Making new memories in the Scuppernong Victorian

Published 5:45 pm Friday, December 6, 2024

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Rob and Lisa Ayers, owners of the Victorian house on Scuppernong Road, are participating in the Manteo Preservation Trust Holiday Tour on December 7. Summer Stevens photo

Summer Stevens photo

Rob and Lisa Ayers bought the 1893 historic home so they could have space for family get togethers with their children, grandchildren and two poodles. Summer Stevens photo

Summer Stevens photo

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This is the final installment in a four-part series highlighting some of the homes on the Manteo Preservation Trust Holiday Tour. The tour is Saturday, December 7 from 1 to 6 p.m.

Lisa Ayers remembers driving by the house on 102 Scuppernong Road when her children were little and thinking how she would love to fix up the old Victorian.

Twenty-five years later, when most empty nesters are downsizing, Lisa and Rob Ayers became the proud owners of the sprawling home they’d once admired.

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“I love old houses,” Rob said. “I’ve loved them my whole life.”

According to the tax records, the house was built in 1893, but some say it was built as early as 1882. It’s one of the oldest homes on Roanoke Island. The lumber was floated in from Elizabeth City, the Ayerses said.

The diamond-shaped 3/4-acre lot is on the corner of Scuppernong Road and Wingina Avenue, tucked in behind a secret garden of dogwoods, Japanese maples, crepe myrtles and magnolias. The winding paths lead to any number of surprises—quaint wooden benches or arbors lined with ivy. In the spring the azaleas bloom. In the winter the camellias bring color once again into the garden with delicate pink and white flowers.

The home is a gathering place for Rob, Lisa, their three grown children and in-laws, their seven grandchildren, and their two poodles, Harper and Harley.

“People asked us why, when our kids are out of the house, are you going to a bigger house?” Lisa said, who raised her family in Wanchese. “But we needed the space.”

“We enjoy being together,” Rob added. The family loves getting together for meals and meeting up to go to Manteo High School football games. (The stadium is conveniently right through the hedge.) And the house is close enough for all of their grandchildren to walk to after school.

“We’re so blessed,” Lisa says, again and again, as she walks around her property.

When they bought the house, the previous owner, Johnny Walker, had dolled up the Victorian in traditional colors like warm reds, oranges and golds. He added a large living room addition and turned the room above the garage into a dance studio.

The Ayerses say they’re more “neutral color” people, so beyond putting on a new roof, remodeling the kitchen, and repairing the porches, they’ve painted every square inch of the house inside and out. They kept the hardwood floors and original plaster and slat walls, but toned down the Victorian style, replacing it with their own family style—cozy furniture, vintage pieces, and lots of pictures of artichokes (Lisa’s favorite).

They refreshed the two apartments on the property and rent them through Airbnb.

They “love everything” about the 3200 square foot house. “It’s not a regular house,” Rob said. It has nooks and crannies and is overflowing with character. The ceilings are high (except for the one above the stairwell—many people have bumped their heads on it) and the hallways are wide. The gabled roofs make for charming bedrooms for their grandkids, and there are plenty of places on the property for hide-and-seek.

Rob remembers his own grandmother’s home, which he said was similar to his Scuppernong house. “So it’s kind of comfortable,” he said.

The couple is excited to open their home to visitors for the 17^th Manteo Preservation Trust Holiday Tour.

“People should be able to see this,” Rob said when asked why they were participating in the tour. “It’s a beautiful home.”

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