Still no new old house, but...

So we recently looked at another property.  We didn't make an offer but I thought I'd share some of my thoughts anyway.  You'll have to use your imagination since there won't be an after.

It had an odd layout.  It's a late 1800's home with an addition.  Master bedroom downstairs off of the kitchen, with one bedroom upstairs that's accessed with a walkthrough room.  The kitchen is an eat in with a vaulted ceiling.  The outside is perfect and really reads as an older home.  The inside, not so much.

Here's my first "project", the master.

This is the "bathroom" (obviously unfinished).

This little shower is in the back right corner.

I would remove the shower and closet area. 

There would be bead board on the walls and a claw foot tub lengthwise along the back wall.

Along these lines for colors

Maybe even the basket weave marble floors.

Now, this is the master, the bathroom is in the back left corner-you can see the open door.

 

Nice view, huh?  Between the bath and bedroom, I'd add a two sided fireplace.  This is why the closet space was getting lost.  Imagine soaking in the tub with a nice fire on a winters night! 

 

 

The door swing would have to change, but that's no biggie.  Probably have to go with a pedestal sink because there wasn't much room for a vanity.

Hope your imagination is working! 

The access to the laundry/basement is off of the master.  AWKWARD.  We'd steal a couple feet and make a closet, then move the access to the kitchen.  Otherwise the master only needs the popcorn ceiling scraped, new floors and paint.  The master is an addition.  The original house has wide plank floors under carpet and vinyl.  If those are in good shape, we'd need a different floor in the master.  If they aren't, we'd match them throughout the downstairs.

I'm thinking like this

They are new wide plank pine.  Good feel and we could match throughout the house since we can buy as much as we need.

Oh, and that fan's gotta go, not sure on a light fixture to replace it with yet though.

Can't pick colors exactly without chips to see how the light in the room effects them.  Something in the sagey/blue/gray family.

Next is the kitchen.

Heres what it looks like.

Main kitchen area

 



Eat in area, to the right of the bedroom entrance

 

Stairs to the second bedroom/floor and main bath.

 

Entrance to the master from the kitchen.  Ok, kinda weird.

 

I'll post my thoughts on a redo here next time.  The yellow won't be staying.

Some new vintage finds!

We visited an estate (household) sale today.  We picked up a few cool finds.  I originally found it online and saw a Chiffarobe I wanted to check out, but it was gone.  So it must have been a reasonable price.  Usually great antique furniture like that is so over priced.  I'd like a waterfall style.  Kind of like this one:

What we got instead was...

A Juice King JK-30.  Needs a repaint.  We already have a vintage juicer, it's a bit smaller.  WE like it a lot, but there's a crack in the side and we're afraid one day it will grow into one that makes it unusable.  So we picked up a spare!  I'd say it's a 1950's era.  Fits right in.

A Becky Porter commercial french fry cutter.  This is going to need a serious cleaning and repaint.  But how cool is it??  I think this is a bit older, possibly more 30's or 40's era but I can't really say for sure.

Lastly, a 1970's era book on wood burning.  Not really for learning how to, but still neat to look though.  AND wowzers, it says an average homesteader might use 8-10 cords of wood per season.  CORDS.  Not FACE cords.  CORDS.  For those that don't know, a cord is 4' high x 4' deep x 8' long.  A face cord isn't a legally recognized measurement, but it's about 4' high 8' long and 16" deep.  10 cords is a LOT of wood.  I'd say in the range of 3x what we use. 

Here's todays goodies:

I have to round up some of our vintage goods we procured while on our Anniversary vacation and get some photos.  We've got a great stove top "EZ Corn Popper", a Corelle stove top as well as electric perculator, a Kliban cat, a neat thermometer and some cook books including Ma's Cookin Mountain Recipes which had a great biscuit recipe.

A touch of snow and cooler weather!

We had a dusting of snow today.  I think it's about time to harvest the last of the lettuce that self seeded from the spring crop!  We've been sharing with the neighbors, since there's a LOT of it, but I'll probably bring some in to work (if I remember) since it doesn't really keep that well.

Along with the snow, came the cooler weather.  I wouldn't call it cold, yet.  Right now it's 30 degrees and it's been in the lower 30s all day.  What's exciting about that is we haven't had to burn 24/7 yet.  We had a door blower test done about a month ago, and it illustrated the leakiness of the Cottage.  We spent some time finding the leaks, and Mr Eclectic (who's far better at it than I am) sealed them up with silicone.  We also laid attic blanket in the attics (this we both participated in).  Technically our wood stove is oversized for our square footage.  The Republic 1750 (tube stove) is rated for about 500 to 1300 square feet MORE than the size of our house.  Shoulder season might be more challenging now!  While we did stop in to a Blaze King (cat stove) dealer and scope out the Sirroco and Ashford, I think we're going to keep the tube stove around for a while and try to learn how to keep ourselves warm but not too warm.  Now you're wondering what "cat" and "tube" stoves are, right?  Both are ways to burn the gases that the wood emits while burning.  We've only ever had one stove so I can't really say from experience but from reading (a lot), cat stoves (especially BK) are more controllable and can be "turned down" more for longer burns and a lower stove (and house) temp.  BUT, the tube stove has a nicer flame show from my understanding.  In my opinion, whats the point of a wood stove with no fire.  One of my favorite things as a kid was when everyone stayed at my grandparents house and I got to sleep in the living room on the air mattress-in front of the fireplace.  Best ever.  I'll have to post more about that some time. 

Right now we're burning box elder.  I just brought a few bags of it in tonight.  I think the yellow jackets like it more than some of the other kinds.  Here's a tip-if you store your wood outside, knock the splits together as you bring them in to knock the "sleeping" (cold/hibernating) yellow jackets off. 

Still Looking (The Next Old House Part II)

So at the moment we haven’t procured another rental, or even a house that would make a good rehab/resell.  We’re looked at some places that need pretty significant repairs, far above the end value of the place.  We’ve looked at a few that aren’t too bad and even made offers only to be outbid…it’s all a numbers game at the moment.  What I have found is that there are a lot of great photos on Pinterest that, should we ever find a place, I will have something to show Mr. Eclectic to help illustrate my thoughts (he’s a visual kind of guy).

 

What I also found is there are some photos of things I wish I could have here at the Cottage!  There are three things I wanted in a house for years and years and years that just aren’t going to happen here. 

 

They are:

 

#1.  A Hoosier, or multiple Hoosiers (in a completely unfitted kitchen with an awesome porcelain sink with a gingham or checkered sink skirt).  Ok, they didn’t have to be the Hoosier brand, but that’s what most people call them.  I tried to figure out for years how to fit one in at the Old House, and while I eventually figured we could probably put one between the kitchen and dining room I never did get one.  It would have made it dark(er) in there and it was already dark enough due to numerous trees and the orientation on the lot.  And now, there is absolutely NO place in my kitchen for one.  At best, I might be able to get a small enamel topped bakers table, if we ever wanted to get rid of the microwave cart (the ugly thing I painted green which I previously posted about).  Not really a Hoosier, there’s no awesome flour bin or general old school unfitted kitchen goodness, but it would have that great top.  And be real wood not press board.  And be old.  Because if you haven’t figured it out yet, I like old stuff.

Hoosier:

 

 

#2.  Wood cook stove.  You know, those huge heavy monsters.  Yup, one of those.  I have absolutely NO idea how to cook on/in one, but I would be happy to learn.  Now, mind you, I didn’t want to replace my “modern” (relatively speaking) stove with one.  I like being able turn a dial and light a burner, or light a match and have the oven working.  We had seriously considered a reproduction electric range that had that old wood cook stove look while at the Old House, but the cost was too high to justify the cool looks.  Again, with our smaller kitchen here, this is not going to happen.  Unless we build an outdoor canning kitchen at some point.  However I don’t really know where we would do that.  But if we did, I’d want one of those cool old stoves-preferably delivered!

 

#3.  Claw Foot Tub.  I really don’t know exactly what it is about them, but I want one.  I found the most awesome (to me) bathroom with one on Pinterest.  I can’t be the only one that thought so though, because it’s been repined 100’s of times.  It combines not only a claw foot tub, but also brick (floors) and a whole cottage chic look that is so absolutely awesomely amazing it’ll knock your socks off if you’re into that style.    In fact, I’m going to post it below just so you can see it.  Get ready to drool.  It’s that sweet.  I would settle for the tub and brick floor.

 

 Ready?

 

Here are two views

 

 

 

Not to say that I don’t love my kitchen…and dining room…and living room…and laundry room…and bedroom…and bathroom (although that claw foot tub would make it even nicer, lol).  Good thing someone invented Pinterest so I could scope out cool stuff and keep it on my boards like an old school scrap book.  I might not have them in my house but I can have them digitally!  AND I can store up all sorts of great ideas and looks for that time when someday, some way, one of our bids is accepted and I have a whole new old house to redecorate and design.