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Lisa Pattisall found her dream home the moment she turned her car into its long, winding driveway dotted with evergreens and weeping willow.
"You just know," she said. "It hits you in your gut."
It was in January 1997 that the Pattisalls and their young daughter, Sarah, moved into the sprawling house on the hill in the rural area off the beaten path of Bel Air in Harford County. And while the property was in need of many repairs, the million-dollar view of rolling countryside that would never be developed was all the incentive the couple needed.
Adam and Lisa Pattisall paid $365,000 for the four-bedroom house on 8 1/2 acres of pasture. But there was more. Named Whistling Pines Farm by the prior owner, the house also came with a built-in swimming pool, a two-car attached garage, a seven-stall barn and a detached garage with a second-story apartment.
For Lisa Pattisall, it was a dream that she "never thought would happen," wishing all of her life to have land for horses and other animals.
But the work to be done on the farm and house posed few problems for a woman who admits she's unable to just sit around.
The first act of rejuvenation for the 23-year-old home was eliminating the interior wall between the kitchen and living room, to capitalize on the view from the front of the house.
Replacements followed soon after - a new roof, siding, windows, ceramic tile, granite counters in the kitchen and hardwood flooring.
In the back exterior, the couple relined and re-cemented the in-ground pool, while adding a large pergola and outdoor furniture.
Life on what Lisa Pattisall calls "the funny farm" is never dull.
In addition to nine horses, this family of five keeps one cat, three birds, five dogs, one chinchilla, a pond filled with fish and a pair of baby goats.
Indoors, the family never tires of the bright sunroom filled with bird-song, the living room and its view for all seasons, and a family room complete with a large movie screen and wet bar.
Each of the couple's three children, Sarah, 12, Josh, 9, and 7-year-old Tristen, enjoy their own bedrooms with intricately painted wall murals.
Lisa Pattisall's hope is to live in her house on her farm forever and to pass it on to her children. Among all of the framed verses and sayings she has hung on the walls, one in particular stands out: "Home is where your story begins."
"Home is where my story begins," she said emphatically. "My home, along with my family, is everything to me."
Design inspiration: Lisa Pattisall, who calls herself the "CEO of the home," has chosen French country decor. A formal dining room features a glass table, light woods and heavy damask draperies, while the less-formal areas of the first floor introduce a more rustic country style as evidenced in stained, variegated heart of pine flooring, a plank wood kitchen table and ceramic tiling. Colorful flower arrangements predominate throughout.
Personal touch: Lisa Pattisall has used the talents of two artists, one a stencil designer and faux painter, the other a muralist, to personalize the walls of the home. An entire wall in the family/media room conjures a city street scene, complete with a movie theater and marquee. The children's rooms are painted according to their likes and hobbies. Tristen, the youngest son and a budding fisherman, has a seascape with a lighthouse and a shark on one of his walls.
"You just know," she said. "It hits you in your gut."
It was in January 1997 that the Pattisalls and their young daughter, Sarah, moved into the sprawling house on the hill in the rural area off the beaten path of Bel Air in Harford County. And while the property was in need of many repairs, the million-dollar view of rolling countryside that would never be developed was all the incentive the couple needed.
Adam and Lisa Pattisall paid $365,000 for the four-bedroom house on 8 1/2 acres of pasture. But there was more. Named Whistling Pines Farm by the prior owner, the house also came with a built-in swimming pool, a two-car attached garage, a seven-stall barn and a detached garage with a second-story apartment.
For Lisa Pattisall, it was a dream that she "never thought would happen," wishing all of her life to have land for horses and other animals.
But the work to be done on the farm and house posed few problems for a woman who admits she's unable to just sit around.
The first act of rejuvenation for the 23-year-old home was eliminating the interior wall between the kitchen and living room, to capitalize on the view from the front of the house.
Replacements followed soon after - a new roof, siding, windows, ceramic tile, granite counters in the kitchen and hardwood flooring.
In the back exterior, the couple relined and re-cemented the in-ground pool, while adding a large pergola and outdoor furniture.
Life on what Lisa Pattisall calls "the funny farm" is never dull.
In addition to nine horses, this family of five keeps one cat, three birds, five dogs, one chinchilla, a pond filled with fish and a pair of baby goats.
Indoors, the family never tires of the bright sunroom filled with bird-song, the living room and its view for all seasons, and a family room complete with a large movie screen and wet bar.
Each of the couple's three children, Sarah, 12, Josh, 9, and 7-year-old Tristen, enjoy their own bedrooms with intricately painted wall murals.
Lisa Pattisall's hope is to live in her house on her farm forever and to pass it on to her children. Among all of the framed verses and sayings she has hung on the walls, one in particular stands out: "Home is where your story begins."
"Home is where my story begins," she said emphatically. "My home, along with my family, is everything to me."
Making a dream home
Dream element: The Pattisalls' modified Cape Cod-style home of brick and vinyl siding sits high on a knoll overlooking a front lawn with a gazebo, tree-lined driveway and sloping farmland.Design inspiration: Lisa Pattisall, who calls herself the "CEO of the home," has chosen French country decor. A formal dining room features a glass table, light woods and heavy damask draperies, while the less-formal areas of the first floor introduce a more rustic country style as evidenced in stained, variegated heart of pine flooring, a plank wood kitchen table and ceramic tiling. Colorful flower arrangements predominate throughout.
Personal touch: Lisa Pattisall has used the talents of two artists, one a stencil designer and faux painter, the other a muralist, to personalize the walls of the home. An entire wall in the family/media room conjures a city street scene, complete with a movie theater and marquee. The children's rooms are painted according to their likes and hobbies. Tristen, the youngest son and a budding fisherman, has a seascape with a lighthouse and a shark on one of his walls.
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