The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.

Genesis 2:15

There are essentially three parts to a complete restoration (or four if you count the fact that we understand old houses always have projects moving into the future).

• The first is the tear-out and demolition.
• The second is repair and refinishing and reconfiguration and making everything amazing, equipped with modern day fittings and appliances.
• The third is a thoughtful restoration of the landscape.

No more broken ankles!

By restoration of the landscape I mean working the whole property – the hardscape, the vegetation, and making the garden look like it both honors our home’s unique 19th Century history and belongs on Saint Patrick Street today.

Friday morning, Part Three got underway and Rebekah and I are excited to see how everything comes together.

We are beginning with the front garden and the driveway, then if all goes well we will deal with the backyard somewhere on down the road.

When we asked around, the number one recommendation that consistently came up was Sorie Landscaping of Scotland Neck – so Gene Sorie is on the job.

Our plan, along with honoring the 1874 roots of this home, is to have something we can stay on top of and that also – importantly – maximizes the limited width of our driveway. One of the big elements is building new retaining walls, eliminating the awkward side-slope, and making room for Rebekah to exit the car without breaking her ankle!

Once Gene and his crew are done we will have an idea of what is possible, and that will help us to decide what we can begin to imagine and then implement around the back.

This is urban landscaping, something we had never even thought about before we moved into this amazing historic home. Pensacola, Brandon and then Wake Forest all presented their own opportunities and challenges in the garden. Each location ended up lush and beautiful in its own way.

Now it is Tarboro’s turn. Stay tuned for more pictures as progress kicks into high gear.

– DEREK