Our History With Cleydael
Charlie and I learned the estate was "available" in October 2011 when King George resident and developer Ed Veazey purchased the property at auction. He didn't intend to keep the property for himself but he was intent on keeping it from falling into the wrong hands. Several days after he purchased Cleydael, I mentioned to Mr. Veazey that if he wanted to sell the house to people who love its history and had a passion for restoration, we were his buyers!
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September 1, 2021 It's been quite some time since my last post. Needless to say, none of the events planned for 2020 took place, due to the Pandemic. We haven't had a tour since the fall of 2019. We so miss the visits! Charlie used the "downtime" to add several hydrants to the property to help with watering newly planted fruit trees, the chicken coop area, and our vegetable gardens. He also completely renovated our main living area to include new caulk, new window glazing, new window panes to replace those that were cracked, and new paint on the walls and trim. It is a completely different room now and we love it! Plans ahead include replacing the front porch decking and joists and a plumbing upgrade to the upstairs bathroom. We sure hope life returns to a state that allows for tours and visits to resume! Stay safe out there! :-)
January 24, 2020 Shame on me for this huge lapse in attending to our site! 2019 was a very eventful year! We were blessed with the birth of our 5th Grandchild, we had the exterior of the house painted, we hosted the wedding of one of our Daughters at Cleydael (our first wedding!), and in October, Charlie had a heart attack. He ended up with stents and has incorporated cardio into his already active lifestyle. He recovered nicely and is back in action---just being a bit more careful not to over do it. Having the house painted was SO exciting and we wanted it done before this spring because the house is one of four historic homes in King George County that are included on the Garden Club of Virginia's 2020 Historic Garden Week tour. The fact that 2020 is also the 300th anniversary of the founding of King George is even more exciting! There are many events celebrating the anniversary but the invitation to be included on the Garden Tour is the best! Take a look at a few of the pics from 2019!
Charlie began work on the brick walk in spring 2018! It was a lot of work and he is a perfectionist so, of course it looks beautiful! The pups loved the sand piles and kept Charlie company while he worked. Charlie ordered brick to match the original brick found on the property and it turned out to be a perfect match. We love the new walk and plan to landscape the sides and install a lamp post.
Charlie began work on the complete reconstruction of what was the original front porch (the current back porch). in spring 2017. All decking and joists needed to be removed due to rot and several of the foundation beams also had to be replaced. Two of the brick pillars had to be reconstructed also as many of the bricks came off with the removal of the joists. Charlie replaced the decking with Douglas Fir tongue and groove decking. He ensured this deck would be around for a long time by dipping all decking boards in water sealant and caulking all seams before nailing them in. The new porch is beautiful! He moved onto scraping and repainting the porch decking and columns that work is still in progress!
We invited members of the King George Historical Society as well as friends and neighbors for a tour and refreshments after the unveiling of the John P. Hanbury Award.
**Ferguson Sawmill supplied the oak beams that Charlie used to replace those that were rotted. See their website at http://www.fergusoncustomsawmill.com
**Wilsey Roofing and Home Improvements did an outstanding job replacing the roof. Visit their website at www.wilseyroofing.com
**Wilsey Roofing and Home Improvements did an outstanding job replacing the roof. Visit their website at www.wilseyroofing.com