The bungalow project

[eclecticcottage]

Um, well, I'm all for period correct, but I think I'll pass on that I am going with white 4 over 4. Since I am not recreating what was original and both claps and shakes could have been options I am going to save the extra $2500 the shakes would have cost and either just save it or, more likely, apply it elsewhere that the house needs.

I set up a new will call for more drywall, insulation, wiring, etc last night. I would freak out spending this much all at once on my own house. I think it will be better once it all starts going back together and I start to see a house again.

[Lily left the valley]

oooohhh well lookie there! Maybe you should put new green asphalt up?

All I could think of was with the brick, it would be like an eternal Christmas house.

[eclecticcottage]

That was suggested by a friend that was at the house when the contractor stopped by. I happened mention I liked a particular color of green shake and she immediately said it would be a Christmas house. I may be biased towards green anyway, since it's my fav color though, lol.

Probably not the best choice for resale though

[eclecticcottage]

Put up one of the "real" living room lights tonight.

[Lily left the valley]

Green is one of my favorite four colors too, so I understand. It would work great as a detail contrast color, but not a major area color, sadly.

The light looks nice.

[eclecticcottage]

Thanks! I've been all over trying to find living room lighting I liked for this house. I have to keep budget in mind and it seems that the current trend is towards the round lights or super modern ones. I can't do catalog/online for lighting, I need to see it to really get the size and shape. I even thought of buying vintage lights to rewire, but I would have to find a matched set (with a 24' long room, one lonely light in the middle just wouldn't work), AND I am still not sure about rewiring a fixture yet. I'm not completely sold on them (there are two, only got one up because for whatever reason it's not designed the same as the others for hanging and it was an event to get it to work), but everything I found was too fussy, too plain, too modern, too round...There is a broken fixture that kind of reminds me of this in the basement that must have come from somewhere in the house, so I just went with it. I originally had a different kind picked, but they were just way too fussy for such a basic Bungalow. I must have spent hours looking for photos showing the lighting in bungalows-but most were really strongly craftsman and this one is very scaled back in comparison, no dark wood, no built ins in the living room/between rooms, no crown moldings-just basic painted trim and the built in pantry, so even those lights seemed over the top for this house. I went basic for the bedrooms, someone can swap them out for the one they decide on for a master, or if they have older kids and want fans, etc.

[JacquieJet]

Eclectic, that light looks nice! Great choice.

Since you mentioned vintage lights, something I have done around here is look online for people who are "modernizing" and gutting old houses (awful, I know...), they tend to try to recoup some costs by selling things like doors and plumbing fixtures (I find the ads on Kijiji, but in the US I guess it would be Craigslist). Anyway, what I have done is contact these people and ask if they have anything else that they are looking to sell, such as light fixtures. I have a bunch in my loft at the moment from a Toronto house built in 1906- most were original to the home, and about half had already been rewired (I guess when the house had some wiring work done? Hard to tell. But they are definitely much older than the atomic stuff). The remaining ones my dad has been rewiring for me while we watch movies in the evening here and there- as long as they are fairly simple without long/skinny "arms" to the bulbs, the wiring seems to go quickly and easily.
Anyway, I tend to find these old fixtures for a bargain, people just want them gone, so maybe it would be something worth looking into if you need more lights?

And, for the record- green is my favourite colour, too. I even did lime green quartz countertops in my kitchen here! Ahhhh! Love it. Heh heh.

[eclecticcottage]

Thanks!

Now that I know I will likely be doing this again, I will probably try that. I've watched CL for doors (looking for a better front/screen door) and haven't yet hit the right one. I did see an add for a house that is being gutted then torn down, but it was a different era and style so I hadn't contacted the seller-plus I've never heard of the town so I imagine it's far. If I can sit down with some random pieces (I might keep the broken one just as learning piece) after this one is done I might feel comfortable by the time I need to do it on the next house. Of course this one was pretty much all replacement fixtures that weren't worth saving, maybe the next one will have some originals at least.

The only lights I have yet to chose are the upstairs bath and back door. The current upstairs bath light is just a bare bulb pull chain fixture (that won't work) and the backdoor light is some funky shade on a piece of black pipe. I am thinking of finding a hanging light to replace that with-there is an angled "roof" (extension of the overhang) above that door so I can't go flush, and I don't want to drill the brick for a wall mount. I have NO idea where the wiring for the pipe comes in so I won't be using that-plus it's all beat up so I'd need a new fixture and I've never seen a replacement like it.

I have found that I get good doors, sinks and bigger stuff just by watching garbage day, especially in one particular town that's trending towards rentals vs owner occupied. I will have to eventually call it and take part of a Saturday to go to a salvage place or two, but I've been hesitant to lose the time working on the house so far. I need trim too, so I might need to visit a local mill work place-the stuff around the front door is missing, as is one piece by the living room door into the dining room and another piece by the back door. The frustrating part is I bet it was here somewhere but the house cleaner-outers probably tossed it, along with the original front and screen doors (or took them).

[eclecticcottage]

So it's been pretty dull story wise lately. Pulling wire, nails and putting in insulation. Nothing that really shows as much progress in pics. Wiring is almost complete. Still have some nails to get to. I've also been working on the dining room floor. More dulls-ville.

While I know it was an unpopular decision, I'll also post that the windows have begun being replaced. I'm saving the sashes-so far only a couple have some apart upon removal. They really were in tough shape, it's too bad. At least maybe the glass will help someone needing wavy glass for a replacement, and the other survivors can live on as art. One of the guys doing them is in love with the house Don't know that he can afford to buy it but it still makes me happy that someone is loving it!

I also took a little time away to look at another house this past weekend, but that one is way above my league money wise. I did find another vacant one not far away in the process though, I might need to write a letter to the out of state owner. It was love at first sight with that one too, so I'm hopeful I can get something going on that one. It need obvious repair from the outside, but it's so cute! If I can get it for about what I got this one for and it's in about the same shape, it would be a winner IMO.

[JacquieJet]

Oh nice! Sometimes when a door closes, a window opens... or something like that!