Pictures of the Schoolhouse
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| view from the neighbor's field |
The house has a large footprint but is cozy and welcoming inside. This shows the full extend of the buildings from the back of the house.
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| front of house |
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| house and garage, showing space above and breezeway (and Shelby and Lee) |
We call the little alcove formed by the house, the breezeway and the garage our Buddhist garden. It's quiet and shady and cool in summer. This is the view from the front. I was standing about halfway between the house and the road. The house sits on a little plateau, so it feels removed, but it is only about 50 yards from our quiet road.
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| New breezeway connecting outbuilding to house, door is into study |
Schoolhouses are quirky, even huge ones like this home. There was no real need for things like broom closets. When we added this breezeway three years ago, we added a broom closet. The shutters that are used for the swinging doors (think Western saloon) are original to the schoolhouse. Three additional sets serve as room darkening (and insulating) shutters for the master bedroom. I've never seen exterior shutters brought indoors before.
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| the side yard. asparagus beds are near composter at rear left |
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| gardens. some of the vegetable beds are build around the old swingset |
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| close up from the field. Note the two stories above the garage to the left |
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| This is the same field I was standing in for the picture above. |
The kitchen has an enormous picture window that yields this view. You can always stand at the sink and watch the weather roll in. This is the southern view from the house.
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| the animal yard and wood storage area. The door leads in to the breezeway. |
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The fenced in yard extends the length of the house and there's a little gate that opens onto the kitchen and garden side of the house. Our goats love looking in the windows which they can only do in the winter when the snow builds up. We love working and looking out at them and the hayfield.
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| upstairs bathroom (sink) looking into master bedroom |
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This bathroom is lovely - all finished in wood with quirky features. It has two windows, to the field and to the wood storage/animal yard. There is a door (seen) to the bedroom but also out to the laundry area of the second floor.
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| breezeway from the study door. Stairs at left go to root cellar and basement |
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We added this connector in order to achieve several goals. We wanted to be able to have about a two week supply of wood inside and dry. In winter, it is stacked around the corner. We also wanted to have an interior entrance to the basement, since it is so usable. There is also a bulkhead access. Finally, we wanted a really good food storage space, which we got by extending the foundation so this area has a lower level.
Reading corner of the schoolroom. The schoolroom is divided into quadrants by furniture arrangement so it functions in all the ways we want it to. These beautiful bookcases help define the space and were custom made for the house. We could talk about them if you wanted to keep them with the house. You'll see them in other angles of the schoolroom.
This is the dining area, looking toward the corner above. I am standing between the entrance and our wood stove, near the downstairs bathroom door.
I simply shifted angles. This sitting area is in front of the stove, with a wide pathway to pass through to the kitchen and study, off to the right. You are looking toward the t.v. corner, which we define by a sectional couch. You can see the insulated window quilts folded up at the tops of the windows in this picture. They all fold like roman shades. When the house is all closed up and wrapped in its quilts at night in wintertime, it is ridiculously cozy and warm.
Just so you know it really is a hayfield...
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| gardens in winter. Note how handy it is to hang birdfeeders from the swingset |
