Chris and Cynthia Swayze understood the scale of the task ahead when they bought a three-story colonial set on 32 acres of farmland in Central Bucks County in 1985, writes Terri Akman for The Philadelphia Inquirer.
Built in the late 1700s, the house was in disrepair. Still, they recognized the home’s potential.
“We felt it was a diamond in the rough,” said Chris, a retired engineer.
Miniature collies raised by the previous owner left noticeable wear on the home’s floors. The windows were missing screens, and the basement remained full of coal from the period before the furnace was converted to oil.
The couple first removed plaster that covered the home’s exterior fieldstones, then refinished the floors, painted the entire house, installed air conditioning, and repaired the pool.
Over the decades that followed, they undertook major structural changes, including a rear addition and an expanded kitchen that more than doubled the living space. Today, the modern kitchen features a fireplace and a conservatory-style glass roof.
“We have heat lights under the range hood that keeps food warm,” said Cynthia. “It’s the one thing I can’t live without.”
Read more about Chris and Cynthia Swayze’s reimagined home in Central Bucks County in The Philadelphia Inquirer.
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