Today on This Old House...
I bought a new old house that I move into in a couple of weeks. I'm sure you've read about the knob and tube palace on previous posts and I'm equally sure you'll be reading more about it on future posts.
I got the place cheap, or at least relatively cheap in this marketplace where houses are listed for minutes and prices feel like an auction with a drunk in the back of the room who keeps waving his arms and can't be stopped.
One of the reasons it's cheap is that it's not in the best shape. She's not in bad shape, but if she were a fridge, the scratch and dent floor would be her stomping ground.
And yes, she's a she. Most people and things I treasure are. Most things that piss me off are male.
Take my old place. I'm counting down the days to closing because since we accepted the buyers bid:
-the water heater decided it couldn't hold out and more and took a leak on the floor.
-the furnace sneezed. It was fine but house calls cost a lot.
-the well, well, won't.
This guy, the house, is exacting his revenge on me, probably for painting him a couple of colors inside that men just shouldn't wear.
Which brings me to my new old house. One of the things I'll be working on once I've stopped her slow slide into total electrical failure is brushing up her looks, inside and out.
That means some finish carpentry, staining, shellac and paint.
It's a challenge because in my mind I'm trying to develop a color pallete and decorating style that says "simple, elegant yet sophisticated." That's a hard point to hit without hitting the "I didn't know he was gay." as well.
But falling back onto bone and other off whites, or beige which isn't really a color as much as its a debilitating mental state is probably worse.
More trouble comes in the form of where to start. Every room in the place needs help of one sort or another and in moments of cold honesty, the whole freaking garage needs to be torn down and built right. Too bad the car can't vote.
So you start with the easy rooms, right? But the easy ones aren't the ones you're going to need right away. So start with...sure, like I want to rip out a kitchen in August.
Do you do the rooms you want to impress others with first? Living room? Dining room? Bed...nah, don't go there.
Who knows?
Maybe the house will answer your questions for you. I know my crotchedy colonial did.
You fix what breaks next.
I got the place cheap, or at least relatively cheap in this marketplace where houses are listed for minutes and prices feel like an auction with a drunk in the back of the room who keeps waving his arms and can't be stopped.
One of the reasons it's cheap is that it's not in the best shape. She's not in bad shape, but if she were a fridge, the scratch and dent floor would be her stomping ground.
And yes, she's a she. Most people and things I treasure are. Most things that piss me off are male.
Take my old place. I'm counting down the days to closing because since we accepted the buyers bid:
-the water heater decided it couldn't hold out and more and took a leak on the floor.
-the furnace sneezed. It was fine but house calls cost a lot.
-the well, well, won't.
This guy, the house, is exacting his revenge on me, probably for painting him a couple of colors inside that men just shouldn't wear.
Which brings me to my new old house. One of the things I'll be working on once I've stopped her slow slide into total electrical failure is brushing up her looks, inside and out.
That means some finish carpentry, staining, shellac and paint.
It's a challenge because in my mind I'm trying to develop a color pallete and decorating style that says "simple, elegant yet sophisticated." That's a hard point to hit without hitting the "I didn't know he was gay." as well.
But falling back onto bone and other off whites, or beige which isn't really a color as much as its a debilitating mental state is probably worse.
More trouble comes in the form of where to start. Every room in the place needs help of one sort or another and in moments of cold honesty, the whole freaking garage needs to be torn down and built right. Too bad the car can't vote.
So you start with the easy rooms, right? But the easy ones aren't the ones you're going to need right away. So start with...sure, like I want to rip out a kitchen in August.
Do you do the rooms you want to impress others with first? Living room? Dining room? Bed...nah, don't go there.
Who knows?
Maybe the house will answer your questions for you. I know my crotchedy colonial did.
You fix what breaks next.
posted by The Caustic Bunny at Thursday, August 04, 2005
1 Comments:
Monsieur le Lapin,
kitchen
bathroom
living/dining
bed
(same goes for cleaning to impress)
and for paint: Farrow & Ball
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