Buying an old property to renovate was always our dream. But it wasn’t in our budget for our first home, so we bought a small 1950s Cape Cod in a great neighborhood to renovate, make a good return on investment and make our next move. Except after we renovated, we weren’t sure we wanted to move. So we kept our eyes on the market for about a year and said the right property would have to make us really want to move. And then it happened. It happened fast. We put in the offer during the early March snowstorm, it was accepted Saint Paddy’s Day (our lucky day) and about a month later, we moved from our beloved Grandview Heights neighborhood to the quaint borough of Millersville.
We’re thrilled to be a part of the history of this cornerstone of the community, built in 1885 by John and Elma Landis. The home is a second empire Victorian with a mansard slate roof, with exquisite detail throughout including floor to ceiling 10-foot windows (some that even lift to walk out!), scroll-sawn brackets and a dreamy grand wrap-around porch.
The home became known as the Harnish House for the active Millersville family that lived in it for the longest period between 1910 and 1979 when Paul Scheid of Scheid’s Produce purchased his long-time dream home.
This old house is more than we ever dreamed of. Literally, it’s 11 bedrooms. And we have one kid. So some people kinda thought we were crazy. Also it needs a ton of work, so yes, we’re crazy, but we’ve been reassured we’re just the people for the job given our last reno (keep in mind the last one was ¼ the size of this one). But we’re up for the challenge.
The Challenges Came Quick
The first challenge came a little unexpectedly as these things do in old houses, with the first spring heat wave that revealed and exacerbated the smell of a dead mouse in one of the (albeit beautiful) pocket doors and an acrid smell of animal urine in the hall that had rotted the wood floors. Oh, and some black mold that had formed under a carpet we removed and was blooming white. So we quickly rented a sander and got to work (and by we, I mean my handy husband). Within three weeks of moving in, we refinished the floors on the first floor. But the good news is, that’s done and out of the way so we can focus on the roof repairs and other important stuff (like tearing down 80s wallpaper and some fresh white paint to brighten this place up).
That’s another challenge. My “priorities” are very different from those of my husband’s (which are the actual necessities…roof, broken windows…plumbing issues…oil to gas conversion…not the fun stuff like my transformation of the living and dining rooms into an elegant Charleston, South Carolina southern planation style entertaining space). I had the York Wallcoverings palm leaf paper picked out for the striking vestibule before we even bought the place!
Another fun nod to the Charleston, South Carolina style (a place we fell in love with on vacation) will be the ginormous pineapple fountain I found at Stauffers of Kissel Hill for my Mother’s Day gift (ladies, if you don’t want to be disappointed, I highly suggested picking out your own gifts, especially when your husband is feeling obliged to say yes to expensive purchases). I knew I wanted to find a pineapple fountain (also before we even moved in). And have been focused on the outdoors since we moved in this spring, a great time to get my favorite plants started like lily of the valley, ferns, hostas, Crepe Myrtles, forsythia and other bushes. Plus, I couldn’t really do much inside but unpack.
But now that the floors are done, I’m excited to get started on the fun stuff! I’ve been scouring antique sites and yard sales for the perfect vintage pieces to add to the mix and have found some beautifully perfect things to help keep me happy while dealing with an 80s time capsule kitchen and being surrounded by 6,000 square feet of wallpaper that I have to tear down at some point.
We already found some cool handwriting on the wall by previous owners during one bathroom renovation underneath the wallpaper. We’ve enjoyed discovering the automated pump in the summer kitchen, the meat hanging room in the attic/third floor. And who knows what else we’ll find as we dig in!
Follow along to see more as we remodel spaces and have some laughs (you just have to laugh sometimes when the going gets too tough) at Pineapple Manor on Facebook and PineappleManorPA on Instagram. (Oh and the story behind the name is there too.) It’s going to be a long ride with this old house, but a beautiful journey in the process.
