Weston Plantation

Bringing Her Back

Built in 1776, it was one of the few Carolina plantation homes spared Sherman’s torch. When we took it on, it was an uninsurable fire hazard with good bones. Working with a historical architect, we brought her back to life — mixing horse hair into the plaster to match the original technique, while my daughter Sky hand-carved the column bases to mimic period sandstone work.

Bought it for $200,000, the land’s value alone, put in just over $350,000 in restoration, and it sold about ten years later for $1.7 million.