Show us your vintage home!

[rue]

1908 home

Our house was built in 1908 and it was originally what is now called a foursquare, but the porch and dormer were removed and then during the 1940s it was made even more colonial looking by replacing the front door. After the last owners bought it, they put siding and plastic shutters on it and it was a shadow of it's former self. We're now in the process of trying to restore the outside (and the inside).

Before:

During (that's my handy hubby):

Now:

We found the original color underneath several layers of grey and white paint and chose the closet we could find. I think it looks happier

 

[rue]

The Kitchen~ my pride and joy

After months of renovation and just about killing my husband (he did all the woodwork and I did the painting) the kitchen went from this:

To this:

and all it cost us was $1800

 

[BoPeep]

Great job!! I think your house is happier now, too! lol I like the yellow exterior much better and love your kitchen sink!

 

[LocktownDog]

Wow! You did great, Rue!

 

[23SkidooWithYou]

My favorite house color is yellow. I also think it looks happy! The transformation to your kitchen is amazing. Adding the extra glass doors made a huge difference! My favorite part is the display areas you put in over the cupboards, very creative!

 

[dhermann1]

Like like like like like. Brilliant. Gives me some ideas, especially putting the glass in those cupboard doors.

 

[rue]

Thank you thank you thank you! I'm so happy y'all love it! I love that kitchen more than anything we've done in the house and we've worked so very hard on it.

BoPeep... the sink was found on ebay for .... get this... $53! I'm still in shock lol

Thank you LocktownDog!

My favorite house color is yellow. I also think it looks happy! The transformation to your kitchen is amazing. Adding the extra glass doors made a huge difference! My favorite part is the display areas you put in over the cupboards, very creative!

Like like like like like. Brilliant. Gives me some ideas, especially putting the glass in those cupboard doors.

Thank you both! My husband took a router and cut the center panel out and then cut some glass to fit the space and siliconed it in. I wanted to open it up, because it's actually a small kitchen even though it doesn't look like it.
The upper part came about because I didn't want to climb a ladder to get things out of a tall cabinet, so I thought what better than some display space

Really seriously thank you all, because after seeing everyone elses homes, I was really nervous to post my home, especially since I have such a mishmash of tastes. I'll share more pictures soon if you want, but I'm getting ready to put my home on our local Christmas tour and we have 'some' (code for A LOT) of work to do, so it's kind of a mess everywhere else. My kitchen is always clean though because I cook all the time and I can't concentrate in chaos unless it's a desk

 

[Land-O-LakesGal]

My favorite house color is yellow. I also think it looks happy! The transformation to your kitchen is amazing. Adding the extra glass doors made a huge difference! My favorite part is the display areas you put in over the cupboards, very creative!

I totally agree Skidoo. My husband and i want to do something similar with our kitchen we bought our house from a house flipper and unfortunetly he redid our kitchen with a more updated (ugly and dark) look. I want to paint our cabinets white too and put in a porcelain farm house style sink I would also like to put in some rounded shelves above the sink not sure my husband is as handy as yours with wood ssshhhh don't tell him I said that.... (he is really good with cars though)

 

[rue]

I would also like to put in some rounded shelves above the sink not sure my husband is as handy as yours with wood ssshhhh don't tell him I said that.... (he is really good with cars though)

I won't tell

Actually, you can buy something close (not exact) at home depot or lowes or you can even measure out what you want and they'll cut it for you. I didn't know that until we started this, but it's really handy

 

[DUKE NUKEM]

Very nice Rue.

 

[Big Man]

Big Man,
I know this post is from 2007, but I just had to comment before I went on. I am in love with your home and the story. You are incredibly lucky to still have this in your family and live in it, but I'll bet you know that
...

Thanks. With an old house, there is always "something to do" around the place. A couple weeks ago I worked on repairing a place on the front porch. I need to paint a couple of the upstairs rooms (last time they were painted was late 1940's or early 1950's).

The outside also is ready for a new coat of paint. I painted the entire outside by myself in 1974, and I swore I'd never do that again. We had the place painted about 10 years ago, but "new" paint doesn't last like "old" paint, so it's in need of a repaint now. Since I'm retired now, I'll probably eat my 1974 words and try to do it myself again next Summer (I've got to be nuts, I know).

Rue, I like the new color of your house. I believe mine was also yellow back in the early 1920's. I may go back with that color.

 

[rue]

Thanks. With an old house, there is always "something to do" around the place. A couple weeks ago I worked on repairing a place on the front porch. I need to paint a couple of the upstairs rooms (last time they were painted was late 1940's or early 1950's).

The outside also is ready for a new coat of paint. I painted the entire outside by myself in 1974, and I swore I'd never do that again. We had the place painted about 10 years ago, but "new" paint doesn't last like "old" paint, so it's in need of a repaint now. Since I'm retired now, I'll probably eat my 1974 words and try to do it myself again next Summer (I've got to be nuts, I know).

Rue, I like the new color of your house. I believe mine was also yellow back in the early 1920's. I may go back with that color.

Yes there is always something to do, but I love it and I'll never live in new construction again. I'm living my dream

Trust me! I know about what a pain it is to paint the house! We're still not done taking off that awful siding and it's been a year, because it's just me, the hubby and a ladder... ugh. If you decide to paint the outside yourself, go with primer mixed in the paint. It holds up really really well and has a guarantee of 20 years (I think).

 

[rue]

Very nice Rue.

Thank you so much! I love your Victorian/western looking home

 

[Shangas]

Hey Rue,

I love the "After" photo of your house. It looks so cheerful and inviting! I love the door, the windows and the colour-scheme. The American flag next to the front door is a nice touch. Is that purely for patriotic reasons? Or did you pick it to go with the colour-scheme? Some red, white & blue to break up the yellow?

 

[rue]

Hey Rue,

I love the "After" photo of your house. It looks so cheerful and inviting! I love the door, the windows and the colour-scheme. The American flag next to the front door is a nice touch. Is that purely for patriotic reasons? Or did you pick it to go with the colour-scheme? Some red, white & blue to break up the yellow?

Thank you so much! Actually I am very patriotic anyway, but especially now that I'm married to an American Soldier So, no, it wasn't on purpose, but I love the way a flag looks outside of a home, no matter what country someone lives in. I think they should be proud and show it

 

[dhermann1]

Rue: Did you replace or just paint the kitchen counter? If you painted it, what did you use?

 

[rue]

Rue: Did you replace or just paint the kitchen counter? If you painted it, what did you use?

Actually it's butcher block from Ikea that we stained with MINWAX POLLYSHADES IN MAHOGANY. It only cost us $75 for the butcher block (delivered, installed and cut ourselves). Even though I'm not a fan of Big Box stores, it was so worth it I couldn't resist AND it holds up to water and 4 kids.

If you find a paint that will cover, let me know, because there's a bathroom in our house that has some issues

 

[Warden]

Wot ho gang

Thought I would share this twitpic of our living room fire. I sent it out as my friends on twitter tease me about our 1940s austerity measures.

So when the children played ‘laundry’ and placed the washing to dry by the fire, I thought I would take a picture, especially as I was cooking their lunch on the stove at the time.

To me , it is perfect vintage bliss, but I fear if the children talk to much at school, I will have social services round.

http://twitpic.com/3b54ht

Till next time

Harry

 

[BoPeep]

Very nice, Warden! I routinely cook on my woodstove over the winter months as well. It is quite often surrounded by hats and mittens hanging to dry. Makes perfect sense!

 

[LizzieMaine]

Don't forget to have a saucepan full of water simmering on the stove all during the winter months -- it's the Austerity Humidifier.