This couple purchased a 110-year-old schoolhouse for $175,000 sight unseen and transformed it into their household house—have a look inside

Stacie Grissom and Sean Wilson lived in New York Metropolis for nearly a decade, after which the covid-19 pandemic hit.

In early 2020, Grissom was pregnant with their first little one and dealing in advertising at BarkBox, whereas Wilson was working as an orthopedic surgeon in NYC hospitals.

Seeing the state of the town throughout that point made Grissom understand she was prepared to maneuver again to Franklin, Indiana, their hometown, which is about 30 miles from downtown Indianapolis.

“We had a reevaluation that it is the individuals who matter essentially the most, so we needed to maneuver again to our hometown to be by our households,” Grissom tells CNBC Make It.

“We acquired our chosen household in New York, and it is the very best metropolis on the earth, however we needed to go the place our household was.”

A few months after their son was born, Grissom contacted a realtor buddy in Franklin and instructed him to start out taking a look at “bizarre outdated homes.”

“I instructed him the quirkier, the higher, and to ship us a fixer-upper,” Grissom says. “His dad noticed a faculty on the market and instantly mentioned, ‘Ship it to Stacie.'”

Since Grissom and Wilson had been nonetheless in New York Metropolis on the time, they requested her mother and father to take a look at the property as an alternative.

Grissom says the constructing was a faculty for native youngsters between 1914 and 1934. After the schoolhouse closed, it was used as a barn.

Since Grissom’s dad had expertise working a business actual property enterprise, she knew he would give her an trustworthy and knowledgeable opinion on the varsity’s state.

After getting her mother and father’ approval, Grissom and Wilson made a suggestion on the schoolhouse with out ever seeing it in individual themselves — and it was accepted inside 24 hours.

“We would not have purchased it if my mother and father hadn’t agreed as a result of we knew with this type of challenge we had been going to want your entire village,” she says.

Per week after Grissom and Wilson closed on the previous schoolhouse, they noticed it in individual for the primary time.

“I feel again then I used to be much more naive than I’m immediately, however I used to be so excited to see it and its potential,” Grissom says. “You can see that there could possibly be large home windows, tall ceilings, and open areas for an enormous household to return collectively across the holidays.”

“It is like a Midwestern citadel in the midst of some cornfields of Indiana. It is a good looking little brick constructing that’s house now,” she provides.

After the couple closed on the previous schoolhouse, the true work started. By the autumn of 2021, the couple acquired the varsity all the way down to its naked bones, however a renovation they thought would take two years ended up taking three.

The couple was nonetheless residing in New York Metropolis on the time.

“Issues had been slightly sluggish to get going however then the brand new roof began entering into February 2022 and issues began to maneuver however it ended up taking us three years as a result of we had been principally constructing a brand new home inside an outdated shell of a constructing,” Grissom says.

Grissom declined to touch upon how a lot the couple spent on the renovation however says they’re nonetheless getting by it and never fully completed but.

Whereas cleansing out the property, the couple and their contractors discovered random issues, together with a board that might maintain outdated chalkboards with the phrases “Hen coop” written on it.

“It was actually cool to see as a result of that is such a good looking little college constructed by farmers for the children on this rural space. The neighborhood was actually pleased with the varsity,” Grissom says.

Although the couple needed to virtually begin from scratch with the schoolhouse, they had been in a position to maintain the flooring in a single classroom, all the brick, the unique doorways and a water fountain that they’re attempting to revive.

“The time it took was undoubtedly an enormous problem and having to renovate from afar was powerful. I do not assume we had been naïve going into it, however now I do know we’re not renovating something once more after this,” Grissom says. “We did it, and we’re glad we have gone by, however no extra outdated buildings for some time.”

Regardless of how laborious the renovation was for the couple, Grissom says her favourite half was attending to work alongside her dad.

“It has been actually cool to undergo my dad’s renovation boot camp, from the way to work with different contractors to the way to do the work ourselves. We discovered plenty of trade-like issues over the three years,” she provides.

To pay homage to the previous college, the couple used the identical colours that had been initially painted on the partitions again when the varsity was nonetheless open. Grissom additionally made two mosaics for the entrances with the title of the varsity and its date of creation.

Of the décor, Grissom says they’re “attempting to get as a lot college furnishings as we will put again into the varsity.”

Grissom admits that nothing concerning the renovation has been straightforward, however a spotlight of the expertise has been with the ability to focus full-time on being a content material creator and sharing the schoolhouse journey on social media.

“It has been enjoyable to doc this course of and discover this outdated house renovation neighborhood on-line. I by no means thought my home could possibly be a job,” she says. “It is good to have the ability to make an revenue from a number of the storytelling whereas additionally getting recommendation and having a neighborhood of people that like restoring outdated stuff.”

Amid ongoing renovations, the couple and their now two youngsters moved into the house in September of this 12 months.

“Shifting into the schoolhouse was simpler than shifting into any New York Metropolis condominium we ever had,” Grissom says. “It was good to get up and see the dawn over the cornfields. Will probably be a twister in right here for some time, however it was actually loopy to lastly arrange a spot that we have been fascinated with for 3 years and pouring all of our cash, vitality, sweat, and tears into.”

The schoolhouse now has 4 bedrooms and two and a half baths, all on the 4,000-square-foot higher degree. The couple nonetheless has a decrease 4,000-square-foot sub-basement that they’re attempting to determine what to do with.

The very best a part of lastly shifting into the schoolhouse and being again of their hometown, Grissom says is that her youngsters will develop up round their households.

“After residing by the pandemic and all the stress and anxiousness, all of us had a confrontation with our mortality at a a lot earlier age than most generations do and that completely shifted stuff in my mind. It is lovely to see my mother and father are wholesome, our children are completely happy and simply recognize the small issues,” she provides.

Since shifting in a couple of weeks in the past, Grissom says that whereas she realizes it was an extended highway to maneuver in, she would undergo it once more.

“I by no means wish to lose the naivete of no matter made us say that we needed to purchase a faculty and it was going to be our home,” she says.

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