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For the plaster believers, I want to change my statement. If you need to repair plaster, you don't have to knock it out and replace it with drywall. You can also knock it out and replace it with plaster, which will cost you several times as much and leave you with one more unrepairable wall surface. While you are at it, get rid of the old wood lath and replace it with modern expanded metal lath. Plaster is concrete, and any repair will leave you with a cold joint that will just crack again. Drywall can easily be repaired. If you insist on a plaster-like finish, you can do a hardwall skim coat over drywall that is essentially the old plaster top coat. The reason nobody does plaster any more is the process, which required lath, brown coat, scratch coat and top coat, plus curing time between each coat.
Anyone who has had to maintain wood windows is either wealthy or glad to see the last of them. They have to be painted, puttied and repaired. The sash cords rot and the weights fall off inside the wall, so you have to pull the trim off, re-hang the windows and refinish the trim.
Old houses may look old, but they are the beneficiary of multiple renovations. They did not have central heat when they were built. They did not have plumbing. They did not have electricity. They did not have concrete foundations. They did not have lined chimneys. The whole guts of the house have been ripped out and replaced. You may think the woodwork is original, and some of it doubtless is, but matching 200 year old woodwork is child's play for a decent contractor. Send a 6" sample to a trim mill and take delivery of 1000' of the stuff two weeks later. It's not even that expensive.
As someone who has spent the last 90 days or so home shopping with a particular goal in mind...yes...absolutely.
I figured it shouldn't be too hard to find an unmolested Chicago bungalow with original features, but I've been surprised at how many homes had their art glass, colonnades, built ins, etc..ripped out in the name of 'opening up the floor plan'. Oddly, I haven't seen it as much with the victorian/queen annes around here. I don't know if some people just naturally steer away from victorians thinking they're "too old" (and then again, they're all definitely over 100 years old at this point.)
But like others in this thread have said, either you're the 'old house' type where you're just the 'custodian of the house', or you see the house as your possession to do as you wish. I see both sides of the coin, but I am a sucker for period authenticity of all types.
Better watch out or the "open floor plans ROOL old houses SU.C.K" crowd will come to tell you what a (insert insult here) you are.
I couldn't even hope of owning a house like the ones on renovation TV. I'd like to see some shows on how to make an old low cost small home look pleasant with a $1000 budget for example.
$1K?
The city charges more than $1K for plan check and permits.
You won't get city building inspectors to show up as $1K is less than the customary bribe, er, gratuity.
You can't buy a new oven for $1K.
I won't even get out of bed for $1K.
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Originally Posted by kitty61
It bothers me when home renovators gut out perfectly good kitchen cabinets that would use a coat of paint and new hinges or knobs instead . There are companies that specifically do cupboard door refacing for a fraction of the cost of new. Cupboard boxes all look alike. Why rip them out?
Because they all smell of Chicken Shawarma or Lamb Curry. Or they're musty and moldy. Far better to just take them to ReStore (Habitat for Humanity) or the dump.
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Originally Posted by kitty61
A coat of paint and refaced doors look fine.
No, they don't. They look like old *** cabinets that some cheapskate painted.
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Originally Posted by kitty61
This granite counter top rage is so expensive.
Quality is a lot like oats. If you want quality oats, you need to expect to pay a premium price. If, however, you're willing to settle for oats that have already been processed by a horse, you pay less.
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Originally Posted by kitty61
In future, all of today's upgrades will be ripped out too.
I hope so. Is this a great country or what?
Last edited by SportyandMisty; 07-08-2018 at 11:41 AM..
I couldn't even hope of owning a house like the ones on renovation TV. I'd like to see some shows on how to make an old low cost small home look pleasant with a $1000 budget for example. Like a jack of all trades making things from scratch. Reuse, recycle, re-purpose, that kind of thing.
It bothers me when home renovators gut out perfectly good kitchen cabinets that would use a coat of paint and new hinges or knobs instead . There are companies that specifically do cupboard door refacing for a fraction of the cost of new. Cupboard boxes all look alike. Why rip them out? A coat of paint and refaced doors look fine. This granite counter top rage is so expensive. There are great choices for lino top that look just like it, if you want granite-look. New toilets and plumbing fixtures can be cleaned and look brand new. A new seat will often help "update". Tubs can be resurfaced. Blinding white kitchens are so sterile and lack warmth.
Today's fads compared to future trends will seem like the olive green and orange and popcorn ceilings of the 70s and 80s. Wall paper is coming back when for many years it was a no-no. In future, all of today's upgrades will be ripped out too.
There's not a lot you can do for $1000. You can paint, but that's about it. Brett Waterman has a show called Restored, I love it. However, most of his restorations cost $100,000 plus. We kept the old wood cabinets in our 1930's kitchen, but they were rock solid. For me, it would all depend on condition, but I can't tell other people what to do. Not a gigantic fan, however wallpaper sure made a fast comeback.
What is the matter with me? Maybe I'm too old to care, but the before version of that kitchen looks very cute and in pretty good shape. The one and only thing that screams at me are the yellow curtains. I'd take those down and hang a couple of plants and/or a fruit basket and/or some wind chimes. Maybe get a smaller scale fridge and change out the bottom cabinet doors under the sink for something nicer. I'm thinking Shaker style. Plain white looks nice in a little '40s-50s kitchen like that. You can add color accents (I'm thinking red) via pots, pans, dishes, small appliances, dish towels, etc. If there's room for a little utility cart next to the stove, all the better.
There's not a lot you can do for $1000. You can paint, but that's about it. Brett Waterman has a show called Restored, I love it. However, most of his restorations cost $100,000 plus. We kept the old wood cabinets in our 1930's kitchen, but they were rock solid. For me, it would all depend on condition, but I can't tell other people what to do. Not a gigantic fan, however wallpaper sure made a fast comeback.
I just caught part of that show for the first time. It looks pretty cool, and I'll have to keep an eye out for it.
But yeah, historic restorations do NOT come cheap!
What is on the right side of the picture, on the other side of that wall?
hard to say without seeing all of it, but if it was feasible, my inclination would have been to take down that wall and put in an island rather than the counter/cabinets on that wall. With the fridge on the window wall. But of course it depends on what's going on on the other side of the wall.
I either clean/improve/restore or is the home is a dump... gut and remodel.
So far... my clean/improve/restore has worked well on Bay Area Craftsman Bungalows circa 1920's
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