From Suburbs to Homestead: Building a Family Farmhouse Life | Melissa Ferguson of Our Friendly Farmhouse (Episode 296)
If you’ve ever dreamed of leaving the suburbs for a slice of quiet country life, this episode will speak right to your heart. Author Melissa Ferguson joins me to share the real-life inspiration behind her new children’s book, Our Friendly Farmhouse—a sweet and whimsical reflection of her family’s journey from cul-de-sac to countryside. We talk about building a home from scratch, traveling with a big family, and slowly creating a homestead that feels peaceful, practical, and full of charm. Melissa offers encouragement and budget-friendly tips for anyone in the thick of building, dreaming, or simply trying to make thoughtful choices in the season they’re in.
In this episode, we cover:
- Melissa Ferguson returns to share the inspiration behind her debut children’s book, Our Friendly Farmhouse, which tells a whimsical version of her family’s move from suburbia to the country
- How a spontaneous land auction and a last-minute bid from her brother-in-law launched their homesteading journey
- The process of building their home from scratch—leveraging her husband’s experience as a builder and funding parts of the project through social media brand deals
- Reflections on the early stages of their homestead—living in town during the build, missing the land, and making daily visits to the property
- A rich conversation about traveling with a big family—carry-on-only tips, spontaneous trips, dividing and conquering, and how animals (especially dairy cows) impact travel flexibility
- Melissa’s best budget-saving build strategies: buying materials on Black Friday, repurposing gym flooring, and skipping high-end finishes in favor of upgrades over time
- Thoughtful advice on design choices—prioritizing natural light, southern exposure, adaptable floor plans, and creating cozy, lived-in charm
- Honest reflections on what she might do differently: adding a tornado shelter, skipping carpet, and not letting a gifted vanity dictate an entire bathroom design
- Why they chose to build slowly, add animals over time, and prioritize flexibility over going “all in” from the beginning
- The value of outdoor gathering spaces—daily porch coffee with her husband, chalk art and pickleball in the driveway, and simple spots that invite rest and connection
About Melissa
Melissa Ferguson is the bestselling author of titles including Meet Me in the Margins, How to Plot a Payback, On the Way to Christmas, and upcoming release, The Perfect Rom-Com.
She lives in Tennessee with her husband and children in their growing farmhouse lifestyle and writes heartwarming romantic comedies that have been featured in such places as The Hollywood Reporter, Travel + Leisure, Woman’s World, and BuzzFeed. Join along her journey with over 800,000 other followers at @ourfriendlyfarmhouse.
Resources
Our Friendly Farmhouse by Melissa Ferguson
Check out Melissa’s other books
Join my FREE masterclass to learn my 4-step framework for making money on YouTube
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Keep all my favorite sourdough recipes at your fingertips in my Daily Sourdough cookbook
Connect
Melissa Ferguson of Our Friendly Farmhouse | Website | Instagram | TikTok | Goodreads | Bookbub | Pinterest
Lisa Bass of Farmhouse on Boone | Blog | YouTube | Instagram | TikTok | Facebook | Pinterest
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