If I hear one more rendition of “It’s going to take a lot of work”, I think I will scream.
Old houses are a lot of work. If you don’t know that going in, then you shouldn’t be looking at an old house. It can be frustrating at times, and messy and scream-inducing (I haven’t quite gotten that far yet) but they take a lot of work.
Unless, of course, you buy an already-restored old house that needs nothing done to it. But what are those odds and why would you want to do something like that?
Old houses have character. Character means outdated wiring sometimes, or doors that don’t shut properly. Old houses settle over time, and nothing is square or level. You learn to live with idiosyncrasies like that if you are an ‘old house’ person.
Character also means old-growth wood, and oak floors that are hard to scratch. Stains from a hundred years ago, and six layers of wallpaper in one room.
Tall ceilings and windows big enough to be doors. Non-central heating. Window air conditioners or no air conditioners at all. Previous owners’ likes and dislikes, remodeling attempts and mistakes.
If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the fire. And for those of you—none of whom read this blog—who aren’t old house people, well, get over it. It’s my house. I knew what I was getting into when I bought it. And I wouldn’t trade it for the world.
Since I bought my house, two of the stone houses in Bethel have gone up for sale. Both are quite small, maybe 3 bedrooms if you stretch. I realize now that I wouldn’t have been happy in either of these houses, even if they were stone. I still prefer stone or brick over frame, but we really do have plenty of space for everything here, and my house now feels like home. It’s nice to be able to come home and see something that belongs to me instead of something that belongs to someone else.
There is an added perk to the bushes around my neighbors’ house. The birds flock to them, and they’ve started their chorus at 2:30 in the morning these past few days. I can’t complain that I’m being awakened by birdcalls in the middle of the ‘city’, can I?
I bought some spinach and lettuce seed last night. I am planning to use the little bed next to my side porch for a cold frame, and planting the lettuce and spinach hopefully this weekend. I have to check and make sure the plants that are sprouting in the bed aren’t anything I want to keep first, however. I think they are something, but I’m just not sure what they are.
I have flowers sprouting all over. I’m going to have to move some of them, so after they bloom I will mark where they are and move them when it’s time. I would like to have a border of spring flowers all the way up the sidewalk to my side porch. I think that would look nice.
If it were up to me, I would make the front yard into a wonderful garden, and keep the backyard pretty much as it is, except on the hillside where I am planning to plant ferns and shade-loving plants. I might sow a wildflower garden there as well. I haven’t decided yet. And it’s not like all of this has to be done the first spring/summer, after all. I do have time on my side.
The idea is not to have much grass to mow, of course. I’d rather not have any grass at all, in all honesty. However, Ethan has to have a place to play, and Mabel has to have a place to go poo, so I guess I’ll have to compensate somewhere.
Yesterday, I tried to clean my room, but I’m not quite done yet. It took a bit more to do than I first expected, because I added some bookshelves behind my door (stacked, and with my favorite authors on them—the rest of the fiction books are outside in my hallway) as well as my rocking chair with the mohair throw I picked up at a thrift shop for cheap last week. I also cleaned up tracked litter, leaves, and removed one litterbox since Chloe isn’t partial. It will probably become a permanent litterbox, which is fine for me. It’s not like it smells.
I have summer clothes to fit somewhere, and some more costume-y dresses and such to put up top with the others (in bags for their protection, of course.) And I have to wash my wool quilt, because the cat hair it adheres is becoming quite a problem and it’s still cool enough at night to use it.
Tonight, however, I have to clear off the freezer so Mom can start removing their food and taking it back to Bethel to be put in the brand spanking new freezer they got for free from Sears. I think they got the better end of the deal, since Sears sent them a commercial-grade freezer and a larger one at that. Yay!
Yard sale weekends are not this weekend, but next weekend. We are setting up on Saturday with a bunch of books and clothing, along with whatever else I want to get rid of. (Anyone want some 30-year old carpet that has been sitting on my front porch all winter?)
Which reminds me… what with all the rage about 50s-70s style furniture, etc., you’d think vintage carpet would have a market. Hmm. I guess those collectors who like vintage things aren’t willing to go that extra mile? (Can you imagine? Yuck!)
Old houses are a lot of work. If you don’t know that going in, then you shouldn’t be looking at an old house. It can be frustrating at times, and messy and scream-inducing (I haven’t quite gotten that far yet) but they take a lot of work.
Unless, of course, you buy an already-restored old house that needs nothing done to it. But what are those odds and why would you want to do something like that?
Old houses have character. Character means outdated wiring sometimes, or doors that don’t shut properly. Old houses settle over time, and nothing is square or level. You learn to live with idiosyncrasies like that if you are an ‘old house’ person.
Character also means old-growth wood, and oak floors that are hard to scratch. Stains from a hundred years ago, and six layers of wallpaper in one room.
Tall ceilings and windows big enough to be doors. Non-central heating. Window air conditioners or no air conditioners at all. Previous owners’ likes and dislikes, remodeling attempts and mistakes.
If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the fire. And for those of you—none of whom read this blog—who aren’t old house people, well, get over it. It’s my house. I knew what I was getting into when I bought it. And I wouldn’t trade it for the world.
Since I bought my house, two of the stone houses in Bethel have gone up for sale. Both are quite small, maybe 3 bedrooms if you stretch. I realize now that I wouldn’t have been happy in either of these houses, even if they were stone. I still prefer stone or brick over frame, but we really do have plenty of space for everything here, and my house now feels like home. It’s nice to be able to come home and see something that belongs to me instead of something that belongs to someone else.
There is an added perk to the bushes around my neighbors’ house. The birds flock to them, and they’ve started their chorus at 2:30 in the morning these past few days. I can’t complain that I’m being awakened by birdcalls in the middle of the ‘city’, can I?
I bought some spinach and lettuce seed last night. I am planning to use the little bed next to my side porch for a cold frame, and planting the lettuce and spinach hopefully this weekend. I have to check and make sure the plants that are sprouting in the bed aren’t anything I want to keep first, however. I think they are something, but I’m just not sure what they are.
I have flowers sprouting all over. I’m going to have to move some of them, so after they bloom I will mark where they are and move them when it’s time. I would like to have a border of spring flowers all the way up the sidewalk to my side porch. I think that would look nice.
If it were up to me, I would make the front yard into a wonderful garden, and keep the backyard pretty much as it is, except on the hillside where I am planning to plant ferns and shade-loving plants. I might sow a wildflower garden there as well. I haven’t decided yet. And it’s not like all of this has to be done the first spring/summer, after all. I do have time on my side.
The idea is not to have much grass to mow, of course. I’d rather not have any grass at all, in all honesty. However, Ethan has to have a place to play, and Mabel has to have a place to go poo, so I guess I’ll have to compensate somewhere.
Yesterday, I tried to clean my room, but I’m not quite done yet. It took a bit more to do than I first expected, because I added some bookshelves behind my door (stacked, and with my favorite authors on them—the rest of the fiction books are outside in my hallway) as well as my rocking chair with the mohair throw I picked up at a thrift shop for cheap last week. I also cleaned up tracked litter, leaves, and removed one litterbox since Chloe isn’t partial. It will probably become a permanent litterbox, which is fine for me. It’s not like it smells.
I have summer clothes to fit somewhere, and some more costume-y dresses and such to put up top with the others (in bags for their protection, of course.) And I have to wash my wool quilt, because the cat hair it adheres is becoming quite a problem and it’s still cool enough at night to use it.
Tonight, however, I have to clear off the freezer so Mom can start removing their food and taking it back to Bethel to be put in the brand spanking new freezer they got for free from Sears. I think they got the better end of the deal, since Sears sent them a commercial-grade freezer and a larger one at that. Yay!
Yard sale weekends are not this weekend, but next weekend. We are setting up on Saturday with a bunch of books and clothing, along with whatever else I want to get rid of. (Anyone want some 30-year old carpet that has been sitting on my front porch all winter?)
Which reminds me… what with all the rage about 50s-70s style furniture, etc., you’d think vintage carpet would have a market. Hmm. I guess those collectors who like vintage things aren’t willing to go that extra mile? (Can you imagine? Yuck!)
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