It’s Coming Along…

I’ve talked in recent months about our upcoming move and thought it was high time I showed you the progress that’s been made with the construction of our new house. This is what it looked like the last time I was there, about two weeks ago….

We’re still about six weeks from move-in, but the builder is putting the final touches on things now, and I’m beginning to picture myself living there.

This all began back in November 2019 when my daughter sent me this picture and said, “Look what I found – six acres in Center Township, just down the road from us!”

November 2019

Fred and I had been toying with the idea of moving closer to the grandchildren, so we could be a part of their everyday lives rather than just occasional visitors. The property Sara found was just a few miles from her house (and our four grandchildren!) and only a mile or so from the kids’ elementary school. Acreage like this with a large, flat,  buildable homesite is a rarity in that market.

Outline shows our six acres. The house sits on a flat hilltop, and the land slopes down to a stream in the valley.

We made a list of pros and cons to help us decide whether to stay here at Summerhill or move an hour north to Beaver County, PA, and build a new house, but, in the end, our love for those four beautiful kids won out over staying in the area where we’ve lived since 1981. We decided to make a major life change and buy the property – we were committed!

April 2020

We chose a builder and began working on designing our new home.  That was at the height of the pandemic, so every meeting had to be conducted via Zoom, which was challenging.

April 2020

We found a plan we liked. It’s a modern farmhouse style, and I love the look of it. The process our builder used was to start with one of their standard plans and then customize the floor plan and exterior to suit us. So rather than buying a readymade house plan and having an architect make modifications for us, the builder did it all.

The inspiration

The floor plan we decided on is nothing like the original inspiration home, but the exterior is very similar except ours is reversed. We’ll have three bedrooms and three baths plus an office and art studio.

We broke ground in mid-October 2020. The first step was to make room for the house by clearing the briary undergrowth and scrubby trees that weren’t worth saving.

September 2020

Then the driveway went in.

The poured concrete foundation wasn’t done until mid-December, when winter was already well underway.

Framing began in January. It was so exciting to finally see the house taking shape.

Meanwhile, we were holed up at home, emailing back and forth with the builder, doing online research, and having frequent Zoom meetings to finalize all the selections for plumbing, electric, paint colors, cabinetry, etc. Everything was done remotely except for flooring and appliance selection. 

In just a few weeks, the exterior was shaping up to look like a mirror image of my original inspiration house.

Now I could see how spacious and open the main living area would be. And I loved how sunny the rooms felt.

The basement was immense! It goes under the entire first floor of the house. My mom will eventually have an apartment on the lower level, and there will be a workshop and office for Fred, a storage area, a powder room, and a multi-purpose area for me (maybe a classroom? or sewing room? We’ll see…) That will all be done later, after we get settled.

Every time we visited the property, we had to bring mud boots…

The roofing crew came in March to do the shingles. The front porch roof and the awning over the garage windows will be black metal roofing.

In the rear, there will be a covered porch off the dining area.

We drove up to check on things one day in May and were surprised to see that the siding was going on! 

It was starting to look cute!

Things were progressing on the interior, too. Primer and a base coat were put on the walls, and the cabinets started to go in.

View of the main living areas
Upper cabinets and appliance garages will be added to the base cabinets on the left, and the window wall will have wall cabinets that go to the ceiling.
View from the kitchen to the living room
Looking toward the dining area

The last time I was there, they had added the chunkier front porch posts and done some more trim work inside. 

There’s still a lot of finishing to do, but we’re nearing the end of the project, and we expect to be moving in sometime in September. 

I’m excited to see it all coming together, but I haven’t had time to even think about decorating, window treatments, landscaping, and the thousand other things that will need to be done before it really feels like home. 

Board and batten siding on the gable is finally finished

There’s a lot to be done outdoors, too: retaining walls, concrete, driveway, landscaping, back porch, etc. Most of that will be handled after we move in, so it’ll be awhile before things look finished outside.

View as you drive into the property

All in good time. We’re not in a rush to leave Summerhill. 

I’m savoring every day of my last summer here.

Leslie Fehling's signature

33 Comments

  • Loved that amazing tour. Thank You. Standing between past and future and living in the middle (present) certainly is emotionally overloading but fodder for most amazing sketchbook of memories. I know you will create this journey beautifully and lovingly. A treasure for you and your family as it’s the heart of all you think and feel. Much love to you and your husband and mom!

    Reply
    • It’s easy to feel overwhelmed by all that’s going on right now, but I’m just taking it a day at a time. It’ll all work out…eventually. 🙂

      Reply
  • It looks lovely! I hope I’ll get to visit you there someday!

    Reply
  • Leslie: Thank you for the wonderful tour! What an amazing transfiguration…from forest to beautiful! I know you and your Family will make it even more beautiful!!! Your MOM is beaming!!! I had a nice chat with her at Sew Together this past Monday! Cannot wait for further progress!!!! Your friends, Nancy & Maurice

    Reply
  • So beautiful. Thank you for sharing your dream with all of us. It already has the feel of a very happy home.

    Reply
  • Hi Leslie! What a surprise today to see that your new home is being built in Beaver County,Pa. That’s where I live! I know Center Township very well. It’s close enough to Pittsburgh, which you will love, but still with a country vibe. I’m very anxious to watch your blog site for the finished product and the wonderful things you will do with it. Congratulations!
    Deb Boyer

    Reply
  • But where will you put the Christmas tree ?
    Love all the nooks and crannies…and love tha the windows all have differing views. Wish you only the best memories of Summerhill and great new events in your new home. Jeannie

    Reply
  • Loved seeing your new home. All the work is worth it to be near your 4 beautiful grandchildren! I love the windows and doors in the basement. Soon Summerhill will be a distant fond memory and eventually this will be just as beautiful and home to you as Summerhill was. Blessings in your new home.

    Reply
    • Thanks for your good wishes, Jeanne. I was surprised how bright the basement is. I didn’t want my mom to feel like she was living in a dungeon. She’ll have a window over the kitchen sink and a patio outside the French doors. Should be nice when we finally get it finished off.

      Reply
  • Wooow!! That is one BIG house… We lived with our 4 children in a 350 square metre house & I thought that was huge but it’s probably minuscule compared to the size of the average houses in America… we loved our home, HATED the time spent cleaning a house that large – even with the children helping out! It’s extremely rare to find a house with a basement in Australia as we don’t have heavy, snowy winters like you seem to have, so it was a real eye-opener for me to see your basement.
    We moved into a much smaller home (only 100 square metres), which I loooove and only takes ½ a day to clean (much easier to clean now that there is only 2 of us). We also lived on acreage and I miss that sooo much but like you we wanted to be closer to our children and in our case that meant moving into suburbia…
    Oh how I envy anyone with a dedicated art studio and I look forward to seeing yours once you’ve finished setting up your home. Exciting times ahead for you… best of luck.
    Magdalena French

    Reply
  • It’s beautiful! We did about the same thing five or so years ago. It’s stressful, fun and exciting all at the same time. You’re gonna love it!

    Reply
  • Exciting times ahead for you and your family. Congratulations on this new chapter! 🙂

    Reply
  • How marvellous for you. I imagine it’s a bit like giving birth ….. all the waiting and worrying, then the moving and then…. the new home! Past trials are forgotten as the new life begins…..

    Reply
    • You’re so right. Already, things that I was so upset about at some point in the building process have all been resolved and are only a distant memory now. I have to keep things in perspective every day and remember that things like choosing fireplace tile or light fixtures are not life-or-death decisions. 🙂

      Reply
  • I’m so glad that you shared this. My husband and I are in the same dilemna – deciding whether to move or stay where we have been for 30 years. This is encouraging. Summerhill is so beautiful! I’m sure it will be difficult to leave there, but so many wonderful new memories to be made close to family!

    Reply
    • And all the memories we have of this place will always be with us. And the friends I made teaching art classes here will still be my friends. Life will still be rich and full.
      And I’ll have a lot less gardening work to do when we move!

      Reply
  • It looks terrific, Leslie, and six weeks will be here before you know it. How exciting to see it from start to finish, built to your specs. I think you’ll be very happy there.

    Reply
    • I’m sure we will. Less maintenance, less mowing, less square footage to clean (yay!) AND we get to see the grandkids as much as we like. They’re so excited.

      Reply
  • This is awesome! How beautiful and a fitting replacement for Summerhill ❤️

    Reply
  • Hi Leslie! Your new home is beautiful! Thank you for sharing this update! Being close to the grands is amazing and worth the change! So happy for you, Fred and your family!

    Reply
  • I love it!!! I am so happy for you and Fred …and the grandkids! You will make this home as special and beautiful as Summer Hill – i have not doubt. I do think you may need a visit from your favorite interior designer ( haha) not really …i just want to see you!! Thanks for sharing the journey –its fun to live vicariously through you.
    hugs, Karen

    Reply
    • Hey, I’m saving all the decorating decisions about furniture, window treatments, etc. till after we move in, so you’ll have to come for a “design consultation” then. Miss you so much!

      Reply
  • Your new home promises to be just as stunning as Summerhill! This was so much fun to see and I hope you will continue the story with your decorating photos.

    Reply
  • I must have missed this post! I was hoping to see pics of the new house.. It’s beautiful Leslie and it has the Summerhill feel too! Yay!!!! I’m so happy for you.. Such a beautiful area and so many trees. It’s wonderful Leslie and Fred!!!

    Reply
  • This is just the inspirational post I needed to read today, Leslie; for that I thank you heartily. My husband and I purchased a home in a neighboring state recently. The “new” place is so very, very different from the area we’ve lived in since 1978 and the changes we’re making to live there (we’ll be in a neighborhood for goodness’ sake, after years of living on 118 lovingly-cherished acres!) are a bit daunting to our hearts. But it is close to our two sons and their families (seven grandchildren!!!) and that is the blessing. Our health is good but we live in a wildfire-burned-out community and making this change is key to planting ourselves in a vibrant place–and that is needed, I know. But despite it all, I somehow resent the change. Your positive perspective of leaving a place you’ve loved dearly and changing everything after decades to settle in the “new” and a lot of “family” are inspiring. Your account assures me that, we, too, can make the change.

    Reply

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I’m Leslie. A painter, teacher, and lover of all things creative. A sketchbook artist who captures everyday life on the pages of my illustrated journals. I love sharing, connecting, and encouraging people to find their creative voice through sketchbook journaling. Read more about me, my art, and my life HERE.

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