I think you have to be registered for the NY Times website (no cost) -- so this link might not work for those who aren't already, but the story is in the November 20 issue. Here is the link and the first few paragraphs. http://www.nytimes.com/2003/11/20/garden/20VIRG.html?pagewanted=1 THE PLAINS, Va. THE three-story house here owned by Christopher Ohrstrom appears pretty much as it might have in the 1830's, all pearl-white clapboard and window glass so wavy it always looks as if it's raining outside. Nearby stands a barn that dates from before the Civil War. And clustered around the two buildings are several modest white structures, including a privy where one of Robert E. Lee's sons is said to have hidden from Union soldiers. From the looks of things, it's just another of the prosperous farms on the outskirts of this town of 266 people, within an hour's drive of Washington. The Plains is deep in manicured horse country out of a Constable painting, a place where old-money millionaires like Bunny Mellon cultivate anonymity. But think again. Here at Lee Hall, where Mr. Ohrstrom, 47, an expert on early American decorative arts, lives with his wife, Lilla, 38, a sculptor, and their four children, everything old has been built again. Since 1996, when they moved from upstate New York to this town, where both grew up, the Ohrstroms have been living a home-improvement project that puts "This Old House" to shame. Seven buildings on the 160-acre farm are Southern ruins dismantled like jigsaw puzzles and brought to the site by Mr. Ohrstrom and a team of craftsmen. Each building has been reconstructed and restored, one hand-forged nail at a time, to become part of the Ohrstrom family compound.