We purchased this Indiana grade school from 1914 back in August of 2021, and we have been working to revive it and turn it into our family home.
Since acquiring the old school, we have installed a new roof, waterproofed the foundation, and fixed many floor joists. We are also trying to salvage and repurpose everything we can.
Finally, after a wait of more than six months, we are getting our new windows next week. I cannot wait to take photos of them. Although the renovation has felt slow-moving at times, the new windows will be a significant visual update, and they are the most expensive thing we have ever purchased, including the school! (sweats)
We are documenting our renovation journey on social media and hoping to connect with other individuals who have converted schools into homes.m
Our school when we bought it + a clown doll we found inside, can’t make this stuff up
Since 1956, the school has been the home for generations of one family, including a former student. They restored it and converted it into 2 living spaces
The school was active between 1914 and 1934, and then from 1934 to ~1956 it was a barn that housed cattle, pigs, chickens, sheep, and turkeys. From 1956-2021 the school was home to the previous family
Dropped ceilings when we bought the school. We have since taken these out and our ceilings will eventually be back to the ~12′ originals
We want the school to be a single family home, and there were a lot of structural repairs that we needed to do so we’ve stripped the school down to its barest of bones
Broken beams before we put in the new roof
View of the roof before we replaced it. The weight of the old tar was just too much and there were leaks everywhere
Pressure washing the basement
Many floor joists needed to be replaced after years of leaks
Currently we are prepping the masonry to have a few new doors and installing all new windows
Here is a view of the front and back plans we have for the school
This winter and spring we’ve started making a lot of progress on repairing and then building out the plans we have in our mind
As we’ve been working on the school, one of the fun things we’ve been doing is making schoolhouse swag with t shirts, patches, etc with our chosen mascot, a turkey
My favorite schoolhouse clothes are these little sweatsuits we’ve been printing on for my son, which make him look a bit like a Royal Tenenbaums character or an old European man, lol
I also made a custom 6′ x 4′ painting of a turkey for our living room
And then I’ve been working on some custom mosaics for the entrances and exits of the school
I’ve always been in love with Wes Anderson movies and eclectic mish-mashes of styles with antiques and tons of DIY. It’s going to be a fun challenge to honor the school’s history while figuring out how to incorporate our style
Hopefully we’ll be able to update with new photos of brand new 96″ windows! You can check out more photos and progress on @SchoolhouseHomestead
