Bowling Green Home & Lifestyle — November 2018

The Tabor Farmhouse

From Reclaimed Homestead to High Performance Farmhouse

By Mary Nestor·Photography by Joe Imel·As published in Bowling Green Home & Lifestyle·5 min read

The Tabor farmhouse, front elevation: a two-story home in white lap siding with dark double front doors under an eye-brow awning, a wrap-around porch with stone column bases, and mature trees framing the entry.

With today’s rapid-growth forestry products and cookie cutter blueprints, it is important to remember that the family home is meant to last for more than a single generation. And this is definitely a place where size does not matter. From the Thanksgiving turkey, to holiday parties, and ordinary occasions—even tiny homes have unlimited space to hold new memories. But what happens when it really is more appropriate to say goodbye to a cherished homestead and embrace a more livable, energy-efficient home? After all, kitchens were not always in the galley and grandpa never had to contemplate the best place to mount the flat screen, much less calculate the merits of solar arrays or geothermal heat. Times change. Which is exactly how in July of 2017, Reda and Danny Tabor found themselves facing the prospect of demolishing a home that stood surrounded by rolling hills and natural springs for several generations. Built around the turn of the century, and kept in the family since the 1920s, there were a lot of good memories tied to “Mammy’s” house. So much so that initially, the Tabors had hoped to simply modify, renovate and stay put. But their builder Tim Graham of Design Builders, Inc., recognized the limitations of that plan. Graham recalls, “Very early on we realized it was not a salvageable home so we decided to tear it down.” Like it or not, sometimes starting from the ground up is the only way to insure success. So, step by step, Graham and crew dismantled then finally bulldozed Mammy’s house, as well as a barn that was in the path of the new project. Now, just over a year after breaking ground, and fewer than four months after moving in—the Tabors’ customized Modern Farmhouse--is making memories all its own. During the 2018 Parade of Homes in September, it won the prestigious People’s Choice Award along with Best Curb Appeal and Best of Show, (Less than 3500 square feet).

“This project falls squarely into the category of a green home.”
— Tim Graham, quoted in the feature

The Tabor farmhouse from the rear: three full stories of light-green lap siding with stone-clad columns, two stacked porches, and a walk-out basement level at grade. — From the front, the house reads as a two-story home. In back, the dramatic view unfolds — three stories including a walk-out basement.

A transitional space between the great room and the royal-blue dining room: a white built-in cabinet with glass-fronted upper shelves, a piano bench on the right, and wide-plank chestnut flooring running across the foreground. — Wide-plank chestnut flooring runs throughout the main level, visible here in the passage between the great room and the dining room.

Again, and again, Graham says he heard comments about the beautiful finishes and unique architectural details. “People from the Parade walked in and said ‘Wow, this is such a cool project’,” he recalls. And while Graham is honored to have received it, his favorite things about the home were probably not what prompted visitors to award the People’s Choice. That’s because he has a passion for building science which puts a laser focus on the things they don’t immediately notice like the mechanics, the building envelope, indoor air quality, and other considerations which impact the home’s livability and longevity. Building science is an evolving set of best practices. For example, at the turn of the 20th century, building science meant something as simple as cross-ventilation using windows that could be opened for fresh cool air during the “shoulder” months of spring and fall and then battened up against the extremes of winter and summer. Building science has come a long way since then. For this project, Graham specified a state of the art ventilation system, called an Energy Recovery Ventilator. This ERV brings in fresh air—much like opening a window to a cool breeze—except without impacting energy bills. In the wintertime, this same ERV can serve to pre-condition and circulate warmer air throughout. There is also a filtration system that helps reduce the pollen count and insures a fresher air exchange. And there are multiple thermostats that make the rooms comfortable throughout all three levels of living space. “Make no mistake about it,” says Graham. “This project falls squarely into the category of a green home.” Even the surrounding natural springs were put into service to supply water to all of the outdoor faucets. Part of its lighter carbon footprint comes courtesy of having been built with reclaimed building materials from the original structures. “Salvage anything you can,” had been Reda’s directive when they realized the original home and barn would have to be removed to make way for their new one. But even in their demise, both structures continued to surprise and inspire their efforts. For example, upon stripping away the weathered sheets of metal from the exterior, the crew uncovered the original shiplap cladding. Building science has come a long way since shiplap was the best way to divert moisture and keep homes dry inside. Homesteaders often covered the interior flat side with tobacco cloth or burlap and later, homemakers added wallpaper to create what was essentially an early version of “drywall.” Graham used the old wood to create a fresh look. He dismantled and finished each board with a catalyzed stain so that neither steam nor cooking oil will penetrate the seal. They used the restored wood across the entirety of the backsplash where its weathered white-washed patina perfectly contrasts against the more modern elements of the new open-concept kitchen. But the real show-stopper is the wide-planked chestnut hardwood flooring used throughout the entire top two levels of the Tabor home. It was only during demolition, that Reda and Danny discovered their barn was built using this quintessential hardwood which has become difficult to even find, much less source.

The great-room fireplace: a tall stack-stone surround with a rough-hewn reclaimed-wood mantle holding a mirror and seasonal arrangements. — The stack-stone fireplace anchors the great room under a rough-hewn reclaimed-wood mantle.

A weathered wooden bench on the front porch, made from a door salvaged during the original homestead’s demolition, flanked by a tall white planter with a fern. — A porch bench built from a door the Tabors salvaged during demolition — finished by local artist Leeza Glisson.

The walk-out basement: an expanse of wide-plank chestnut flooring runs across the foreground toward a farmhouse dining table and bench, brown leather chairs in the middle distance, and a second sliding barn door at the right. — The walk-out basement level — the wide chestnut planks carry through the entire home, including the lower level Reda is still decorating.

There was a time when the American Chestnut dominated the landscape from New England to the Mississippi and throughout the Ohio Valley. But soon after the turn of the 20th Century, the accidental introduction of Asian Bark Fungus quickly spread, infecting and killing 98 percent of the entire population and bringing an end to its reign as the Redwood of the East Coast. When they realized the good fortune to find the old-growth wood, Graham enlisted Sullivan Hardwood Flooring on Old State Road in Scottsville to install the kiln-dried chestnut boards. They used a two-step method that will insure longevity. “You can’t just nail it down and go,” explains the builder. “Because it’s wide-plank, you have to glue it down first. Otherwise it will cup,” he continues. “The way it’s installed now—the floors could easily last 100 more years.” Who knows? Maybe by then, building science will mean living in chambers on the moon. But for now, this state-of-the-art family farmhouse offers plenty of time and space to enjoy an infinite number of happy memories.

Looking down a staircase of wide-plank chestnut treads with white risers and a warm-wood banister. — The wide-planked chestnut used throughout the top two levels — rare old-growth wood discovered during the barn’s demolition.

The kitchen island with a leather-finish granite top in warm white and gray, blue-patterned upholstered bar stools, dark pendant lights above, and painted white cabinets behind. — Reda found the kitchen’s leather-finish granite while shopping in Nashville.