We bought our old house...now what?

[Queenofthehill85]

Hello! It's been a while since I have posted about our house. We are still making improvements with the outside and inside. I thought I would share some updated pictures.

My husband tried to get as much paint off the outside siding as he could. We are still in the process of glazing and painting windows.

Some before and after shots:

[Queenofthehill85]

I originally posted in the group to try and find some help as to what style and how old it was.

I have been to the court house several times to try and gather info. From what I can tell right now, it was started around 1893 and the husband passed away and the wife had to finish it on her own. She then sold it in 1918. It was sold again in 1937, and was then remodeled in some areas at that time. A bathroom was added and some other updates done.

[Gothichome]

Well isn't that a world of difference. I see a new roof as well as a nice new coat of paint on well scrapped clap boards. A lot of work since you bought. Well done. Even better you let the reindeer out of the basement for a stroll. Your question is now what? Interior I would suspect, did you find any suprises while doing all the exterior?

[Queenofthehill85]

Not really. We did remove the siding after it was cleaned and we insulated the house. It has made a huge difference. We still have some ends to finish on the outside. We still have windows to glaze and prime/paint. Back porch still needs paint/primer/screen. We still have to do a 2nd coat of white on the outside. A post still needs to be put in on the porch facing the road. Etc etc etc. the inside is in really good shape. It's live able and we have been here (moved in) for about 6 months now. The interior is just full of 1970's paneling. Which is coming out. After the exterior is wrapped up.

[homescribehistory]

Wow queenofthehill! It looks amazing, great job with the transformation-- the professional paint job makes a huge difference.

To hopefully help with the "identity crisis" of your house's style, those that referred to it as "regional" or "vernacular" were most correct. As you might have realized by now, there are a large number of houses, especially many of those built in the second half of the 19th century, as it appears yours was, which do not neatly fit into any one architectural style. The use of simple shapes and forms without distinctive original detailing (i.e. that classical column at the front porch probably was added) put it into the "National Folk" category. These homes weren't necessarily following architectural or stylistic trends.

I can see why some pointed to Queen Anne due to the mixture of hipped and gable roofs, but overall it doesnt really fit. The double gable front leads sort-of towards Gothic, but it's not in that category either. Due to its being one-story, I'd say you could also correctly call your home a "bungalow" which is a broader term than many think. Although there may be some craftsman-type details on the interior, I wouldn't call the house itself a Craftsman.

If your courthouse research (and bravo for heading there!) is leading you to believe that the house was built over an extend period of time, that would make sense to me. Judging by the exterior, the floor plan seems to be somewhat complex, with many ins and outs that may have been the result of an "evolving" design.

You might also try to track down some historic maps which can help you narrow down the construction period and perhaps even if different portions were built at different times. There's a good website www.historicmapworks.com where you can search for maps based on geographic location, and you can search the Library of Congress or your area's libraries for Sanborn fire insurance maps. Historical societies also.

Looking forward to seeing more of your progress in the future, don't be a stranger!

[Queenofthehill85]

The entire is actually really well laid out for an old farm house. I've seen so many that don't have hallways...multiple ways in and out of rooms etc. we have 3 bedrooms and a huge center hallway. Living room, dining, kitchen, mud/utility room, and laundry room. It flows very well. When the original owners husband passed away, it was built she just had to oversee the finishing touches (from what I understand on family history I found on ancestry). The dining/kitchen were added sometime after the 2nd owner owned the home. They made the outside details match the original part of the house but when you are in the attic you can tell it is slightly newer. I have contacted several people to see if they have any older pictures of the home. Hopefully someone can come through with one. For a house 100 +/- years old, it flows well and is good for modern living.

I will try those resources you mentioned. Maybe I can find out more info.

[heartwood]

your house could be a poster child for houses some people refer to as 'too far gone, just knock it down'....what an amazing transformation...old house lovers can see what others can not...your home is fortunate to have you!
...jade

[Eperot]

Wow....gives me hope that my house can look nice outside eventually too! Amazing what a good paint job can do. Also, who did the scraping and how was it done?

[Queenofthehill85]

My husband had to do all of the paint removal. No one would do it like he wanted. Everyone wanted to scrape the loose and then paint. He wanted it all off. He used hand sander, belt sander, and a grinder for some areas, and wood chisels for the hard to reach corners. I complained.. A lot...about the length of time it was taking. But our siding and paint looks gorgeous now.

[Neighmond]

Such a house!