period homes Archives - Page 4 of 4

Preparing for Houseguests

January 8, 2008 RH 5 Comments

The in-laws are planning a visit over in June. Used to be just Mum and the 2 brothers. Now one of the brothers has an entire family, so we’ll have all of Dublin landing on our doorstep. Five months to plan for houseguests should be sufficient for anyone. But not us.

No matter where we live, we’re constantly in mid renovation. We only finish when it’s time to sell a house. Sometimes we’ll give a little extra push when we know we’re having guests. That’s when we actually realize that we don’t have furniture or dishes. Stuff like that.

We’ll start to post our “to do” list so we can be publicly shamed into following through with these things. You may ridicule us, mock us, tell us it ain’t never gonna happen by June. Or you can choose to encourage us. The choice is yours.Continue reading Preparing for Houseguests

Historic Bricks

December 18, 2007 RH 2 Comments

I’ve seen brick floor tiles at Lowes and thought I liked them. My husband hated them. He thought they were “fake” looking. Now I’m not sure how I feel about them. They would be cool for a laundry room, mud room or patio, no?

The Lowes tiles were probably mass produced stuff. Brick Floor Tile Inc offers salvaged brick that has been sliced thin. Unless you have verrrry high ceilings, you wouldn’t want to use a full brick on an interior floor. I would also guess that it would be too difficult to level.

For other brick projects, two companies that sell antique bricks are Historical Brick and Old World Bricks. However, I’m not suggesting you purchase historic bricks. Look around for empty lots, dumpsters and tear downs for free ones. Also check Craigs and used building stores on a regular basis. I just did a search and did not come up with any, but that doesn’t mean they won’t be there tomorrow. Or the next day.

Brownstoner forum

Reclaimed Lumber: Information Overload

December 18, 2007 RH 1 Comment

This started out as a post on antique barnwood siding. I found Elmwood Reclaimed Timber via Luxury Housing Trends and set out to write about that. Nice, huh? See photo above.

I somehow came across Cunningham Lumber. They have reclaimed lumber as well as salvage, all at good price points. Ok, so they’re located in Texas. But lookie here what I’ve found….a list of links. Too many to sort through now, so your homework assignment is to narrow it down yourself. You know, local sources/inexpensive. It’s due by Thursday.

Related: Reclaimed Flooring

Keeping Your Antique Windows

December 17, 2007 RH

Our window has been looking like this for 2 years. And our porch still looks like this.

One of the things we fell in love with in our Beacon home was the wavy glass of the antique windows. Every window in the house is original wood, hardware and glass. Some of them don’t work too well and they are all terribly DRAFTY! But there was no way we’d ever even think of replacing them. So, we set out to restore them.Continue reading Keeping Your Antique Windows

Raised Panel Wainscoting

December 12, 2007 RH 1 Comment

I’ve always preferred raised panel wainscoting to bead board. It’s not as readily available and I haven’t been able to locate FSC certified, but still…I like the look.

At one time, you would have to be a skilled carpenter to install this stuff. Now several companies offer kits for the do it yourselfer. They range in quality. Some are veneer. Some aren’t even wood. The better quality ones come in a variety of wood species that are stainable or paintable.

Have a look:

New England Panel
RJ Millworks
Deco Moldings
Architectural Depot

Related “This Old House” article

Anatomy of a Brownstone:Salvage Design

December 6, 2007 RH

Debra Salomon, the principal of 408 Design Group who organized Anatomy’s events, presented with Pietro Calabretta, owner of All Renovation, NY. The two have partnered on several projects.

Pietro spoke of the Greenstone Project, at 695 Degraw, which he worked on with Eitan Baron.

The home features Caesarstone countertops, dual flush toilets, energy star appliances and Fireclay shower floor tiles. We’ve covered all of those items in the past.

What we found most interested was the hot water return system Pietro mentioned. If we understood correctly, the system reuses the cold water wasted while waiting for the hot water to become hot.

Although all of the speakers shared valuable green building information, we found Debra’s subject matter closest to our hearts: old home restoration and salvaged materials.

She presented a design for an air conditioner cover which is an elaborate Victorian pier mirror housing the wall a/c unit. See photos for details.

Debra also showed us an antique butler’s pantry she and Pietro recreated in a brownstone as well as some gorgeous salvaged cabinets that are sitting in someone’s basement because they can’t use them. (Oy, I’ll take them off your hands.)

Affordable NYC: Ditmas Park

November 30, 2007 RH 11 Comments

Added Saturday: Living in Flatbush. The Times is stealing my thunder!

Ok, so Ditmas is no longer that affordable. Let’s face it, none of Brooklyn is. But at least you get what you pay for here. The historic housing stock is nothing short of spectacular and the quiet tree lined streets within 20 minutes to Manhattan are the reasons this neighborhood is so desirable.

Ditmas Park is part of Victorian Flatbush. I grew up in nearby Midwood and didn’t really pay attention to what neighborhoods were called. So forgive my ignorance if I’m about to screw up boundary lines between Ditmas Park and Ditmas Park West and Beverly Square East. Honey, it was all Flatbush to me back then. Good map here, though.

My BFF lives in Ditmas, so I just asked her to contribute her thoughts on the area. Here they are:Continue reading Affordable NYC: Ditmas Park

SF Painted Lady: Chateau Tivoli

November 28, 2007 RH 3 Comments

We took a trip to San Fransisco a couple of years ago and I just found my photos on a card I haven’t used since. Hmm, never did that with a roll of film. Anyway, I remember taking hours and hours to search for the perfect Victorian B&B. We decided upon Chateau Tivoli in the Alamo Square district.

Built in 1892 and operating as a fully restored B & B by 1989, the building has seen alot of history pass through it’s doors. But the restoration is what fascinates me. The exterior features 17 colors of paint. Inside, the wood work is to die for. And then there’s the wallpaper and hand painted molding and medallions. The restoration took 4 years to complete. But I’m sure Craig and Yvonne could’ve done it in a few months.

Here are a few vacation snappies I took. Please overlook the unmade bed and low resolution. I was on vacation!Continue reading SF Painted Lady: Chateau Tivoli

Craig and Yvonne, Why Must You Taunt Me So?

November 27, 2007 RH 8 Comments

I first discovered Our Victorian House shortly after we went into contract on Our Own Victorian House in Beacon. I visited the site frequently for inspiration. When I showed it to my husband, filling him in on my intentions, he felt the need to send an email to Craig and Yvonne…something to the effect of “How dare you give my wife these crazy ideas? Thanks alot, buddy!”

Three years later and sidetracked by a totally different restoration, I just checked back on their site. They’re, like, finished.

I hate them.

Hate them because they had the focus to stick to one house and finish it.

Hate them because their house is so friggen beautiful.

Hate them because they were able to afford massive amounts of Bradbury wallpaper when they said they’re not rich.

Hate them because they used real artisans for detailing I attempt to do myself.

Hate them because they even finished the exterior! Oh, how I hate them for that!

Hate them because of that green eyed monster we call “Envy”.

So, you think you’re so great, Craig and Yvonne? Well, why don’t you come to Beacon and show us what you can do with this house? I dare you!

Yeah, I thought you would back down. Losers.

Period Home Decor

November 19, 2007 RH

The hubby won’t let me do pink.

If you’re a sucker for old homes like we are, you probably want to keep your decor historically accurate. It’s not easy and it’s a bit frustrating at times. As much as we love Victorians (so much that we needed 2 of them), sometimes I wish we were converting a garage space so I can do all sorts of funky things. But that’s the next project.

Actually, we’ll be more creative with the Beacon Queen Anne than the Bed Stuy brownstone. We were inspired by the former owner’s style, which is more Nouveau/Deco than Victorian. We’ve continued with that style in wall coverings and lighting and we’ll also throw in some Gothic splash just for fun. The exterior, which we’ve been promising to do for 3 years, is going to be total crazy color San Fransisco painted lady. Or the closest we can get away with being in a historic district.

Here’s some help for narrowing down your home’s period and decor.

Identifying Your Home’s Style
Architectural Styles
Period Decor

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