THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, December 23, 1995 TAG: 9512210276
SECTION: REAL ESTATE WEEKLY PAGE: 3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: By Mary Ellen Miles, Special to Real Estate weekly
LENGTH: Long : 121 lines
The narrow road between the two rambling Victorian houses starts off as cobblestone before turning into more modern pavement, so it's often mistaken for a driveway.
Everyday, people driving through Smithfield fail to notice the treasures of a bygone era that lie at the end of the small road. Of course, just about all of Smithfield is unique, scenic and definitely worth the drive for a visit.
On this particular ``hidden'' road, in what is now part of the town's historic district, is a farmhouse, built about 1902. One family lived in it for 70 years but about five years ago David and Glenda Revell bought it and they have spent much of their time since then refurbishing it.
They learned quite a bit of history about the house from a man whose family had lived in it; he still resides in Smithfield. A drawing of the house can be found on the Smithfield Women's Club's 1995 calendar.
At this time of year, the house wears holiday apparel, complete with a box wrapped in Victorian-style paper nestled among the porch furniture. The house looks magical in the untouched snow.
Time is forgotten, once visitors step inside the Revells' inviting foyer, which immediately sets the tone for a house imprinted by a family of six. Inscribed on one wall is a verse from Proverbs: ``By wisdom a house is built and through understanding it is established. By knowledge the rooms are filled with rare and beautiful treasures.''
The Revells weren't even house hunting when they decided to buy the house, says Glenda. They were living in a house in Chesapeake when a real estate agent friend called to say, ``You've just got to see this house; it reminded me of you!''
The agent showed Glenda and the kids the house the next afternoon. ``The place was a shambles,'' she recalls. Undaunted, the friend commented how much Glenda could do with the house! ``In your dreams!'' she replied.
Glenda remembers her husband saying they'd never own an old house, because you could ``never heat them.'' But, the very day he saw the house, he signed the contract.
The house was so cheap, David thought he could retire someday if they bought it, Glenda says. But that was then. It took three months to make the house livable, and they've been working on it since.
It never had heating or air-conditioning. There were eight doors to the outside, probably providing ventilation in olden times. The upstairs hadn't been opened in years. Those walls were caving in, and squirrels had come in through chimney and had littered the floors with nuts.
There were only three closets in the house, and they were so small that hangers couldn't be placed sideways in them. ``But we love it,'' Glenda says. ``It's a different life. I don't want to ever leave.
``In the 1940s,'' she says, ``a doorway was cut through the parlor where they took company and laid out their dead, because it became popular to have a living room and dining room.'' Also during that time, the half-bath was added upstairs, since indoor plumbing had become available.
The house has five fireplaces, she says. ``But, some are closed off, and they don't really add heat, just ambience,'' she says. David sure was right about heating old houses. The family lived fouryears with a half-bathroom upstairs and a bathroom with a footed tub downstairs that occasionally sported a thin layer of ice and a few icicles. Fortunately, the recently added shower has remained defrosted.
``The best thing about this house,'' Glenda says, ``is that nobody ever ruined it.'' Almost nothing was done to the house. Some of the essential woodwork, such as fireplace mantles and surrounding area, was never painted.
Most all the walls had to be rebuilt, although one room was just patched and wallpapered. Amazingly, the wall going upstairs has the original embossed wallpaper. A lighted garland leads the way upstairs, where a large, well lit landing is used as a classroom, where Glenda home schools their four children.
Antique and reproduced wooden desks sit stoically. Old clothing hangs in the bedrooms, maintaining the aura of a bygone era. In the boys' bedroom, the youngest child sleeps in what appears to be an ancient wooden boat. The girls' room is distinguished by an abundant lilac theme. Lace curtains cover all the windows, affording a partial backyard view of the woods beyond.
Glenda put her creative and artistic talents to use making the house personal and pretty, without spending a lot of money. Her frequent stenciling and artwork on the walls create a nice environment, along with maintaining the ``old farmhouse'' theme. Some of the stenciling is reproduced from old houses.
Written wisdom, often Bible verses, dress up walls while adding meaning and personality to the home.
The ceilings, almost 11 feet high, float skyward and add to the spacious feeling. The ceilings allow for tall Christmas trees in the dining and family rooms, abundant with billowy boughs. Victorian decorations on the dining room tree complement the elaborate place settings.
The family and music room was once a master bedroom, but the Revells decided to have their three bedrooms upstairs. Off the family room is the remodeled bathroom and Glenda's pastel sewing room, which beams with light from several windows.
The small bathroom glows with character. As you enter, the motif is ``day,'' with clouds high on the light blue walls. The shower area is ``night,'' with midnight blue walls and gold, twinkling stars. Cherubs playfully adorn the furniture.
Before the renovation, the bathroom ``was so hideous,'' Glenda says. It had dark brown cardboard like paneling that's routinely used for trailers and ancient, chipping linoleum. David added two closets and the shower. Glenda calls him ``an electrician who can do anything.'' His first job was rewiring the entire house.
Glenda is a true believer in decking the house out for holidays. It's important to teach children about them too, she says. One Fourth of July the decorated front porch and children made a local newspaper. She says it takes a full week to decorate the house for Christmas, even with her children's help.
The kitchen, small but charming, is the most recently remodeled section. It sports a bovine motif. At a glance, it noticeably lacks a refrigerator, which is hidden in the pantry.
With hard work, the Revells have remodeled and molded an old house into a functional and happy home, full of the warmth and harmony that are ideal for this holiday season. by CNB