tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1600547016363116211.post3136940713544992286..comments2024-03-05T04:53:05.648-04:00Comments on Canoe Corner: Is My House Historic?Margueritehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14377516887669269657noreply@blogger.comBlogger29125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1600547016363116211.post-42832970448655518652012-04-17T03:03:11.811-03:002012-04-17T03:03:11.811-03:00Your house looks fantastic. Since every house tell...Your house looks fantastic. Since every house tells stories, I think you are lucky for having such a house that can be treasured like a gem.Andrea Martinhttps://www.paydayforest.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1600547016363116211.post-45582062666007561772012-03-25T22:53:01.251-03:002012-03-25T22:53:01.251-03:00The house I live in now dates from around the same...The house I live in now dates from around the same time as yours as far as we can tell, maybe a decade or two earlier (the records were lost in one of many great fires of Charleston)... but the house I grew up in dates from about 1780, and the difference in the built environment between the two are amazing to look at. In my childhood home there are NO NAILs! All dove jointed and pegged together. <br /><br />Why I have always lived in 'old' houses is because I love the details, the tall ceilings, and the craftsmanship in the build, but they do come with problems... i.e. like I still have knob and tube wiring on my porches (so I don't use the electricity out there), and in general my retrofitted 'systems' in the house aren't ideal. There is always a push and pull between modernizing for comfort and today's reality and keeping those original details that often aren't easy to keep. I sort of look upon it as the wrinkles on a face, things are changed, but the history and the presence of the structure remain! I for one, am happy that a good 4 feet was chopped off two of the upstairs bedrooms to make room for AC, it this climate I couldn't make it without! Were the rooms grander before? Yes... liveable? No!Jesshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01524574998937986323noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1600547016363116211.post-91829173376860947732012-03-24T17:24:31.507-03:002012-03-24T17:24:31.507-03:00Clare, one of our favourite activities is haunting...Clare, one of our favourite activities is haunting auctions and antique shops. It has turned into a really fun challenge to make renovations that compliment the age of the house but also reflect our modern style as well.Margueritehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14377516887669269657noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1600547016363116211.post-21415165123894022482012-03-24T17:22:05.916-03:002012-03-24T17:22:05.916-03:00Laurrie, if anything this has taught me to be pati...Laurrie, if anything this has taught me to be patient. When we first moved in we had oodles of ideas of how we wanted this house to look but after living here for 2 years those ideas have changed considerably and I think for the better.Margueritehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14377516887669269657noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1600547016363116211.post-91800343687000037932012-03-24T17:20:51.175-03:002012-03-24T17:20:51.175-03:00I need to learn to write faster ;-)I need to learn to write faster ;-)Margueritehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14377516887669269657noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1600547016363116211.post-82534438314204734742012-03-24T17:20:16.899-03:002012-03-24T17:20:16.899-03:00I think you're right. Some colours wouldn'...I think you're right. Some colours wouldn't have been available in certain time periods so you can't use them. While I definitely appreciate the fact that there's an effort to keep heritage homes intact, as a homeowner it can be an added expense which we weren't up to.Margueritehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14377516887669269657noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1600547016363116211.post-44314586950177646242012-03-24T17:19:01.101-03:002012-03-24T17:19:01.101-03:00lucky for you there's more to come! LOL, the ...lucky for you there's more to come! LOL, the piano room is still unfinished after all this time, I'm just charting our very wobbly course of action over the last two years.Margueritehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14377516887669269657noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1600547016363116211.post-80469927307435616112012-03-24T17:17:37.955-03:002012-03-24T17:17:37.955-03:00Johanna, I've been watching your bathroom reno...Johanna, I've been watching your bathroom reno carefully because we have a very similar looking one! I dread the day we have to tear into those walls.Margueritehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14377516887669269657noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1600547016363116211.post-63748973269220808732012-03-24T17:16:47.074-03:002012-03-24T17:16:47.074-03:00Holley, we began to realize that as we muddled alo...Holley, we began to realize that as we muddled along here. We've got all sorts of options and it felt good to know we could do what pleased us most.Margueritehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14377516887669269657noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1600547016363116211.post-86534130713602525372012-03-24T17:15:43.447-03:002012-03-24T17:15:43.447-03:00How awesome that you know exactly how many owners ...How awesome that you know exactly how many owners have lived in your home. I think that's one factor in keeping the number of renovations down. There's a number of places like that around here but ours is a mystery. Even the date it was built can't be confirmed beyond comparing architecture styles.Margueritehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14377516887669269657noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1600547016363116211.post-44297937459813263762012-03-24T17:13:40.107-03:002012-03-24T17:13:40.107-03:00I just came across an old fence post today. Like ...I just came across an old fence post today. Like you I love finding these bits and pieces. I can only imagine what this place looked like when it was a working farm.Margueritehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14377516887669269657noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1600547016363116211.post-84543666156836315622012-03-24T17:12:35.058-03:002012-03-24T17:12:35.058-03:00Thanks for the link. We checked our trees a just ...Thanks for the link. We checked our trees a just a day ago and they all made it through this winter with no damage!!! I'm thrilled beyond words. We're very lucky that the plaster was already removed from this house. I've heard some rather strange stories about removing plaster and it doesn't sound like very much fun at all. (like containing horse hair among other oddities)Margueritehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14377516887669269657noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1600547016363116211.post-10344848520688308822012-03-24T17:09:51.369-03:002012-03-24T17:09:51.369-03:00One thing I've realized is how personal the ch...One thing I've realized is how personal the choices are with a house. What suited one family just perfectly is totally unlivable for another. A shame though when original fixtures are lost.Margueritehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14377516887669269657noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1600547016363116211.post-86399804324519780242012-03-24T17:07:02.719-03:002012-03-24T17:07:02.719-03:00Janet, that's the direction we seem headed in ...Janet, that's the direction we seem headed in now. Finding a balance between antique and modern that represents us more any particular style.Margueritehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14377516887669269657noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1600547016363116211.post-86887704132411128022012-03-24T17:06:05.608-03:002012-03-24T17:06:05.608-03:00Karin, we definitely still love our house but I th...Karin, we definitely still love our house but I think our appreciation of it has changed from the first time we saw it. I've come to love our insulation just as much as the antique moldings.Margueritehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14377516887669269657noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1600547016363116211.post-19271855277130339462012-03-23T22:05:53.658-03:002012-03-23T22:05:53.658-03:00So true! I have friends that purchased a historic...So true! I have friends that purchased a historic house, and everything from paint color to, roof tiles, and replacement windows required approval! Your house may be missing some historic elements, but it's still charming, and actually I think it can be fun to shop for period pieces at salvage and reclamation yards for some of those items that might be missing if you wished...and you don't have to deal with the bureaucracy that comes with historic home ownership.Curbstone Valley Farmhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06714297348566721344noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1600547016363116211.post-77214252001443415272012-03-23T16:23:47.608-03:002012-03-23T16:23:47.608-03:00You fell in love with the look and feel and bones ...You fell in love with the look and feel and bones of your house and farm, not with its untainted pedigree or historical papers! You have a great remaining framework to build on, even though details have been muddled through the years. <br /><br />I like the balanced way you presented the unfolding realization of what you bought as you live in it.Laurriehttp://laurries.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1600547016363116211.post-5589096084214811342012-03-23T15:30:16.074-03:002012-03-23T15:30:16.074-03:00With Marcelle, I'd love to see the next chapte...With Marcelle, I'd love to see the next chapter of your house story unfold!Diana Studerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12286066768376135880noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1600547016363116211.post-34264498195421942262012-03-23T15:12:05.787-03:002012-03-23T15:12:05.787-03:00Don't they even regulate the colours you can u...Don't they even regulate the colours you can use? I'm with you, I'd rather have the freedom to do as I wished. I just love hearing about your house Marguerite! Keep it coming :)Janehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02803104035204416080noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1600547016363116211.post-13954680240670685352012-03-23T13:48:42.622-03:002012-03-23T13:48:42.622-03:00I'm looking forward to reading/seeing more of ...I'm looking forward to reading/seeing more of what you've done to your house!Marcellehttp://marcelledanielle.wordpress.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1600547016363116211.post-75777175093628310502012-03-23T12:39:45.838-03:002012-03-23T12:39:45.838-03:00We have a century house too :) It's certainly ...We have a century house too :) It's certainly interesting to renovate.Johannahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11505670295868283874noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1600547016363116211.post-28222320501179653642012-03-23T11:38:07.356-03:002012-03-23T11:38:07.356-03:00I think you have a smart attitude. Personally, I&...I think you have a smart attitude. Personally, I'd rather have a house where i could do as I please than one I felt I couldn't change.HolleyGardenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14892421871044249940noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1600547016363116211.post-69017932430873262612012-03-23T02:19:36.848-03:002012-03-23T02:19:36.848-03:00We are the third owners of a modest 1920s bungalow...We are the third owners of a modest 1920s bungalow. We're trying to do all of our renovations with history as our guide. Luckily our place wasn't badly re-muddled.Lisahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03932975112078606231noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1600547016363116211.post-85248785960581163052012-03-22T23:05:27.851-03:002012-03-22T23:05:27.851-03:00Your home is beautiful and to have the freedom to ...Your home is beautiful and to have the freedom to renovate and refurbish as you need is liberating. How cool to have the trees in the orchard that date back so far...We live on an old ranch and there are still traces here and there of a time long ago. I love hiking and finding them...it sets my imagination free.Cathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03872899189875117518noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1600547016363116211.post-17949951313331936172012-03-22T21:58:38.410-03:002012-03-22T21:58:38.410-03:00When we remodeled/restored part of our upstate NY ...When we remodeled/restored part of our upstate NY house (circa 1895) we preserved as much as we could but because the house had been chopped into apts at one time, the damage was done. All of my renovations were historic in appearance, but provided modern convenience. The crumbling lath/horse hair plaster wall had to go and was replaced with sheetrock. The nasty neon yellow paneling was removed and the original tongue-in-grove woodwork underneath restored. It was all a compromise. But if someone had been dictating to me how everything had to be completed, it would have been a nightmare. Enjoy the freedom to make the house completely yours. You are the current chapter.<br />Here's a link that might help you with your vole problem: <br />http://thesagebutterfly.blogspot.com/2012/03/vole-in-garden-control-methods.htmlCasa Mariposahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16647089868277238456noreply@blogger.com