Historical Charm

May 07, 2017

Historical Charm

We have done a lot of things to our home to keep the historical charm as we've updated it over the past six years that I wanted to gather in one post! As a fanatic of Nicole Curtis, I also feel that "original is best." Additionally, I think it is much more eco-friendly to use something that is salvaged rather than buying new. Craigslist and yard sale purchases are much more "green." There's no packaging to throw away, and you're saving something from going to a landfill. And finally, they just don't make things like they used to! The quality and workmanship of the details of our home would cost a fortune to replicate today.

So to start: Old Windows. We love our old windows. They all function and open properly. We replaced several of our storm windows with low-e insulated brand new storms which made a huge difference. At some point someone replaced the counter-weight system that the home originally had with an aluminum slide system that works great. Also, in the winter months there is a type of caulk you can buy at the local hardware store that gets any of those little gaps that let air in. Pretty efficient. Also: green-no windows to the dump. Also: much prettier:

Honestly, when considering buying an older home, if it had replacement windows (or vinyl siding) I was completely turned off and wouldn't look any further. Call me crazy. Old windows are also much easier and cheaper to replace glass pieces that crack. And don't get me started on vinyl siding.

Our shutters were a Craigslist score. They were from an older home in a nearby neighborhood. Actually, the Irish neighborhood. They have shamrocks and are so charming. Our home originally had board and batten shutters, but had crappy vinyl ones when we bought the house. These make such a difference in the house's curb appeal. From this:

To this:

WOW.

That leads to our next thing! Our vintage storm door. When we bought the house it had a white metal replacement storm door that made me all kinds of sad. I ripped it off and threw it to the curb. It was falling apart, among other detractors. After a couple of winters we decided we really needed the storm door to stop some of the cold coming in. Our new/old one has its quirks, but man does it look stunning. We decided to find a salvage door when we saw the photo of the house the original owners' granddaughter sent me. We found a door the right size after searching for a few weeks. It was much cheaper than buying new and made an instant difference in how cold it was by our front door.

Back then the house was white with green trim. That's the original owner! Look at those tiny shutters on the attic window! Heart eyes! I also would love to do galvanized gutters just like the way they had them originally. The storm windows were pop outs back then, we have all the hardware at the top of the windows (as well as all original hardware for shutters on the windows that faced south and east) The storms used to hook at the top and were secured at the bottom with a hook. You could prop them out to get air flow. Not very good airflow.

Original Front Light: I stumbled upon a glass jelly jar at our local ReStore while looking for a storm door that looked so much like the original one. I squealed out loud when I saw it. Also, it was a dollar. We went five years with a bare bulb. I guess I'm glad we never got around to replacing the fixture. It was worth the wait...the bottom is solid brass, and I think it looks just perfect.

Another thing I found that day, while I was unsuccessful finding a storm door, was a pair of brass sconces that I thought might work for living room.

Living Room Sconces: We finished updating where the mirror used to be over our fireplace in December. I posted about it on Instagram. We only spent about $40 total on this update!

I still can't believe how much this living room has changed!

Ugh. So much better.

The milk door in our kitchen was something we thought was so adorable when we bought the house. When we bought the house, only the outside door was there, creating a little cupboard on the outside of the house. Inside, the door had been covered with dry wall, but not insulated. The dry wall had started to crack around the area and it seemed to me that we should just put the door back and fill it with insulation in the winter. When we renovated the kitchen we did just that!

SO MUCH MILK DOOR FUN!

We are completely happy with the decision to reinstall a working milk door. In the winter it was warmer than before! Winner winner!! Just look at all that detail in the trim around the exterior. And its a raised panel door on the outside. They just don't make 'em like that anymore, folks.

Another change we made in the kitchen was adding back the original swinging kitchen door. If you live in an old house...check your basement and garage. There is probably a door, or more than one door that someone has stuck down there. We found this out in our garage.

I have discovered that there was always a refrigerator in the space where we have our butcher block and stool now. That was the location of the fridge when we bought the house, too.

As you can see, the doorway was partially blocked because of how big the fridge was. The door would have been useless. I moved it in the first few days we lived here because I hated how it blocked the entrance. Older fridges back when the house was build didn't stick out that much. My guess is the person who had to take the door off for their new fridge liked the door and maybe even thought they might figure out a way to put it back up. Thankfully, for whatever reason, they stashed it in the garage and no one ever got around to throwing it out. Phew.