schoolhouse, we are go for launch. . .(maybe)

Well, it looks like we've now saved two from the wrecking ball. I'm pretty sure that means we get a free pass when we get to old house heaven. But until I have that white pile of wood on my flatbed trailer I'm going to try and not get too carried away ...

for interior lighting we'll pick up 6 of
these if they're still available

a brick floor

a pergola over the doors

I can build these right? (they're on ebay right
now, don't choke when you see the price!)

these for the exterior, at least we already
own them(and they were free, and are huge!)

As of now the plan will be to rebuild her on a pole barn style foundation, building off of about 25 cement footings set at 36 inches (frost line for western PA). The interior will just be gravel for the time being, we can come back and pour a concrete pad later (although I may store my brick pile in there as a floor). While this is not ideal, it gets us a carriage house, and saves the building - huge barns built this way can easily last a century or more. Currently, the schoolhouse sits on top of a perimeter of stacked stone, not mortared, and not below the frost line - if it's lasted this long more or less abandoned since 1945, I think we're going to be fine. Our carpenter will be rebuilding the framing and re-roofing, while we re-side, paint, build and install carriage house doors (unless we can salvage those) and restore the windows and shutters. We will be matching the stickwork on the main house in the gables, which should help to tie the two buildings together. Longer term, we'll add a small pergola over the front using some antique corbels I have, and build another patio with pergola attached to the side using three antique columns from another demoed house.

this pattern if we're able to find a cottage
pattern stained glass window for the gable

we'll use this pattern if we can't find a window

I will admit to being torn about making so many modifications to the building. But the truth of it is that there isn't much call for one room school houses anymore - and I think that re-framing the front to accommodate sliding doors is probably less intrusive than framing off rooms on the interior right? Am I crazy for even being bothered by that?

No matter what I do it'll never look like these though . . . *sigh*