Friday, August 6, 2010

Lover Of Old Houses

I have always loved older houses. Not decrepit, but old. Houses that make you think of character....history.... craftsmanship. Yes, I know my husband and I just last year finished building our brand spanking new house. We made sure to have the character and the craftsmanship....just not the history. Oh well, two out of three isn't too bad.

A friend of mine from Facebook got me started on this site about houses. It's called Old House Dreams. I'm warning you not to click on it unless you are willing to become addicted. The owner of the blog finds houses all over the country...and some international...that have my three qualifying characteristics. Last night she had a house in Bozeman, MT. It is gorgeous. Almost all the houses on her site are for sale, which makes for better dreaming about living there. Thanks to Google, one can also view the street or country road that the property is on---you know to get a feel for the place. Last night I pretended, in my mind, that I lived in Bozeman, Montana. In the red foursquare house. I've "pretend lived" in a house in most states of this country through this blog. Hey, some people have some horrible vices. Not me. I just am addicted to sweet tea and real estate.......and I don't even really buy the real estate. So, it's all good.

I do love old houses. When we were first looking at buying a house a couple of years ago, my husband kept saying, " Old houses need work, electrical and plumbing need updated, the rooms are small, not enough closet space....." That is true. Everything he said was valid. I just like the old house vibe. The detail, the woodwork, the hardwood floors, the porcelain or glass door knobs, transom windows......stuff one doesn't see in new houses very often. Sigh.

Our new house is beautiful. We chose colored concrete floors with radiant heat, all hard wood trim, solid paneled doors, pocket doors, and doors with glass panes in them. We have tons of closet space (which believe me, I do use) and a long side deck and front porch. We had local craftsmen work on our house. It sets in the middle of what once was a corn/soybean field. It is a country home "with a twist". At least that is how I describe it. Some of our friends say on the outside it looks like a cross between a church building and a barn. That's all good. I like to be different:)

So, anyway, I'm loving the Old House site. Check it out. It really is interesting. Even if you are not a lover of all things old...it's still interesting to do a little looking at how other people live in houses all across this country of ours. Enjoy!

5 comments:

  1. I too am a fan of old houses. Having lived in one built in the early 1900's in the town of Bellevue near Pittsburgh, and rumored to be a home of the Chrysler family before moving on to Detroit and bigger and better things.
    I do miss the basement with tree trunks used as structural supports and wiring that spanned the centuries a new house does advantages in simplicity. There are always three wires when you remove light fixture, and always a receptical box there too, unlike the old house where you were never quite sure as to what was going to be behind the wall plate.
    A Westinghouse furness made and in 1972, and a "Pittsburgh Potty", that is a toilet in the basement without the benefit of a sink to go with it, that has inscribed under the seat where it was made, and therefore defining its age: Pittsburg.
    I can not even lift a hammer to do anything to our "new" house, build in the 1980's. After the hours I spent on that old house.....

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  2. I love the craftsmanship of old houses too -- I love inlaid bookshelves and things that evoke old home comforts. But, I would love a modern twist to it.

    Will you be posting pictures? Your home sounds gorgeous.

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  3. Click on it, click on it! lol. Thanks, glad you like the blog. :)
    The Bozeman house is a beautiful house, but I'd love for you to post a pic of yours, I want to see!

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  4. Yea! I'm so excited that you commented on my blog. BTW, I really do LOVE your blog. I was looking at the house in Findley, Ohio last night. Findley is about an hour from me......I love that house. So many houses to gaze at....so little time. ha!

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  5. Hi from another "old house lover"! We have an 1890's farmhouse that we just adore living in. Quirky place with lots of doors that don't shut properly, rooms here and there. Not great for entertaining like modern homes are but we still love it. I need to get some pics of it up on my blog-site. Thanks for the recommendation of the old house website. I'll check it out!

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