Show us your vintage home!

[Stearmen]

Speaking of modernizing old houses! Here is what 127 years worth of electrical renovations look like, in a house that was built before electricity in my town. The history of home lighting. Yes, the Knob & Tube is HOT! I have stabilized it, until I can figure where to tap into for a safer source. If I turn this bedroom into a bath, I can come down from the attic. Speaking of Knob & Tube, my next project, the attic. Always fun, living, knowing that the Great Spaghetti Monster in the attic is just waiting to get you!

 

[Stearmen]

I just noticed, it looks so bright in there with the flash! I was working with two flashlights, and had trouble seeing. Probably a good thing, now that I see the details in the photo!

 

[vitanola]

The windows in my house do not have sash weights. You simply raise the window and put a stick under it to hold it up. For this house, double-hung windows with sash weights would be something "modern."

The old part of our big house ( built in 1852) has no sash weights, either. Little spring-loaded pins are intended to hold the windows open, bit offer the years the holes in the window jambs have become so elongated that sash are prone to drop drum time to time. The sash never were sealed tightly, for when this house was built it was heated by stoves- radiant heat, and drafts were not as probl matin as they are with gravity or forced air heat. The jamb liners, which took very little time to install and are virtually invisible, have made a great difference in both the serviceability and weather tightness of our windows, and have contributed greatly to our comfort,

 

[sheeplady]

You make some excellent points. If I were going to restore/remodel an old house, I'd do everything possible to retain the original look and feel while "modernizing" the infrastructure/utilities. However ...

My old house is drafty. It still has the same old windows that are held open with a window stick. When the wind blows, the curtains flutter. In the winter, we heat only three rooms: the kitchen, the living room, and the bathroom. The bedrooms get a bit cold. Several times this winter it has been in the teens in the bedroom. We just pile on more old quilts, and that seems to work. To get to the bathroom you have to go outside across the back porch.

I can still see my Grandmother sitting by the fire, wool stockings on her feet and wearing a flannel dress and a wool housecoat, trying to stay warm. She lived like this through her 99th year. I remember as a child taking a bath in the old cast iron tub with the room heated by a little, black kerosene heater (we still have it, but don't dare use it anymore). I remember liking to splash water on that little heater and hearing it sizzle. I remember taking a hot water bottle to bed so my feet would stay warm. I remember at night the sound of the windows rattling when the wind blew hard (and also when a freight train passed by).

There are so many good memories associated with this old, drafty, cold in the winter, hot in the summer, house that I just can't bring myself to "modernize" it in any way. I know it would be more comfortable if I did a lot of remodeling, but it's home to me the way it is.

That's the sort of example I mean in my first point. I don't blame you. Unfortunately the only thing original in our new house is a few doors and the staircase. Fortunately, that gives us license to do what we like. I like to call this optimism rather than foolishness.

 

[Fading Fast]

There are so many good memories associated with this old, drafty, cold in the winter, hot in the summer, house that I just can't bring myself to "modernize" it in any way. I know it would be more comfortable if I did a lot of remodeling, but it's home to me the way it is.

I could not agree more. The draftiness, creaky floors, door that never closes right, water that needs to be turned on several minutes before the shower to get it hot are part of the character, the personality of a house and, to me, makes it a home.

I don't care that it might be more "comfortable" if everything worked perfectly, it would loose more in inherent warm, uniqueness and verve.

As some might remember, I recently bought a apartment in a 1927 apartment building, and we are keeping the old creaky floors and the old radiators (that are left) despite the architect saying he could "fix" both. I told him we would have bought new construction if I wanted everything shiny, new and perfect. I didn't live in the apartment all those years, but I feel a connect to its history by having the same floor from 1927 (and the creaks are just a reflection of all who have lived there).

 

[1mach1]

Speaking of modernizing old houses! Here is what 127 years worth of electrical renovations look like, in a house that was built before electricity in my town. The history of home lighting. Yes, the Knob & Tube is HOT! I have stabilized it, until I can figure where to tap into for a safer source. If I turn this bedroom into a bath, I can come down from the attic. Speaking of Knob & Tube, my next project, the attic. Always fun, living, knowing that the Great Spaghetti Monster in the attic is just waiting to get you!

Watch out! Your house is Doc Ock!

 

[Panadora]

[video=youtube;teufz17PqoY]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=teufz17PqoY[/video]

 

[DecoDame]

Love this photo, and the story, of your Maw, Big Man. Reminds me of my own "Mam-ma" in Ky. Canning her beans was serious business, too. And always in a print house dress, with an apron. She didn't make it as long as your Maw, but I hope to have half as much grit as her as I get older...

 

[Stearmen]

Watch out! Your house is Doc Ock!

View attachment 23494

That's about what it felt like up there! It was also very hot.

 

[Fading Fast]

Some of you may remember, I posted some pictures, a few weeks back, of my recently purchased apartment in a 1927 apartment building. As promised, I took some additional picture of some of the still extant original details.

This is one of the two original radiators left - it is in the bathroom (the still original 1927 bathroom):



This is an original door knob and lock on the fire door (exits to an enclosed fire staircase):



This is one of the original cylinder hingers on the entrance door (I love this hinge):



This is the gas-knob for the combination gas and wood-burning fireplace (which is now only wood-burning as the gas was shut down decades ago I'm told):



This is some of the original picture molding (the molding at the ceiling was added in later and we will be removing it):



This is a shot of one of the bedrooms - picture railing all original here too (more on the cabinet in a moment):



This is a cabinet in one of the bedroom closets (one building resident says its original, another says it was added in probably in the '30s or '40s - regardless, we're keeping it). It was hard to get a good shot as it is tucked in the closet:



More pictures in next post

 

[Fading Fast]

A few more pictures of the apartment:

This is one of the original porcelain fixtures for the closet lights - there are eight original fixtures in all:



This is an original bathroom door with original mirror (doesn't show but the mirror is quite ghosted):



An orignal internal door knob (all the door knobs are original and look like this)



And this is a 1918 Emery Roth built church that our back windows look over. I've been told it is the only church he ever designed and he only did it as a favor (as he was already famous) to the Hungarian community:

 

[DecoDame]

Great details, Fading Fast. And I've always loved built-in drawers in a closet. I look forward to seeing your progress. Do you have period friendly furnishing to fill it with?

 

[Fading Fast]

DecoDame, thank you. We do have some period pieces - armoire, daybed, bed, a sea chest (for a 1800's ship), grandfather's clock and few other pieces form 1910 - 1930, but we are definitely going to have to make several period-appropriate purchases. We were talking with a contractor and we will probably have a millworker copy the built-in drawers in the closet I showed and have them put in the closet to the left in the same room - hopefully, it will look like the drawers were always there.

Interestingly, if you stay away form the expensive stuff ("this is the finest example of blah, blah, blah's work, etc.), there are a lot of period furnishings that are not only not expensive, but less-expensive (and better made) than a lot of the new stuff. My girlfriend has been doing a lot of homework and we are patient people, so we plan for the furnishing to be a thoughtful, multi-year effort, after we get the few must-have-to-function pieces.

But we do plan to use period pieces or, where absolutely necessary, some very well-done reproductions.

 

[DecoDame]

Sounds like you're going to be the model of how to go about this, FF. :thumb:

 

[sheeplady]

DecoDame, thank you. We do have some period pieces - armoire, daybed, bed, a sea chest (for a 1800's ship), grandfather's clock and few other pieces form 1910 - 1930, but we are definitely going to have to make several period-appropriate purchases. We were talking with a contractor and we will probably have a millworker copy the built-in drawers in the closet I showed and have them put in the closet to the left in the same room - hopefully, it will look like the drawers were always there.

Interestingly, if you stay away form the expensive stuff ("this is the finest example of blah, blah, blah's work, etc.), there are a lot of period furnishings that are not only not expensive, but less-expensive (and better made) than a lot of the new stuff. My girlfriend has been doing a lot of homework and we are patient people, so we plan for the furnishing to be a thoughtful, multi-year effort, after we get the few must-have-to-function pieces.

But we do plan to use period pieces or, where absolutely necessary, some very well-done reproductions.

One recommendation is to go to auctions upstate. You can still find furniture sets for well under $100; you could probably do a whole house at under a $1,000 if you know where to buy. I've picked up solid wood dressers for $10, etc.

I hope you don't follow any of the architect's advice. You have to be *extremely* careful in choosing an architect. We needed one to draft up the plans for our house as it does not have a certificate of occupancy due to being abandoned. As a result we are being forced to bring it up to the code book for new construction. But it took us a long long time to find one who had any historical sensitivity and could advise us properly. Also, be *extremely* careful about how many renovations you do (it sounds like you are tearing the kitchen out?); more than a certain percentage will result in your being mandated to bring the structure up to code.

 

[Fading Fast]

One recommendation is to go to auctions upstate. You can still find furniture sets for well under $100; you could probably do a whole house at under a $1,000 if you know where to buy. I've picked up solid wood dressers for $10, etc.

I hope you don't follow any of the architect's advice. You have to be *extremely* careful in choosing an architect. We needed one to draft up the plans for our house as it does not have a certificate of occupancy due to being abandoned. As a result we are being forced to bring it up to the code book for new construction. But it took us a long long time to find one who had any historical sensitivity and could advise us properly. Also, be *extremely* careful about how many renovations you do (it sounds like you are tearing the kitchen out?); more than a certain percentage will result in your being mandated to bring the structure up to code.

Thank you for very sound advice. Unfortunately, in NYC and in a coop, if you do anything beyond screwing in a lightbulb, you need an architect to submit plans to the building's architect and the City (which requires hiring an expeditor) - period, full stop. Also, the process for approval, et al., is so convoluted and expensive, that it makes sense to do as much as you can at once; otherwise, you have to go through it all again for each project.

The up and the downside of living in a very liberal city is that there are a lot of laws, rules, regulations that prevent historical buildings from being destroyed (the up), but also opens the way for a lot of micromanagement and silliness from busybodies (the down). The balance in this city is, IMHO, struck way to far on the side of micro-management.

As to the architect, we interviewed several, went to see their work, called their references, read their reviews on independent websites, were painfully detailed about what we wanted - a historical renovation - and were painfully clear about our budget so that there would be no surprises afterwards. Well, we narrowed it to two and went with the one who was in the business longer as both checked out in everyday.

Within a month, we knew that the architect we hired had only told us what we wanted to hear so that he could get the job and, then, tried to do the renovation he wanted at his budget and was very condescending to us. Fortunately, I had had his contract vetted beforehand by a lawyer (an investment I'd encourage anyone hiring an architect to make), so that we were able to fire him, only pay for the hours billed and we kept all the work (site survey, preliminary drawings, etc.). We then - with great fear - hired the other architect and it has been going very well as he seems genuinely interested in doing a historical renovation, working with us to give us what we want and in being conscientious about our budget. So, fingers crossed, after wasted time and money, I hope we are on a good track now.

And thank you for the upstate auction recommendation as that is on our agenda once we get the construction in motion and can focus on the furniture.

 

[sheeplady]

The up and the downside of living in a very liberal city is that there are a lot of laws, rules, regulations that prevent historical buildings from being destroyed (the up), but also opens the way for a lot of micromanagement and silliness from busybodies (the down). The balance in this city is, IMHO, struck way to far on the side of micro-management.

Within a month, we knew that the architect we hired had only told us what we wanted to hear so that he could get the job and, then, tried to do the renovation he wanted at his budget and was very condescending to us. Fortunately, I had had his contract vetted beforehand by a lawyer (an investment I'd encourage anyone hiring an architect to make), so that we were able to fire him, only pay for the hours billed and we kept all the work (site survey, preliminary drawings, etc.). We then - with great fear - hired the other architect and it has been going very well as he seems genuinely interested in doing a historical renovation, working with us to give us what we want and in being conscientious about our budget. So, fingers crossed, after wasted time and money, I hope we are on a good track now.

The area we are moving to is almost the exact opposite of what you describe- we have no local zoning, preservation, or codes. We only fall under NY State code. If the house hadn't been abandoned we wouldn't even need to do the extent we are doing; but once it loses its Certificate it's hard to do any less. Thankfully *most* of the code makes sense and is what we would want to do at this point anyway; and the little bits that are historical in the house can be kept; and we are free to restore as we wish.

I think most architects are like what you describe. Even though I would say our architect is "ok" to "pretty good" he has constantly pushed us on overly costly ideas- to the point he suggested changing the roof line; to which I sent a metered but somewhat nasty email about how that roof had been that way since 1853 and changing it for aesthetics was neither in the budget nor our historical sensibilities. I think a person needs to have a firm hand with any architect and be able to say no.

My in-laws didn't get the kitchen they wanted from their architect because they wouldn't stand up for themselves. I can't imagine a person who was of a strong opinion letting an architect bully them, but it apparently happens all the time. With my in-laws they don't know a lot about construction/design and weren't really willing to invest the time to learn; so they were at a disadvantage when the architect started sprouting architect speak and backed down when they shouldn't have. They let the architect tell them that putting on a small front porch would cost more than bumping out the kitchen and remodeling the kitchen (all new cabinets, etc.); which given the simple roof line of the house it would have been easy to add a porch.

My view is that it is my house, my money, and unless there is a very compelling reason why it can't be that way (safety, code, etc.) I want it done my way. I am very open to suggestions and I take many of them. But honestly, I know how I live in a space, they don't. I go to an architect for good ideas and to have my ideas put on paper; not to be told what to do in certain terms.

 

[Big Man]

... This is some of the original picture molding (the molding at the ceiling was added in later and we will be removing it) ...

Looks like a very nice place. We have "picture molding" in the front room of our old house that my Granddad put in around 1917. I remember my aunt always saying, "Dad sure was proud of his picture molding."

 

[dh66]

Great details, Fading Fast! Congrats again on the new digs.

 

[Stearmen]

Looks like a very nice place. We have "picture molding" in the front room of our old house that my Granddad put in around 1917. I remember my aunt always saying, "Dad sure was proud of his picture molding."

It is a great addition to any house, can't understand why it went away, in favor of nail holes all over the house. I have some picture molding in the 1888.