by Beth S. Buxbaum
Tucked into a 45-acre landscape of rolling hills, surrounded by groves of trees and a creek, sits a centuries-old Bucks County stone farmhouse, along with a barn and springhouse. The look of this homestead, which is perched on a sloping landscape can deceive. The buildings that you see appear to have been built together … at the same time … by the same owner. But they were not. On the highest point of the landscape sits the original stone farmhouse, built in the late 1700s. Additions were added in 1996.
It was in 1994 that Christine and Drew Wagner bought this property in Pleasant Valley as a weekend getaway. They were living in South Jersey in a contemporary home they built in 1986. As Christine explains, “Drew has always had an appreciation for acreage and old stone farmhouses,” But Christine was not ready to make that a permanent lifestyle change. After their son left for college, they revisited the possibility of finding something as a weekend retreat. Since Christine and Drew worked for the same medical surgical supply company, which is based in Newtown, they began their search in Bucks County. Christine recalls, “We were looking for at least ten acres with an old farmhouse, off the road.”
This began what seemed like an endless search. “Our realtor drove us all over creation,” Christine says. It was difficult to find a large expanse of land, with a stone structure, off the main roads. “What we wanted we couldn’t find closer, so we opened the circle to find what we wanted—where we could afford to purchase.” After searching for two years their illusive property was discovered.
“We actually fell in love with the property before the house,” adds Drew. This homestead became their new weekend getaway. “We cleaned it up, brought in a bed and a sofa and began coming up every weekend with our two dogs,” says Christine. They loved the open space and the rustic quality of the old stone house.
“We actually started thinking about how nice it would be to not have to go back to New Jersey,” Christine says. After much consideration, they began to discuss the possibility of moving to Pleasant Valley permanently. In the old stone structure, there was the original keeping room with the walk-in fireplace, a living room, a more recently built kitchen and a second floor bedroom and bath, which was enough space for the two of them. But one of the obstacles, especially for Christine, was the kitchen. “I love to cook and I needed a real kitchen,” says Christine. The existing kitchen was in a narrow space that used to be an enclosed porch. At some point, in the 1960s, this space was converted into a galley kitchen, with a sink, stove and tiny refrigerator.
If this were to become their permanent residence, Christine knew they had to put on an addition and build a new kitchen. “We called Lynn Taylor, an architect in Doylestown, who recommended his protégé, Ellen Happ,” adds Christine. Collaborations began and the end result was a shared vision for this project. Christine drew some preliminary floor plans, taking ideas from home shows, sample homes and magazines. What began as a simple kitchen expansion and renovation snowballed into a 5200 square foot addition to create the new kitchen, plus a dining room, family room, study and a second floor balcony, master bedroom and guest bedroom.
They agreed from the outset to respect the historical integrity and style of the original stone farmhouse. Interior and exterior elements would authentically replicate those of the old structure. While mapping out the blueprint for this project, there was much discussion about the importance of the exterior look and flow of the addition. To preserve and recognize the original building’s authenticity and historic value, new construction was designed to look like a series of additions done over time to the main building, just as it would have been added hundreds of years ago. Who was on this land hundreds of years ago? The Wagners were able to trace the homestead’s history to a certain point. Records do show that the 1798 Federal Direct Tax indicates that William Bryan, Jr. the owner of the land at the time, did have a 28-foot by19-foot two story stone house, a 20-foot by 16-foot log house, a 30-foot by 20-foot fulling mill, from which the Wagners have located the foundation, and a 60-foot by 30-foot stone barn, which is still standing.
The actual purchase of the land dates back to 1750 when a 300-acre property, from the original land grant from the Penn family, was sold to James Green. Green then conveyed 100 acres, which was the eventual site of the Wagner’s farmhouse and the adjacent property, to Francis Green who sold the land to William Bryan. Bryan then purchased an additional adjoining track of approximately 150 acres. In 1764 Bryan transferred ownership of these two tracks to his two sons, William & Leve. William Bryan, Jr. became the owner of the Wagner’s property. In 1814 William Bryan, Jr. and Leve Bryan sold 11 acres to Joseph Frey, who transferred this to his son Conrad Frey, who then attempted to sell the property. The Wagners actually found an ad in the Doylestown Democrat for the stone house, barn and fulling mill. In 1843 Daniel Applebach was named assignee of the property, as Conrad ran into financial trouble. Then a year later Applebach sold the property to Henry Shitz who retained the property for the remainder of his life. After Henry Shitz's death, in 1871, his heirs petitioned the Bucks County Orphans court to value the real estate for equal distribution, but the report was not accepted by the court. The administrators of the estate requested authority to sell the property at a public sale, the request was granted and the property was sold to Emanuel Horn in 1871. Further historical documentation was not available from 1871 until more recently, when Christine and Drew purchased the property from Charlotte Rubel Althouse in 1994.
Now, as the newest stewards of the property, Christine and Drew were determined to preserve its past, while transitioning into making it theirs. As the construction of the addition began, they agreed that the new construction would blend and flow with the original structures and landscape. Positioning, choice of materials and architectural design features were all combined to create this addition. Exterior materials were matched as closely as possible to the original stone, with stone brought in by the builder. The old stone house has a slate roof and they used recycled slate for the roof on the addition. Exterior walls of the addition were stuccoed and then etched in acid wash, after it was applied, to achieve the old, distressed look. Finishing off the exterior, stone and gravel from the creek bed was mixed into the stucco to enhance the distressed look and achieve the desired color. “We had the old house, as well as the stonework on the addition, repointed by DeGruchy Masonry Restoration in Quakertown,” Christine adds. They also mixed gravel from the creek bed into the mortar for repointing all of the stonework, inside and outside, to blend the aging of the stucco to the pointing.
Christine explains how an arch from a doorway, below ground level, was discovered during the repointing of the old house. They decided to dig out the doorway and create a level landscape outside the front of the original stone building, which then created a step-down effect to the addition. In this space they fashioned an inviting courtyard, appointed with Belgium block leading into the new entranceway. One effect was that it gave the illusion of walking up to the front door. Additionally, this set the old stone house above the addition. “Our original stone house is the main focus,” explains Christine, “sitting in the foreground, higher than the addition, to give it prominence.” Another design feature was a result of their familiarity with the landscape and its influence on the house, after living here most weekends for three years. “We knew where the sun came in and what views we wanted out of particular windows,” adds Christine, “and knew that we wanted the kitchen, family room and bedroom to have these views.” This factor directed the building site and placement of the rooms, and in a few instances they actually changed floor plans to meet those specific desires.
“There is something old in every room of the addition,” Christine says. Working-in the old with the new was the focus. Interior elements also replicated the original structure’s appointments. Ceilings and walls in the old house were old world plaster. In the addition, the ceilings were done with a similar plaster and finished with an acid wash to give it a distressed look. This plaster dries with an old, patchy finish. Other interior features are almost all recycled materials for the floors, beamed ceilings, interior and exterior doors, windows, railings, and fireplace mantle. In the original structure the floors were brick and wide plank oak. Floors in the addition are a mix of old chestnut and oak. “We worked with a builder who had an inventory in his barn of used materials,” Christine adds, “so we would just tell him what we needed.
The addition created a two-story entranceway, with the original keeping room with the walk-in fireplace and a living room with the original wood-beam ceiling to the back and left. This entry is accented with a sloped beam ceiling and brick floors. Covering the main wall in this space is a unique and massive piece they found at an auction with spice drawers that was used in a Czechoslovakian bakery. Alongside the entranceway, part of the addition was built onto the exterior wall of the original structure, creating a dining room, accented with a plaster and wood beam ceiling.
For the kitchen addition, Christine had some very specific ideas about the design features. Working with Contempo Kitchens, in Cherry Hill, the kitchen was also done in an old-world distressed motif. Complimenting the distressed effect on the ceiling and walls, as well as the brick floors, the center island and cabinets followed suit. “I knew I wanted all red cabinets, either in cherry or painted,” Christine continues. They installed unfinished cabinets and, after they moved in, had the cabinets hand painted by Judith Renstrom, of Kintnersville, in a distressed reddish-brown finish. The center island base was done in a distressed mustard tone and the island and counter tops are a dark green limestone.
Flowing out of the kitchen into the informal eating area, the brick floor is continued into this open space, which overlooks the new two-story family room. This sun-drenched spot is accented with four floor-to-ceiling windows, designed in a six over six-pane pattern to look like old windows. In keeping with the sloping effect on the outside, the kitchen addition and eating area lead to the two-story family room with a four step-down entrance. In this expansive space, the floors are a mixture of a brick surround with a limestone center. Above is a second floor balcony overlooking the space.
On the second floor, this galley was designed to be wider than a typical balcony/walkway to be able to add selected furniture pieces in this space. A master bedroom suite and one guest bedroom and bath were created on this level. Also on this level is the original bedroom and bath, which they believe was originally two separate bedrooms. This space has been styled into a guest suite. All the second floor rooms are embraced by the galley/balcony that overlooks the new entranceway and family room.
Once the addition was complete, their next task was to furnish and appoint the interior. Coming from a contemporary home, Christine and Drew decided to sell almost all of their furniture because it would not fit with the rustic, primitive styling of their new homestead. Drew bought furniture at Renningers in Kutztown and several other auctions in Bucks and Lehigh Counties. Christine explains how she would just give him colors she wanted … green, red, black and mustard. “I told him to just buy it and we would find a place for it,” she says. Drew would check the auction guides on Fridays and plan a route to go on the weekends. She tells of how he would come home with truckloads of finds. Christine says she actually liked most of what he bought and found perfect spots in the house for the pieces.
In keeping with the time period and styling of the original stone farmhouse, Christine and Drew maintained that primitive, rustic quality inside both old and new sections of the house. “We wanted all painted furniture or distressed, nothing that looked new or finished,” adds Christine. To illuminate and accent the living space, Christine bought several custom chandeliers from Lt. Moses Willard Lighting in Milford, Ohio, where you pick out the size and base and they hand-paint the base to match your interior décor. With their meticulous attention to maintaining the relevance of the homestead’s history, Christine and Drew mounted a full and deliberate campaign to accent their reproduction old stone farmhouse with fitting pieces. “We wanted to have a livable house,” Christine adds, “where everything is comfortable.”
Christine and Drew also enjoy entertaining friends and family, especially during the holiday season. Thanksgiving dinners can sometimes bring 30 to 40 guests. During their celebration of the Christmas season Christine places a Christmas tree in every room, with the two largest trees embellishing the family room and original living room. Every window is illuminated with a candle, and along with the outside lights and spotlights, guests are welcomed for the holiday gathering.
Beth S. Buxbaum is a freelance writer from the Philadelphia area.