of projects.” Being handy is just a side thing for Dave, who owns Yates Electrical in Quakertown. But that side thing was now a never-ending project that occupied much of his time. “The house was so run down that it was uninhabitable and in total disrepair,” Dave explains. A self-taught handyman, Dave took this project on with the help of a team of contractors.
Before any restoration could begin, they had to rebuild some of the original walls that were falling down. Not only was the original stone structure not sound, the land was overrun with foliage and filled with huge boulders. “The property was also in bad shape,” he adds, “we had to re-grade it and remove all the weeds, tree roots and boulders.” As the restoration and renovation began, the only portion of the structure left standing were the original stone walls, there was nothing else salvaged. As a matter of fact, it probably would have been easier to just tear down the original structure. But Dave wanted to preserve the integrity and authenticity of the old farmhouse.
To finish reading this story about An Unlikely Transformation, turn to page 90 in the Spring 2015 issue of Bucks County Magazine.