The 1900 House

How We Met

So…we did this thing. I could try and tell you all the backstory but that would take so long I’m just going to jump you right in. We bought a house – a house built in 1900. Sight unseen. From out of state. (Yikes!)

The 1900 House: how we fell in love instantly.

Last November we drove back to Kentucky to haul Robert’s parents RV down to South Carolina so they could winter closer to us when they wanted to. Monday morning, sitting in the front lobby of Big O Tires getting emergency replacements, our realtor friends texted. “This just came on the market. We thought of you.” Robert and I looked at the listing, looked at each other, paused about 3 minutes to think it over and texted back our offer. Driving home over the Tennessee mountains that night pulling the RV we received the next text: the seller had accepted our offer! After kisses, squeezy hugs, and regrabbing the steering wheel, we thanked them so much and cried tears of joy. This was our dream come true.

We Had to See Each Other

We’d begun to call it “the 1900 House” and we couldn’t wait to go see it. Stopping for about an hour to sleep, we got to our 8 am appointment with clients and at 1 pm went to walk the property. Everything about it enthralled me. Even the grass felt good under my shoes. It was thick, soft and green – no signs of swamp or holding water – which are important in South Carolina’s lowcountry.

On one hand, it didn’t matter to us what the 1900 House looked like. We could see the care and love she’d been built with and it was already deep in our hearts to restore her. We noted the porch detailing, the symmetry of the layout, the wide wrapping front porch, and the second story. The window panes had the old bubbly, wiggly glass from being handcrafted a century ago. The outbuildings ranged from brick to concrete block to wood and plastic. Plus, there were a few acres for kids and grandkids, and perhaps future animals. Oh wait. Did I mention the 1900 House had 6 fireplaces?

The current owner lived there 10 years, but prior to that it had been owned by a single family line since its construction. The craftsmanship of history was evident everywhere. Still, we knew we had massive work ahead of us. Did we care? No. We’d dreamed of an opportunity like this. We’d driven the South Carolina backroads for 4 and a half years searching for a property like this. We were head over heels, already making plans and imagining our lives together.

Committed

Better than we expected, the 1900 House beamed quietly back at us. Peaceful countryside rolled nearby. Woods engulfed the property. Graceful trees loomed overhead. The birds sang hymns to us. The moment stuck in our hearts and we couldn’t wait for the bank approval and the paperwork and the closing in February.