March
9
9
258 Old County Road - Franconia, NH
A Chat With Our Home Sellers in Franconia, NH
We are pleased to present this informative piece from our clients at 258 Old County Road in Franconia. They have a wonderful custom built home, and took some time to share with us their vision from the beginning of their home when it was just composed of ideas in their minds, to what it is now. And what it could be - your new home.
Here's what our Sellers had to say:
The Area:
Retirement can be what you want it to be! Franconia and the North Country provide the simplicity, beauty, and satisfaction one desires from nature and being outdoors. Everything we want or need is at our finger tips or within a reasonable distance. Hiking, snow shoeing, and cross country skiing are literally out our back door. Biking, fishing, canoeing, and swimming are around the corner. Three family friendly downhill ski areas are within 15 minutes. Should you need to address something at the Franconia Town Hall, it's barely a ride and no lines ever. A modern , user friendly regional hospital Littleton Regional Healthcare just 15 minutes away with doctors that are as laid back as the area, and once again no crowds and no waiting. The stresses associated with corporate and metropolitan America vanish. It's just that simple here.
We have taught our grandchildren to ski. We have climbed all of the area peaks and hiked most of the trails. The lakes have provided their fair share of enjoyable experiences for family members and four legged pals as well. Antique stores, salvage companies, and unique shops throughout Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont have afforded all who come to visit the opportunity to explore New England and the North Country.
MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!
Inspiration: The "New Old House":
A traditional New England home built in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. Months were spent researching the architectural designs of turn of the century homes and barns. What could be more traditional than an extended Cape Cod structure with an adjacent 1½ story Carriage House/Barn. The goal was to create a residence which incorporated a 1900's traditional exterior, an open floor plan to facilitate entertaining and communication, and the utilization of state of the art construction techniques, materials and systems. Re-purposed antiques and materials were to be incorporated wherever possible.
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Carriage House[/caption]
This was to be an indestructible family gathering place where all could come to play, relax, and enjoy the amenities the mountains and North Country had to offer. The carriage house afforded additional guest quarters, exercise facilities, and the learning experiences and creations associated with grandpa's woodworking shop.
Features We Love:
We have had many family gatherings here and no matter where you are in the house, you can see and talk to everyone. We have multiple sitting and dining areas that, by design, flow into each other. Although deceiving, the primary family 
gathering area of the house is indestructible, again by design. The entire kitchen, sunroom, pantry, mudroom area was meant to be abused. Our philosophy was, come in from any activity, wet or dry, drop your gear and relax. It has held up exactly as we hoped. The back yard is quite private yet completely visible from either the living room or sunroom patios.
Workshop:
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Carriage House Loft[/caption]
Our goal was to establish a work from home woodworking and antique restoration business. While we have worked on many satisfying projects in that area, we have also spent just as much time with our grandkids working on "must have" projects as well. Lots of wood, paint and glue to create the "treasures" that we insisted they take home! Shower, bathroom and kitchen in the same building means we never have to leave to eat or clean up. The mess stays where it should. The upstairs loft was intended to be used as a guest quarters, and, with all the comforts described, allowed complete privacy for visitors.
Landscaping/Outdoors:
Although the area below the stone walls can be used for badminton, croquette, horseshoes etc, we spend most of our time in the patio area outside the sunroom around the fire pit. It affords us views of the entire back yard but is very private. Every year we have a family of bears and moose that we frequently see in the early morning or evening grazing on the lawn and trimming the trees and shrubs at their leisure.
A fenced-in vegetable garden located behind the carriage house provides with more fresh vegetables than we are able to consume throughout the entire summer.
Renovations
Following a three month business assignment in Georgia, we began to think about fashioning our home based on the charm of the southern area. After many years with neutral tones, we were ready for a big change.
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Master Bedroom[/caption]
We filled our home with antique light fixtures, intricate wall papers and rosewood and mahogany furniture. We loved it and enjoyed it for many years. Everyone has different ideas about comfort. As we prepared for our move back to our family, we redid many of the rooms to allow new owners the ability to use their imagination. Although we really did like the original work we did, we have been pleasantly surprised by what our remodel has revealed about the size and character of those rooms and the flow of the house itself.
Leaving Franconia
Time moves on. The grandchildren that we watched slide down the hill outside the sunroom, taught to ski, climbed the mountains with and got soaked with at Clark's Trading Post are grown. They will be going off to college soon, their parents are tending to their new dream house that they recently bought and, because we want to be part of all of that, we are returning to Massachusetts. It's a wonderful family home, and as we look back, our dream would be to have new owners appreciate and use all that our home offers.