As a local Midwesterner, the primary thing I noticed whilst transferring to the Delaware Valley was the considerable range of fieldstone homes. Frankly, I’d never seen this type of aspect. What people in the East take for granted is a matter of surprise for the rest of us who grew up in a great deal younger towns.

This house is presently supplied on the market, and it’s a pride to go to a residence that has been restored with every interest to detail. But the transformation failed to come easy! The depth of know-how (and wallet) to pull off one of these mission may be daunting. However, this superb stone residence in the small city of Sergeantsville, NJ proves that such a upkeep could have excellent rewards, and it’s miles watching for a brand new proprietor who will keep on the way of life.

The cutting-edge owner, Charles Frischmann, changed into just the man to take on the venture. Organist, song professor, historian, antique collector, Charles had already restored stone houses and turned into prepared to take on the 0.33. He had discovered lots from the preceding project, and this one did not even deliver him pause.

The preceding owner had already all started some of the restoration. The 10-foot extensive stone hearth had been become a closet; the panels needed to be removed, and the wood stove become established. An expansive kitchen/dining vicinity was delivered on to the rear of the residence, using vintage barnwood beams within the ceiling and exposing the stone on the indoors wall. Because the handiest front to the basement become at first an outside front, it has now turn out to be a entice door in the kitchen ground.

But that became most effective a first step. All the vintage doors and window frames wanted replacement. “The new windows are all hand-built within the 18th-century style, and have early glass in them,” Charles explained. He discovered length hardware for the doorways and home windows, and delivered operating shutters which might be so tight they practically create a vacuum seal whilst closed. He additionally fitted removable custom hurricane home windows to the interior of the frames, to make this era residence greater electricity-efficient.

Although possibly unique, the front doors were cut and geared up with windows, which didn’t virtually paintings for the residence. To improve this appearance, Charles commissioned new doorways and period-fashion paneled doorways to take the region of the weathered jambs.

When casting off the vintage door frames, they determined that early on – likely inside the 1830’s – someone had performed a giant upkeep to the residence. The floor had been raised approximately nine inches, seemingly to make greater headroom inside the cellar. Although the proprietor has no longer been capable of hint the residence income returned farther than 1857, this protection dates the residence toward the turn of the century, making it one of the oldest surviving structures in Sergeantsville.

Then, directly to the stone partitions. It is peel and stick stone normally notion that the raw stone exteriors were exposed, however in fact, except the builder became using “dressed stone” these partitions have been taken into consideration unpleasant rubble, and simplest the poorest home owner could refrain from overlaying them with plaster. Charles decided to at least stucco the front wall to make the residence look greater appropriate to the duration. But which will please the modern eye, he left the perimeters of the house exposed.

As one may assume from a 200 yr-old roof, the rafters had to be shored up. Indeed, they had been surely splayed from the burden, and Charles determined to eliminate the roof altogether. Once the antique roof become off, the carpenters definitely winched the rafters back into location, then introduced extra rafters that can not be seen when developing the stairs. He additionally determined to add a new pent roof to replace the small porch that formerly shaded the two front doorways; all that changed into left of this porch changed into an oddly-positioned cornice above the doorways. Both the pent roof and residence roof had been shingled with cedar shakes, reduce thicker than is normally executed with ultra-modern substances. A molded cornice has been added to the eaves, matching the details of the doorways.

As with many homes from the 19th century, this house has two front doors. There’s a very logical purpose for this. One door leads into the “maintaining room”, where the own family keeps house. The retaining room includes the huge fire for cooking, and of route a desk and chairs for the family to relax. This isn’t always the room you need to introduce your guests into! So a 2nd door would lead into the living room, which changed into probably best used for unique events.

Jersey Winder – or pie-formed – stairs lead up to the two 2nd-story bedrooms. These stairs are stenciled, as are the floors within the master suite and tub. The upstairs hallway still suggests the uncovered stone wall. The upstairs closet and rest room doors are finished with faux graining, and you need to touch them to realize the distinction.

Sergeantsville is located simply down the road from Green Sergeant’s Bridge, the last surviving included bridge in New Jersey. The bridge changed into constructed around 1750, and it’s far concept the city changed into installed around 1830. Route 523, which passes via Sergeantsville, became the original Old York Road which related Trenton to Flemington, then on to New York. This village is placed in Delaware Township, Hunterdon County, now not a ways from New Hope PA and just a few miles east of the river.

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