Tag: House

Before and After – Front Door, Hall & Stairway

   Originally the house had a center hall staircase with three surrounding fireplaces, the rear being the “keeping room”.  If you are facing the stairs, which are immediately inside the front door, to the right was the dining room and the left was a study.  About 50 years ago the owner of This Old House ripped out the stairs and installed a micro-mini bathroom in it’s place.   There was a narrow stairway up to the second floor dividing the kitchen cooking area from the rest of the keeping room. We took that out and put the kitchen island there instead.  Jeff and Mike came up with a plan to restore the old staircase design in the front hall and re-open the keeping room area.

Before – I loved this door, but sadly the wood was too rotted and not salvageable.

After… I love bullseye glass and it used to be very popular , fitting the time period of the house. They are a treasured antique now, but were once considered scrap.

  ” Until modern techniques were developed, one way of making window glass was to spin a blob of molten glass at the end of a tool called a pontil. Centrifugal force flattened the glass into a sheet, and when the tool was pulled away it left a characteristic bull’s eye mark.  The relatively flat glass on the perimeter of this glass pancake was carefully cut into pieces and sold to the high-brows who could actually afford windows.  What was left, the stuff with the bull’s eyes, went into lesser locations, like barns and sheds. “

Once inside the door… before the re-do, it looked like this…
 In this picture you can see the hallway to the left with the mirrored bathroom door open.
(Now the refurbished staircase)
Now that the frame has been put back up and center chimney installed, Mike, Dominic (electrician) and Jeff (old home restoration expert) discuss logistics for refurbishing original style staircase…
That’s my office to the left..notice Ben’s “baby gate”.
Upstairs hall..kid’s door entryways on either side…
looking down…
We used old hardware when possible, this on the cellar door just beneath the stairs…my favorite. How many hands gripped the handle, thumbs in the imprint there to open that door over the past 200 years..
These are my $5. fleamarket pillows, a small red and white check.

Master Bedroom

 This bedroom is the new kid on the block, not part of an old structure, but we incorporated post and beam construction and those large beams you see in the ceiling are from an old Pennsylvania barn.  They are beautiful, one of my favorite features of the house.  They’re also infested with bugs!  Actually, ALL the beams in the house have microscopic bugs.   I had no idea.   Apparently it comes with the territory, centuries old beams & bugs. 
We have beam bugs, people.

Start to finish…
bedroom addition to the left…
 This is the Paula Deen Savannah bed I found online.. assembly required… yeah that was fun.  It comes in either an off-white or tobacco finish. I love this shade, very warm and I wanted to bring in some contrast.
I’m trying to figure out what would look good on either side of the photo above the headboard. It’s a matted picture I photoshopped into a watercolor of one of our old cats lying under a barrel filled with geraniums.
This area needs help.
An old chair from my office in the previous house.. very comfortable and worn in.
 But this area needs something too. 
One thing I always splurge on is good quality sheets.  My mother would probably iron these after each washing because the trim would look so much better.  The apple rolled way down the hill from that tree…..
 Pillows-Pier One Imports, duvet below – Pottery Barn…
Not sure where to hang this Robin… an art quilt by artist Vivika Denegre (see blog roll, beautiful work)
The white kitten is a ceramic figure I made for my grandmother 35 years ago. She always kept it on the floor of her bedroom, using it as a doorstop.  When she moved to Florida it took up the same space at her condo.   When Nana passed away I brought the kitten home and it sits on my dresser so it doesn’t get trampled by the zoo.  
Last night with slumber fast approaching,  I gazed dreamily into those
1,000 lb. beams and asked the obvious question…
“There’s no chance those things would ever, like, fall down  on us or anything, would they? “
And in a drowsy haze and heavy sigh,  the answer came soft and simple. 
“If they did? ..you’de never know.”
Ok then.

The “hood”

 We live in a rural neighborhood… that isn’t quite as rural as it seems.  We’re a town of 6,000 and we have a main hub of retail spaces that include a Dunkin Donuts, a Subway, a few other restaurants  including chinese, pizza, a family restaurant, a gourmet take-out and a bakery.  There are other retail spaces including our little artisan gallery attached to a toy store…  and we’ve got a gigantic True Value hardware store.  And I mean gigantic…. because out here in the sticks (just 10 minutes from Route 1 along the coast)….we apparently need THAT MUCH  massive power equipment , tools, pet supplies, paint, carhart clothing and bird feeders to survive the wilds.  

Truth be told, the folks at True Value had another space that was more appropriately sized, and they wanted to expand some to meet their growing needs. This charming little hamlet’s town government gave them such grief they were forced to find another location up the street and rebuild unless they wanted to remain stagnant.  Rebuild they did, and in GRAND central scale. Their old place sits vacant.   In this economy?… well I wish them the best, they’re good people and they’ve been good to the people of this town.   We need a town planner, enough said.

 The street we live on has a very odd name, and it comes from a very odd circumstance that occured just behind our house on the hill you see frequently in pictures here. I have to repeat the name frequently when I’m asked for my street address because folks can’t believe someone would name our road what it is named.   Despite the hideous name and it’s origin,  it’s location and scenery are worth the weirdness . This Old House is one of quite a few old homesteads and our neighbors have settled along this road for much of  the same reasons we have….the rural character and the old world charm from the turn of the last century.  While none are fancy, the homes reflect their owners pride and appreciation for their history.

   This morning our neighbors across the street brought us a beautiful wire basket full of treasures from their garden.  The pickles and ratatoille are delicious and just look at those dried mushrooms and cukes.

We had our first fire in the pit last night
 and one of the dogs finally peed on a carpet 
yep…. it’s starting to feel like home.
 

Master Bath

 Moving along… the master bathroom is unpacked and decorated with things from our previous house…..  I’m not showing you the toilet,   (it’s now stuck in that little cubby hole on the left next to the shower)    because it’s just a toilet and I haven’t found the right “stuff” to put over it or on it or even near it besides the toilet paper, and that’s just tacky…SO..

The cabinet to the left  in the picture below and the vanity cabinet under the mirrors were made by a local man with a great talent for making furniture out of old barn wood and material taken from houses, hotels, barns, etc.   His son  works mostly with new cabinetry, but Art adds the whimsy with layers of paint, old beadboard, knobs, hardware, etc…   For those of you who are local, you will recognize his pieces in my shop. You could say his furniture is “green”, or eco-friendly because it is recycled material.
It’s hard to tell from these photos, but there are several layers of paint, several colors intertwined.. a green/grey moss color as well as a deep maroon,  more obvious in person.  The cabinet doors are old windows.
We live about five miles from the shoreline, but one of my great loves is the seashore. I always do some decorating with shells, even in this old farm house.   Someday if I find just the right really cheap fixer upper beach cottage….
I found this glass bowl at Homegoods… and even though I’m practically chanting “less is more” lately….  I couldn’t walk away from it,  it was just $12!
Shower with pebbles… it’s like your feet are getting a massage every morning….

Before and After – Family Room

 In truth there is no “before” because this is the Chester House frame and I have no idea what it looked like before. We only got to know it dismantled in a trailer. But I can show you start to finish… and so here we go…

Chester house as Jeff’s crew reassembles it attached to This Old House….

Family room window framed….
Wayne walking the walk….
My son’s rock-climbing wall  Fireplace in family room almost to the roof….
Lived in… and I have to admit… I wanted bold colors in this room because there is an awful lot of grey, brown, earth tones. So I picked bold colors for the fabrics in this furniture.. (note the RED! I kept my word)  It’s taking some getting used to… the gold hues in these chairs.. but they are awesomely comfortable, so … yeah…there’s that.  
Found this rug at Homegoods for a great low price… love when that happens.
One of my favorite features in the room is the moss that remains on the rocks of the fireplace…
Needs a grate and screen….I’m hoping to find an old set in the near future…remember the owls with the glowing eyes?…
I bet some of you have a few of these ducks…
A few birds landed in here too….

This mirror is one of my favorite pieces of furniture.. made by a company called Sticks . Their pieces are fun, whimsical, inspirational and usually too expensive for my purse. This one was on sale half price years ago and so I splurged. 
The photo over the corner table is of This Old House in the beginning…
Butter Churner in the hall between the family room and Mancave…
 My books….this bookcase is tucked under the loft sortof  between the family room and Mancave…
The rest of the house is still alittle jumbled, and this room isn’t finished yet… needs “stuff”, but I’ll get to it. maybe when it’s on sale half price.  And there’s that thing I was preaching….
less is more  … or something like that.

Before and After – About her face

  When we bought This Old House, we had to go before the Historical Preservation Committee in our town. They were a newly formed and wet-behind-the-ears group and we were their first case.  FUN!  One of their concerns was that the old house would still have the same “face” when she was rebuilt.  A prominent committee member actually requested that we don’t change a thing.  The building inspector was quick to reply that the house would not pass inspection or meet today’s codes with everything exactly as it was, and therefore some changes were necessary.   In the end we kept as much of the historical integrity of the house as possible, with a few additions.

This photo shows the house before it was taken down, sitting 40 feet closer to the road.  The foundation was moved back 40 feet when the frame was put back together.   The photo also shows the old barn and outbuildings.

This is how it looks now from almost the same angle.
Just before the take-down…
Frame reset on it’s new foundation…
Building her back up again…
Mission accomplished.
  

Before and After – Out back

  The inside of the house is not ready for her close-up yet, we’ve only got about 2,832 boxes left to  chuck in the dumpster  unpack so I’ll start with an outside before and after. 

 Unrelated  (well not really) …If ever you need a strong reminder that you have indeed reached middle age, may I suggest you pack up your house and move.  Every muscle in my body is talking to me tonight as I sit to type this post and I  won’t tell you what they’re saying.    That whole “less is more” concept I blabbed about earlier?   Yeah.. it’s a really really good idea and I’m gonna try my damndest to stick to it from here on out.  Remind me of this if ever I start to veer off course..

These were taken a year ago, just as the dismantle process began. Amazing what was accomplished in a year… a HUGE testament to the abilities of the men who came together to take down the house and raise her up again. 

Winter 09
Spring 09
Summer 2010
 The old dogleg off the back of the house was not historically significant. The space was needed, however, so another 1800’s house that Jeff had dismantled and stored in a trailer was resurrected where the old addition had been . In this picture you can see its outline clearly. When we sit in the family room with the cathedral into the loft, we’re in the “Chester” house.

   Tonight’s sky… we still have not received the rain that was promised, and oh, do we need it.

Raptors Live On

  We were given two wingback chairs from the late 1800’s by the previous owner of This Old House. They were in need of new fabric and I found a nice toile print.  The color is a faded coral with a brown  and beige pattern.  I loved them immediately when they came home to roost… and then my son said:

 “Why are the dogs chasing dinosaurs on the chairs?” 

Huh?   

“See? … aren’t those Raptors?”  …..

*Sigh. *
You know… I see it… I really do.

Ben made himself right at home in his new digs (my office)… and then he decided to DIG in my office.  So.. apparently at 14 months old he is not yet trustworthy when left alone to his own devices.  The Pen came back up from the basement and takes up most of my… office.
 (see hole in new pine floors in front of pen).  

The place is still a mess, and we’re still going back and forth cleaning up the old homestead.  I do love it here already though…and thanks for all your comments and encouragement . You make the ride that much more enjoyable.

George Washington slept here

  No he didn’t… but we did, finally!!!

 Sitting out on the back porch this morning on our folding chairs (no porch furniture yet)  with coffee in hand, gazing out over the fields,  dogs wandering their yard, birds chirping and the heat still at bay, it’s a beautiful thing. 

   Still trips to be made from old house to new old house, still many many boxes to unpack, pictures to hang, curtains to iron and hang (hate that job) and just general “stuff” to organize… but hey, look at how neat and organized my pots and refrigerator are.  How long they stay that way is another thing altogether..

Are we there yet?

..are we almost there? How much longer? …. I have to go to the bathroom!

 Moving into This Old House is starting to feel like one of those road trips, know what I mean?  We’re still living in two houses, hopefully sleeping in the other by Tuesday.

  Mike and crew had an awesome time putting together our new Paula Deen bed.  MUCH assembly was required, but I do like it very much.

The dogs have been going back and forth with me, I’m trying to get them used to their new “yard”.  Bailey loves a good car ride with a  face full of wind.  I love this picture…simple pleasures, pure joy.  She is still receiving treatments for Lymphoma, so far holding her own.  
Happy, Safe 4th of July to all…