1836 Cape in MA

[CCappabianca]

Hi! Just wanted to introduce myself and my 1836 Greek Revival Cape in Plymouth County Massachusetts. We have lived here for five years and the house has had more edits and additions over its life than I can keep track of. We still have original doors, latches, floors, radiators, crawl spaces, etc throughout. We have had some work done by a contractor who specializes in antiques, a lot of which is good and respectful to the house, but after reading a post here about kitchens I am slightly ashamed of my subway tile ! In my defense we had to fix up the hot mess that the kitchen and later additions had caused!

I always knew I loved old houses, but I am just getting to the point in my life were I really want to explore this passion. Any recommendations for books or websites are always welcome. I am so interested in floor plans for early capes (I think my stairs are in a funny place!) and I'm also trying to figure out interior design for new additions to complement the antique side of the house.

Oh and my name is Christine and I have a one year old and a four year old and work full time as a financial analyst in Boston so my time with the house is minimal at the moment, but I have plenty of time to research on my commute!

image.jpg (857.69 KiB) Viewed 971 times

image.jpg (1.01 MiB) Viewed 971 times

image.jpg (741.26 KiB) Viewed 971 times

image.jpg (982.37 KiB) Viewed 971 times

image.jpg (982.56 KiB) Viewed 971 times

image.jpg (946.55 KiB) Viewed 971 times

image.jpg (871.15 KiB) Viewed 971 times

image.jpg (842.98 KiB) Viewed 971 times

image.jpg (970.04 KiB) Viewed 971 times

image.jpg (1.17 MiB) Viewed 971 times

[CCappabianca]

image.jpg (147.45 KiB) Viewed 970 times

image.jpg (43.04 KiB) Viewed 970 times

[CCappabianca]

image.jpg (1 MiB) Viewed 970 times

image.jpg (866.15 KiB) Viewed 970 times

image.jpg (1.22 MiB) Viewed 970 times

image.jpg (770.81 KiB) Viewed 970 times

image.jpg (1.18 MiB) Viewed 970 times

[CCappabianca]

The floor in the baby's room was in very rough shape (hence the carpet for now). That room is high on the potential rehab list. Would love to extend further into crawl space. The room with the blue floors was redone a few years ago and those are the original planks that were under some yucky hardwood. They had to be painted as they weren't in perfect shape, but I love them. The first pic is in the addition, but finding that antique deacon's bench (1800s cape cod) was one of my more recent endeavors. Of course it was covered in lead, but my dear husband encapsulated it for me!

[JacquieJet]

Hi Christine!
I have a two little ones as well (ages 3 and 1), and I can attest to how little time that leaves to do house projects! So, I hear you!
Your home is beautiful. It's not often I get to see the inside of a house that old! You've done a lovely job. I love the style of the exterior, too- the roof is very interesting and neat! Thanks for sharing!

[mkiehn20]

Welcome, Christine! Another parent of a 1 year old here. It does complicate working on the house, doesn't it?

I love your house! I feel like you strike a good balance between honoring the age of your home and making it a comfortable space for a modern family. I love your wide fireplaces, moldings, and doors. You just don't get details like that in my part of the Midwest!

[Sow's Ear Mal]

Hello! You have a stunning old house. Ours out East (Canada) is 1803/13, is similar, and had terrible late Victorian additions, which we removed. Her support structure is dangerously compromised thanks to ductwork installations. We live a 17 hour drive away from her, so most of the time I sweat over her from afar. I hope to get her to the state yours is now in. You give me hope, lol. Please post more exterior pics if you can. Do you have any outbuildings? We had a small barn but it was gone by the time we bought it. Thanks for posting! Mal

[Gothichome]

CCap, welcome to the district. Yes you have a very fine home, I see a lot of work has gone into bringing it a comfortable home. Oh, and no worries about your subway tiles, it's what you like and it works for you.

[CS in Low Hud]

Cool place! I like the bread oven. Is it functional?

Regarding the kids... once they are even slightly old enough, put em to work!


Chris

[CCappabianca]

Thanks, everyone! I will be pouring over the archives the next few days - can't wait!

Chris, I love your little helper! Mine can't wait to get her hands on some paint! (And I would gladly let her, but her daddy, the perfectionist, cringes! Maybe it should be a summer goal of mine...)

Mal, we have two out buildings. One shed, which is rotting somewhat, and I have no idea how to even go about dating it! And then there is a two-story barn built around 2000. I'm not sure if it replaced one that used to be there or not. I am going to start bugging the town historical society soon! And I can't imagine a 17 hour drive - crazy!