A part of Henry County history is coming back to life.

“So much history, so much beauty! A gem of Hampton,” says Kendra Sutherland, the woman taking on the task of a historic fixer-upper. Now this big city girl is calling Hampton home after falling in love with a house, originally built in 1900, that needed renovations. Much needed renovations. 

Her Hampton house journey has taken her from a fixer-upper to a complete redo. Even though people may have thought she bit a little more than she could chew. It didn’t matter because this house meant something to her.

“She’ll make you fall in love with her. This is a once-in-a-lifetime property. This house has given me an anchoring point,” says Sutherland. 

She thought this house project would be done in six months. But she was up against problem after problem which caused delay after delay. “The stakes were so high, you cannot mess this up,” says Sutherland.

 One of the problems was termite damage, but she was not aware of how bad it was until the decision was made to lift the house after she had already spent a year working on the home. It was then the real damage from the termites could be assessed and Sutherland learned there was significant work needed which would require starting the renovation over.

“I am so happy we chose to lift it,” says Sutherland. “Now we can start to fix the house.”

Starting over may be frustrating for some, but not for Sutherland, who believes it’s a blessing in disguise.

“I do feel like we’re doing right by the house,” says Sutherland.

As the work continues, sometimes humor helps. “I joke, I married the house. I joke, this place is a gold mine or a money pit,” says Sutherland. But one thing she doesn’t joke about is how she feels about the town she now calls home.

“I feel indebted to the town. The community has been super supportive,” says Sutherland. “Everyone gets it when they walk in [the house].”

Sutherland has given up on timelines. “We have a good plan, but we have to run the race. We have a long road ahead of us, but we are hopeful that the future of this home is bright and look forward to keeping it in the Hampton community for many generations to come.”

By J.M. Sylver