Colonial Home Tour (c. 1785) | Before the projects begin...
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- Опубликовано: 29 сен 2024
- A tour of the outside and inside of our new old home. We've been here for a month and are finally feeling somewhat settled. The projects are about to begin!
Leave the kitchen fireplace alone and let it stay wood burring. Do not ruin this house. Do not paint cabinets white. This is not a farmhouse. This is a colonial. Use colonial colors.
Thanks so much for this advice. We've done a lot of learning about colonial homes since finding this house. I definitely agree with you now about the cabinets!
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Always a fan of keeping these old homes just what they were. So rare and becoming rarer as we go. A true fireplace in the kitchen would be heaven. And, the neat little circular shed is a wonder to behold. Keeping the interior true to house’s history would be wonderful.
A kitchen like you had before would ruin the esthetics of this house. Why go on about things like uncovering the original beams, using an old world finish on the walls, and then you want a 2020’s kitchen?
Buy your own house. They own this one and they can do whatever they want with it. First and foremost, it has to be functional and safe. Updates don’t always “ruin” a house. Old doesn’t always equal aesthetic perfection. Sheesh.
If you aren’t familiar with Our Restoration Nation here on RUclips, they could be a good resource for you. Good luck. It’s a beautiful home!
We will have to check that out, thank you!
100% yes! Go check out Kevin and Laine at Our Restoration Nation!
Paint the kitchen white if you want, it's your house, you'll be living in it everyday!!
Thanks for sharing this video with a lot of good ideas to little by little make this old colonial home come alive and be functional for a young family with boys and a dog. The kitchen should be restored to nice plank board wooden floors, a shaker ovular rug and the cozy table to have informal meals with the family. Since it is a colonial I would use colors like blueberry blue, olive green, white, light muted yellow, perhaps for the formal dining room a light salmon muted color or followed the light pastel yellow from the kitchen to the dining room. White granite floors for the bathrooms, subway white tiles and white pedestal vanities and toilet and bathtubs with claws all white clean and timeless also the boys will love the bathtub as oppose to the shower stalls. Note: You already know this but caution at all times when the boys are nearby the brooks surrounding the property and the pool. All the best.
Lots of good ideas, thanks for watching!
My goodness. Why don’t you just build a new house! Please don’t paint natural woodworking! Charm of older homes are its irregularities 😮
Please please please don't do the modern farmhouse "trend" of painting everything stark white and cement gray and hanging farm tools on the walls. Don't make it look like Chip and Joanna threw up all over it.
FIreplace is a STUNNER. ALl old houses havve different trims throughout, that is part of an old house!LEAVE the original brick GORGEOUS!
Thanks for watching!
Gorgeous house! It will be a forever home, so it’s worth it not to make quick decisions.
Agreed, thank you!
I have to vote against painting the kitchen white the woodwork is beautiful and you have so much natural light it is not a dark kitchen at all. Eat in kitchens without an island are great.
I agree. Never paint quality natural wood, especially if it is original. In older homes, the formal rooms on the first floor usually had naturally-finished woodwork and paneling of the highest quality, even in the kitchens or pantries. The bedrooms on the upper floors had the painted woodwork because they were not for public viewing and wood of lesser quality could be used. Upper story floors were often painted as well.
As the owner of a historic old home myself, I spent literally years removing layers of nasty old paint from beautiful old wood. Painting that irreplaceable wood was a desecration, IMO. After stripping it, I refinished it with either traditional oil and wax, or satin varnish in areas that get more wear and tear.
Do not paint ANY of the trim or wood fireplace surrounds. OMG........Paint those kitchen cabinets and get new counter tops, Tear up the vinyl floor and use the old wood floor. Decorate to the style of the house and do not do modern as you are doing the house justice. Get some prim friends to help you
Thanks for the tips!
I am just seeing this 8 months after you posted it. What a wonderful project, and a beautiful house. The Georgian proportions and residual features are just lovely. No doubt this will be a labour of love for your family. But so worth it in the longer term. Might I suggest you research English Georgian period homes, as well as your American Colonial homes. And try to keep as much of the character as possible. The downstairs reception rooms are delightfully grand. Best of luck to you and your family.
Thank you!!
I love the house 🏠 . Please keep the Colonial character . Once lost it's hard to get it back . Your Mom must be a fun character . 😆
OMG DON'T PAINT THE NATURAL STAIN WOOD WORK IN THAT KITCHEN
Oh wow! I just found this video today. Your colonial home is beautiful. I also live in CT. Please keep it as original as possible and with period colors and period furnishings. Congratulations on your new home. I just subscribed. And yes…Anne Clay is very knowledgeable. She can definitely guide you in your decision making. 🤎🤎
Thank you!
Older homes tell a story. You are erasing that story. You’re rediculous why did you buy this house?
Natural wood should stay natural without paint. Why did you buy a historic house to destroy it? Sell this one and go buy one that already has all the stuff you intend to do here and ruin it in the process....
No no no. Don’t paint your cabinets or mess with your kitchen fireplace. You will lose all character in your kitchen
Your “in the beginning” tour popped up on my feed and I was instantly intrigued. I say “in the beginning” because this home and all the renovations needing to be done remind me of when Hunny and I bought our retirement cottage. It took us 14+ years to get to the point of saying we are at the finishing touches stage and I said the whole journey reminded me of the Good Book that is a forever project to understand. We just took things a step at a time and a room at a time and NEVER went to bed angry. Remodeling/building a home is not for the faint of heart but keeping a cool head and a sense of humor goes a long way to being successful in the overall project. I am very curious about your new home and all the steps you will tackle to bring it to a successful remodel. Our cottage was remodeled during my husbands working from home years where all we had were weekends, holidays and vacations…hoping you are both closer to your home career wise and will have a bit more time to devote but I still see this as being a long process. Your littles will enjoy that yard I think and grow up with a lot of exploring and experiencing all the things that bring well adjusted children. Wishing you only good things as you move forward in your Colonial home and know I will be watching as you take this journey. I only ever ask to be enlightened and entertained so I will never be critical of what you choose to do. Just keep in mind that there are purists out there who are VERY opinionated when it comes to period homes and my only advise to you is stay true to YOUR vision because it is your home!!!:):):)
Thank you so much for your kind message, Vicki! We're almost a year into this project now and your advice is SPOT ON. We are trying to learn how to do a little bit with the budget we have and enjoy living in the house with our kids at the same time. It's very easy to get overwhelmed! We are actually embracing the fact that it will never truly be "done"--that would be boring!
Gut that whole bathroom and the black and white floor and tile ugh....too modern. Do not put an office in the front parlor... An office should be hidden.... I hope you do this house justice and put it the way it should be. Otherwise, but a modern house.
It's tricky to balance the way the house would have been used originally and the way it will function for a family today. We're constantly thinking through things like this. We definitely appreciate you sharing your perspective!
The wood looks lovely in the kitchen trim don’t paint it
All the fireplaces are amazing! Love that they are wood burning 🔥 I have always wanted a woodburning fireplace in my kitchen! I love all the wallpaper too. Maybe you should live in it for a few years before you change major aspects of it.
Absolutely, for now our projects are mostly fixing lapsed maintenance items and making the house comfortable to live in
Colonial homes don't have white painted kitchen cabinets. That kitchen looks so much nicer and warmer as is, I would just sand and restain natural like that BEAUTIFUL FIREPLACE MANTLE.
That pediment over the sink is c.1950's-my parents ranch style home had the exact same pediment.OMG don't rip it out! :{ THAT kitchen is GORGEOUS AS IS. This kitchen with the SOLID WOOD VINTAGE cabinetry is perfect- today's junk from China is so sub par- the low quality, not even wood in most cases, the ugly dumming gray tones, UGH and doe NOT belong in historic houses!
We agree, these cabinets are better than most of what you can buy these days
NEVER NEVER REMOVE A 12 OVER 12 ORIGINAL WNDOW!! Definattly put on that wall to the left of the fireplace. !
Unfortunately most of the original windows are long gone. In about 1900 the original 12-over-12 windows were replaced with 4-over-4. Those were then replaced in the late 1960s with the current windows which are meant to look like the originals. We still intend to keep and restore these, but they don't have quite as much character as the originals must have
Don't paint the cabinets or trim.
That back stairway seems to be newer and your long living area there looks to have been originally two rooms at one time- rooms that long were not common in cold regions. Your bowed wall could be foundation/ beam issues, both of which are problematic and could worsen if so. What a wonderfully big kitchen! Don’t get rid of cabinets if nicely built - can be easily refaced. Get rid of the “valence” board over the sink…. The light fixture could be changed out for appearance. Something about the fridge next to that fireplace is not pleasing (to me)…. And with all that kitchen area looks t like could work out a better configuration… what was behind that door between the kitchen and the little bathroom?… maybe bring the wall out from stove area to the beam, put fridge on that side. …. Maybe better configure the cabinets….. the supporting structures and moisture issues def need to be addressed first to avoid having to redo anything in the future or future regret. That outside basement door. I would def replace if not watertight. … your house is a gem…congratulations! If you can restore her and keep its character while adhering to your tastes and needs what a lovely home you will make. I’ll follow for sure!!!! I love old homes and restoration. Best of luck & lots of patience!!!!
Thanks for the suggestions! We are actually well on our way with a lot of the things you mentioned, videos will be coming. You are right about the living room being two rooms originally, we found some old photos showing exactly that.
It could be for keeping pigeons because it has circular openings.
You obviously spent a long time working on the remodeling of your old kitchen and would like the same look in here. Is it possible to modernize and still keep that colonial look? I seem to remember seeing, in the past, more than one older home that was restored, in magazines, that had gorgeous kitchens, very modern and functional, yet a real colonial vibe. But, good Lord, you have massive decisions to make. What are your priorities right now? The septic was obviously one and some of the work on the outside to protect the house are also big. But, it would be hard to know where to begin. Much good luck.
Yes, right now we are basically in triage mode, fixing what is broken and making sure the house is weather tight and safe
The small round building outside with the revolving door looks very much like old European and English pigeon coops. They also call them pigeon houses if you look it up most of them had thatched roofs and were made of Stone but I guess some in the new world could have been constructed differently it does have that little round hole in it I didn't see inside so I don't know if there were places for pigeons to roost in there.
Very interesting!
I think it's a cesspit 🤷♀️
Yes, I believe they were also used by farmers to protect crops from birds.
I wouldn't block the window with the book case.lots of room to move furniture in different configuration
I wouldn’t block the window with a bookcase either. It would be better against the wall,with two comfy club chairs for reading. The couch could float as a room divider with a slim table behind it for a cozier tv viewing spot.( also,the legs of the bookcase could be notched out to accommodate the baseboard heater) One more piece of unasked for advice: I also LOVE the blue paint color of the fireplace and staircase in the living room but the two different blues of the furniture would look better across the room. (or at least the two chairs in front of the bookcase, where the gray couch is now,ha ha)
umm is not a word…
what a beauty, i like the kitchen cabinets , i would paint and put on new plain wooden knobs they are cheap and look nice in the same colour or a contrasting colour. the kitchen table is perfect and very useful for meals and homework, good luck
As I was watching, I was thinking, "Oh, let them study about colonial homes before making changes, and not take out something historically accurate". Once it is gone, it is gone forever. I know your home is not a museum and you want to live comfortably, but hopefully, if you keep it historically accurate, it will be there for another hundred years; long after y'all are gone. Many historical homes were modernized during the 1970s and 1980s and now they are so out of style. But, the historical parts are gone forever.
Absolutely agree, we actually trying to put back historical details where possible. Many original elements were removed or changed in the first half of the 1900s, but we have some local experts helping us understand what it would have been like originally
Oh I believe this is the only house that I’ve EVER seen that I personally like everything as is. Apart from the repair of the walls and repairing the fireplaces that need repairing. Oh my gosh I love the soothing, happy, simple vibe it gives. I can see a wonderful, happy life of kids and my mother and my husband and I. Oh my gosh you all are very blessed! BTW- that room upstairs that has the odd shaped rectangle narrow room- would be the cutest sewing/craft room. Not the upstairs room with the gorgeous slanted ceilings that you have stored furniture in but the narrow room off from it. Either a sewing/craft room or a prayer war room.
I agree!! We're using it as exactly that now--the closet is perfect for art supplies :)
That round building also looks like it could have been originally like a smoke house too.
Love the house! I live in CT also in an 1809 cape that we restored. We do have the original wide plank floors, baking fireplace with beehive oven, as well as other fireplaces. We did line the baking fireplace and put in a wood stove, which is our main source of heat. Since it's a center chimney, it heats the house really well. Good luck with your restoration project! It takes years!!!
Thanks for watching!
Check out fully and carefully how to correctly remove lead paint, which I am sure you would anyway. What a home!!! A huge amount of work and money, but this is the project of a lifetime, and you will be left with an absolute treasure, and a one of a kind.
At 25:24 that is linoleum as a countertop. Very much in style 1910-1950
Yes, we've learned more about that material since this video. It was the linoleum before plastics...so VERY permeable (and impossible to clean fully).
Get colonial furniture to go with the period of the house. Please, nothing modern. For the living room with that beautiful blue fireplace...where you have two seating areas, do not put that couch by the fireplace. You are hiding it. Get two fireplace chairs, or wingbacks and set them back and face the fireplace. No couch
excellent ideas!
My husband is a retired union painter. You will have to get licensed paint remover. You can paint over it but you personally cannot safely remove it. Hazmat qualified company only.
Some have said this is a colonial - it is not. In 1776, the colonies were absorbed into the newly formed United States.
Please don't ruin that cozy kitchen by opening the cabinets and painting everything white.
Please don’t paint tge cabinets and woodwork white! It will be permanently dirty and will chip. I did it once and will never do it again. Your kitchen is lovely as it is.
Your beams and posts are dressed in because this is a finer house than a country farmers house . Country folk wouldn’t have had the luxury of finish trim.
Yikes, and I say that due to the additions lol. Adding bathrooms and kitchens to those old homes that original did have them has to be a frustrating to figure out....
I'd keep the brick to the kitchen fireplace it's original color, but definitely remove wood trim and mantle. It just looks like they added that in the 60's along with kitchen cabinets, floors and countertops. The bathrooms, yeah lol. I agree with the bathrooms since it's not original, I'd keep in the era of when it was most likely added. It's nice to see that they searched for a claw foot tub for that other bath upstairs stairs. Good luck, look forward to following and seeing how make it work with the old and new.
Thanks for the suggestions!
That ceiling above the shower I would sand off and actually tile the ceiling area over the tub/shower
Such a charming house!! Thanks for the tour!
Thanks for watching!
Sooooo beautiful! Can’t wait to see the changes :)
The house like a house from the thriller- I am the Pretty thing that lives in the house.
I was lucky enough to live in an 18th c home. I Loved all the wood accents, fireplaces and original door hardware, windows. bookcases etc etc. I adore your new home, it is a great example of the period. We refaced our lower cabinets and drawer fronts in our 1900 kitchen by taking bead board and framing it with milled trim. Bronze hardware and drawer pulls, and latches make it look fabulous.
Thanks for sharing!
Another vote for not painting the kitchen wood white.
Great call on the kitchen cabinets. As they're so solid, even in the future, you might consider having a new face frame with new doors built by a local cabinet maker and keep the actual cabinet cases. It looks like the cabinets are solid plywood and a lot better quality than most of what you'd get on the market today. And less expensive than having custom cabinets built. I did this with a kitchen. Came out beautifully. Great quality.
Yes, the cabinets are constructed very well and custom fit for our crooked, unlevel kitchen. If you haven't see our videos refinishing the door fronts you should check that out!
Cover the linoleum w/ wide pine boards in keeping w/ the house age. Surprised they aren't throughout the house. I had a home of similar vintage w/ wide pines everywhere.
This is a great idea! I originally wanted to pull the linoleum up, but we've since learned that the lamination provided through many layers of flooring is reinforcing the structure of the house. I like the idea of putting wood flooring down on top. From what we're reading (the previous owner kept excellent records), there was a renovation around 1900 and the original wide planks (probably damaged in some way) were removed and replaced with the the flooring that is now in the house. The previous owners had collected and planned to install beautiful wide boards when they renovated in the 60s but they ran out of budget and they had to sell the boards they had collected. So, we're dreaming of finding the money to do that at some point...
Can I suggest checking out Anne Clay the Primitive Home on RUclips? Her house was built in 1780, she also is in CT. You have a beautiful home with so many possibilities!
Thanks for the suggestion, we will definitely check her channel out!
I wish I could speak to you directly. I’m 70 and I have lived a lot of my life in two 1800’s homes. I just came across this video just now. You need to contact your local historical society. I feel owning an older home is a true privilege. As far as your kitchen I’m sure you’ve done something to it by now, I hope you painted the cabinets. The kitchen is not original to the home and in 1780 all the wood would have been painted. The cabinets are not great but painting them would be a benefit. Remember you live in the 21st century you have to do some things to live in the present, you need to learn about the home from the beginning. You should have big oriental rugs because that is what goes in that age of home. We are just about to add a 800 sq ft addition to our home and we hired the best architectural firm and builders keeping everything as close to 1800’s Greek revival. The renovation does scream the 60’s . They didn’t take a lot into consideration back then. I hope you moved ahead with good advice from those who know don’t ask people in this venue these gems get to be owned by a few. We must try and keep what we can as original but never suffer to keep things that does not work within your family. I think you’d be better to take things one room at a time, once you get thoughts from some people with credentials
and knowledge in regards to your finances and life style. All my best
Thank you, that is such great advice! Check out our kitchen videos, we did end up painting the base cabinets. Thanks for watching!
The round building i believe is a privy
your home seems to have been built in New England somewhere by a local architect in Greenwich ( can't recall his name) who did a
lot of homes in the 1950s however he designed these homes to look like they were built in the 1700s, do you have any paperwork from 1785 about this house?
The house appears in the town land records as early as the 1820s, the older records are not digitized and we haven't been to town hall in person to look farther back than that
The "Colonial Era" ended in 1765
The inside has been ruined
So to answer your questions about the unexposed beams, is this. In the 17th century, the early post medieval structure had exposed beams. By the time your house was built in the late 1780's, things were a bit more refined. This means your posts were originally boxed in, like they are now. This is original and not from the 1960's. Your ceiling beams were not exposed either. They would have been under the plaster. Again during this period it was about grace and refinement. Our modern day sensibilities love exposed beams that never were.
Yes, good points. We know our house was built for a shipping captain, I'm sure he saw plenty of exposed timbers onboard his ship, no need for those in the house! Thanks for watching
Thank you so much for taking the time to learn about colonial homes and to do this right it’s so sad when people buy old homes and then knock down the walls and modernize them with whatever the trend of the day is. There’s only so many of these old beautiful homes left if people want a modern home they should just buy modern home and stop destroying history
Thanks for watching!
Oh my gosh that wallpaper in the main bedroom is absolutely beautiful and looks like it is very good shape. I also like the trim painted white.
Thank you!
Amazing house! Can't wait for the property tour. Josephs room is probably bigger than my first apartment haha. I look forward to living my old house dreams vicariously through you guys!
Thanks Matt!
If you’re going to go to all the trouble to strip the paint in the foyer/ stairway have you considered staining it?
We have considered it, we will see what the woodwork looks like when we finally get to this project!
Please don't change the wallpaper or anything unless it's structural. I get so tired of people buying these historic homes and making them modern. It's a waste.
Thanks for this! You and many others shared this and I'm happy to report that we haven't! We were so lucky to find the house AND have no budget to make changes until we really spend some time with what is here.
Seek professional help from those who know how to preserve the originality and historic aspects of this beautiful home. So just don’t go in a start ripping things apart. Restore what you can in this home. Research original colours and make this home what it once was. Resist the temptation to modernize it. Make it livable but keep the heritage as much as you can.
Thanks for the advice!
Eventually sand and restain the floors properly but not a half or partial just leave till can be done properly
Agreed, its almost worse that the floors were partially done previously. Wish they just left them alone, at least it would be consistently worn
Please don’t cover the window with the bookshelf , if you have to use it put it behind the couch it will look amazing . Remove the mantle on the kitchen fireplace and place a floating mantle
I did wind up taking off the mantle...even with nothing on it, it's way better! I need to do an updated tour video!
It sounds like there’s a lot of issues you have with is old house, that’s what I’m hearing from you?
There's a lot of deferred maintenance to take care of. No major issues, just lots of fun projects!
I love this place
No no no don't paint that beautiful wood in your kitchen white! It's beautiful wood like it is and that fireplace is awesome I would even cook on itlikeib the old days that wood us awesome I did that on mine and regret it to this day too
We didn't do it!! And I'm so glad I didn't rush into it because I love the wood trim now :)
Looking forward to see the rooms as you finish them…
We'll be putting out videos as we work our way through the house. Thanks for watching!
Lovey home as-is. The colors are great the way they currently are.
Thank you!
An outhouse ?
also a show from britain called escape to the country lot of great decorating ideas
Thanks for the suggestions!
Keep up the hard work!
KEEP THE 1700'S INTEGRITY!!! Check out 'Restoration Nation'!!!! P.L.E.A.S.E!!! Great potential! Create a script! Cut out the 'ums'. I'm so excited to see what you guys do! And grow!!! Noone has a house this old...all of America is interested!!! Keep going!
Thank you!
@@betweentwobrooks Your basement & attic video just popped up & I watched it. Man! What an amazing house you have! Great potential for a renovation/restoration channel here! I can't wait until you get a drone, start editing, adding music & portraying your personality more. Your channel will grow & before you know it you'll have sponsors begging to be part of it. Keep up the great work!!!
Absolutely beautiful house! Really excited for y’all to make it a home.
Thank you!
Just watching this video. Moving thru house with her she asked for … feed-back on a window wall , thinking to close (window) wall- up to accommodate a book case. … leave the window, if book case has a back.. take it it off to become shelves for books, use the window behind and keep the light.
I think you need to keep an eye to the future, and not make your renos only for now while the boys are small. In 3 yrs. they’ll be taller and quite nimble in their running up/down stairs. Do what temporary things you can do to protect them now, but keep in mind ,that eventually they’ll be growing up. I know, Im a mom of 3 adult children!
If you’re going to paint kitchen cabinets paint a colonial color. Blue would be pretty.
The deep seals are in the rooms where the windows have been replaced with front facing flat faced windows. They do this because they are cheaper and it is horrible. If you have to replace any original windows, which I hope you do not please do not buy the flat faced windows.
Unfortunately no original windows remain. All the windows were replaced in the 1968 renovation. They are still wood, single pane windows but don't have that old glass...
They had replaced some of the windows in my home too. It’s taking a while, but I’ve been finding original windows and replacing them. I have two windows to go and I will have original windows again. Well original some other house I guess not to this house.
it appears there is a boiler system for heating. But I also saw an air return vent in the floor. That is typically for a furnace. Are there 2 heating sources for the house?
Good eye! Our main source of heat is an oil fired hot water boiler. There are a handful of air registers in the floor but they are not attached to anything, they are just open to the basement. At some point we will need to remove those and fill the holes in the floor. There is no evidence there ever was a furnace, I'm not sure why those vents were installed in the first place
@@betweentwobrooks we have an oil fired furnace with hot water baseboards for heat in our 1950 cottage. At some point they put in central a/c, so some of the vents in the floor are supply and some are returns. (So don’t fill them in until you rule out wanting central air someday.)😬
I think the kitchen will really benefit from the white paint in the wood burning stove. This is an incredible house.
Definitely take up linoleum and get down to real wood. It’s worth it. I’m a flooring contractor and you can’t beat the original wood. It will be a lot of work , blood sweat and tears but worth it in the end.
Just seeing this.....going to watch your progression videos. I am seeing a lot of sagging plaster where you are talking about scraping and painting. Will be interesting to see what you find there.
Lovely! What state are you located?
Thank you! We are in Connecticut
Fascinating house. Your kitchen, based on the cabinet style and the avocado color looks like it was last remodeled in the 1970's.
You have a good eye, it was 1968-1969 when the last major renovation was done. Thanks for watching!
Lots & lots of work 👍🏼🙂
That's for sure! Thanks for watching!
Love the formal dining room and the milk paint wood corner display shelf and wainscoting and doo agree that wallpaper does have to go at some time. The fireplace nook is beautiful addition to that room, that cool lantern ceiling light I like very much but I would put it in a different setting instead of over the dining table, I would look good maybe in the kitchen where your round table is in front of the beautiful fireplace. Or maybe in the dining room fireplace nook hanging over head. I was thinking upstairs in the main hall you can put white painted bead board on the ceiling and that way would still look authentic but not see a rippled looking ceiling. Maybe do the same for the walls going up the stairs on put some wood paneling in colonial style.
All great ideas, thank you!
great old place i would put in a fireplace insert.
I’ve been searching for an 18th Century Colonial for my retirement. I found my dream home - a 1740 Saltbox deep in South Jersey. Fully restored with what is known as a “sympathetic restoration.” In other words, restoration was done according to period practices. If repairs needed to be done to the walls, they were done by an expert in lathe and plaster with horse hair. The ORIGINAL windows were restored as were the floors and roof. A HUGE mistake with homes of the period is to employ modern construction methods. Old brick and post and frame homes must breathe. Methods such as wallboard, vinyl window frames, new forms of siding, new floors, etc. can trap moisture and literally will rot timber structures from within. This is most critical with brick homes. The use of Portland cement and modern insulation will inevitably result in moisture retention in the brick and lead to spalling of the bricks themselves. Can’t tell you the number of structures which were essentially, physically destroyed ( both structurally and aesthetically) because the owners didn’t know any better and their contractors were full of bovine scatology.
Thanks for watching! Sounds like you found a really special house, hopefully we can bring more original details back to ours with time
The thing about opening up walls and ceilings of an old home is that you likely will end up with a real mess, and have to keep taking out and replacing more and more and more stuff. Many times the better part of valour is to simply leave well enough alone and put your efforts into redoing floors, updating bath and kitchen only as much as necessary, painting what's there and calling it quits. Believe me, I have rehabbed many old houses, including the one I live in now (circa 1940). Given a choice, I would ALWAYS build new.
It is a slippery slope, sometimes the hardest decision is knowing when to stop... Thanks for watching!
That house is great
Thank you!
You can get rid of scallop trim over the sink and add a pendant. I bought a 130 year old house with no cabinet doors. I ordered doors prepped for glass for the upper cabinets. I’d paint the cabinets and authenticate Colonial color with black hardware. Fabulous house.
Thank you!
You can use a power sander with a vacuum bag attachment.
Hopefully you can preserve the history & not have to over-renovate. The beauty & warmth of these old colonials are their nooks, squeaks & hidden quirky spaces. It's getting harder to find these classic American homes without near 100% modern boring blank-slate cosmetic updates. Mostly because people let them fall into irreparable disrepair. It's a marvelous home, lucky you! :)
(Yes, the little round shed was likely a well pump-house. We had one in our backyard growing up. There was a trap door in the floor to access the mechanics.)
agree 100%
I recommend you watching Jeri Landers of Hopalong Hallow here on RUclips. She does amazing things to her whole house, especially her kitchen. I recommend taking the floors back to original surfaces. You will soon learn to resurface your walls. Again, you can learn anything from how to videos. Good luck, it can be a lot of fun. Thank you for letting us enjoy your journey!
Thanks for the recommendation!
Lovely old home and you are so fortunate to have it! IMO, preserving as much of such a home's original structure and aesthetic as possible is the most important thing. As the owner of an old historic home myself, our priorities were to first address any threats to the integrity of the home's structure: leaky plumbing, leaky roofs and doors, structural rot, insect infestations, cracked or slumping foundation walls, and fire hazards like poorly-installed or outdated electrical wiring. At the same time, removing health hazards like lead paint and asbestos is a priority as well. Be very careful stripping any old paint, especially with kids in the house. Finally, repairing things like windows, internal doors, and woodwork. Never replace old windows - repair them! Protect them with quality storm windows in the winter. Don't replace old doors either. They can be expertly repaired by a good carpenter and rehung with new door seals. Rot in old windows, sills, doors, and trim can be cut out, replaced with a dutchman or epoxy, and then painted, but don't paint old wood inside the house unless it was originally painted or you have to make a very large repair that will not look good with a natural finish. Old wood is usually very high-quality and irreplaceable, so show it off!
In your kitchen - I would keep the woodwork unpainted, if it is high quality and solid. I also had an idea about that awkward, unusable space between the current stove location and the counter/cabinets. You say you are going to build a stub-wall extension alongside the new stove. Why not place the stove at the end of this stub wall and extend the countertop and cabinets around the inside corner where the current stove is? You gain several more feet of counter space and make the inside corner usable cabinet space with a corner cupboard. Just an idea! Counterspace is always at a premium in kitchens, and it's always good to eliminate awkward dust and dirt-collecting unusable little corners and spaces.
Lots of great ideas, thank you. Thanks for watching!
I had to deal with lead paint as my house is from the same time period. It was worth it to keep my family safe.
Yes, lots of work but its not worth the risk to do it improperly
@Between Two Brooks we used lead defender paint. Nearly $60 a gallon but I feel comfortable my grandkids are safe here, worth every penny.