Interior Decorating - Old Houses

[pctek]

Seeing as I now own an old house.......

http://www.hopkinsons.co.nz/catalogue.html

http://www.recollections.co.nz/

So tempting.........

[godfather]

Indeed.

Welcome to the world of old houses...

We have a large Villa circa ~1890, now fully restored (on 1.5 acres of formally landscaped "traditional english" grounds).

We were lucky enough to find a "house lot" of matching original door hardware when restoring, at an antique store.

As we now have a total of around 33 doors (many still original stained kauri), it was good to get a match for most internal doors. But as 15 of the doors open outside to the verandas, originals that will stand the weather and give security have been elusive.

Then there is the matter of 10'+ stud height, and only getting 3 drops of wallpaper per roll instead of 4. And suitable wallpaper at up to $100 per roll.

Old houses -
Oh where will the joy end...

[Metla]

Oh where will the joy end...

Here? (http://www.waitakeregardens.co.nz/waitakere-gardens-retirement/)

[godfather]

Nah.
Thats a new building.

How would one get used to floors not squeaking, fascia not rotting etc?

I mean there would be nothing to do?

Have just bought a 1950 cottage to start on. I must be mad.

[Greg]

Would LOVE to see some photos of your 33 door house!

Best statistic I can boast of (or complain about) is that we've got no less than nine different types of light bulbs in our various lights! A bit expensive to stock up on!

[mark c]

I've only got nine doors but I've got five axes!

Don't know about the ethnicity of either group. I dunno, who invented doors?

[pctek]

Indeed.

Welcome to the world of old houses...

We have a large Villa circa ~1890, now fully restored (on 1.5 acres of formally landscaped "traditional english" grounds).

We were lucky enough to find a "house lot" of matching original door hardware when restoring, at an antique store.

As we now have a total of around 33 doors (many still original stained kauri), it was good to get a match for most internal doors. But as 15 of the doors open outside to the verandas, originals that will stand the weather and give security have been elusive.

Then there is the matter of 10'+ stud height, and only getting 3 drops of wallpaper per roll instead of 4. And suitable wallpaper at up to $100 per roll.

Old houses -
Oh where will the joy end...

Sounds completely brilliant!
Post pictures!!!

Where is it?
While I refuse to leave or add anything modern looking in mine, I'm not so fussy that reproduction stuff won't do. Hence Recollections.....
I'm sure you could get outer doors of a like nature?
I don't think I have anywhere near that number, I'll have to count them.... :D

[pctek]

This is my friends:

http://www.mcs.geek.nz/Meggas.htm

Hers is over a 100 years old too.
It is still a work in progress.....

Those gardens up the hill she dug out by hand! It was just a big paddock when she went there.

[pctek]

Here? (http://www.waitakeregardens.co.nz/waitakere-gardens-retirement/)
No.
Here:
http://www.nzpictures.co.nz/cemetery.htm

[Biggles]

Duuno - I'm quite happy to put modern into an old house. Our previous house was an 1890 villa which had been converted into a bunglalow in the 1920s, and has just been restored when we got it. It was lovely and all but, just a little fussy for my tastes. Our current house is a total mongrel - 1900s but hacked and slahed most of its life and un modernised in any way when we moved in. We felt no compulsiuon baout gutting the rear part (a 1930s-40s addition) and creating a new, modern kitchen/family room. Made the wholelace much more liveable.

[godfather]

Heres a bit of it
http://www.imagef1.net.nz/files/2004_1128_111528AA.jpg

Family room has french doors (2) to the veranda, as do three of the bedrooms (one has 2 sets), formal lounge has 3 doors to the verandas. Then there is the front and back doors.

In addition the sheds have a total of 8 hinged doors (excluding garage doors), then there are 8 full sized wardrobe doors, so the total gets up. Try oiling the hinges and locks and the day is gone.

And there is a total of ~114 panes of glass in the house, not counting the sheds. (3 bay haybarn, tractor shed, implement shed, granary, 2 workshops, woodshed and double garage). No tractor though. Have a 3 furrow plough, grubbers and cambridge roller, all horse drawn, in the gardens. No horse...

Over an acre of lawn (real lawn, no weeds). Trees are Oak, Claret Ash, Lime, Chestnut, Flowering Cherry, Rowans, Plane trees, Silver Birch, Beech, Copper Beech, Blackwood, Elm, and many many more. Plus an orchard with plums, cherries, apples etc, all very very old. Two sheds have Kauri floors.

[mark c]

Hmmmm. Never been through the "do up an oldie" apart from an about seventies unit in Glen Innes/Glendwie in late 80's when we benefitted from the 87 crash (increased demand on lower cost propeties).

But e'one I know who has been thru this has horror tales of the expense.

[Jen]

Over an acre of lawn (real lawn, no weeds).So those white spots on the lawn are the first sign of winter snow, and not daisies? :p

[godfather]

So those white spots on the lawn are the first sign of winter snow, and not daisies? :p
Leaves from the beech tree, it drops them all year round!

Can recommend a mix of Versatil and Grazon (2 ml each per litre of water) to fix the lawn weeds.

Fertiliser mix is purchased at 1/4 tonne at a time, not by your wimpy 25kg bag.

[Greg]

It's wonderful GF! Thx for the photo. Some more would be great.

Our tastes go to modern, so we would never do that, but no-one can deny the inherent charm and beauty of a place like that.

I love the sound of your trees. Part of our new place's grace is also our trees, but they're very few by comparison, and seperate us from our neighbours by only about 15 metres.

[Laura]

godfather:

If I'd known you wanted a cottage to do up, I'd have invited you down to have a bash at mine.

You could've even chosen which one - depending on how bad a state of disrepair you prefer to tackle. I have options.
And perhaps that's why nothing gets done? Too many choices = too hard to get started.

[pctek]

Wow. It IS English. Which part of NZ is it? I like your view, can't see a single sign of civilisation...well at least from that side.
I intend to remove my ranchslider and replace it with French doors. Eventually....

[godfather]

This is part of the view from the cottage

http://www.imagef1.net.nz/files/2006_0204_135550AA-1.jpg

The house is in Canterbury, so is the cottage. Just under an hour apart.

The house has 2 street frontages (East and West), and neighbours all around North and South, even though it sits on the equivalent of 9 sections, hence the need for a quiet retreat in the cottage.

Cottage is on 10 acres of rolling land and forestry with excellent sea views, and we have a private access right across the land to the shore for fishing.

Ranchslider pcteck? Horrors, its been butchered then?

All our replacement joinery is traditional wooden windows and doors, not an aluminium window in sight! Roof is coloursteel, and have accommodated PVC guttering, in the old "ogee" traditional shape. Had to hand make and fit about 86 extra eave brackets after the refurbishment.

Even all the replacement and new weatherboards are Rimu. (The architect would not use pine weatherboards, nor would he use the standard thickness of roofing iron, its all heavy guage). Would not have a choice now though, as Rimu is not readily available.

[andrew93]

Nice garden GF and nice view too!

pctek : when renovating old houses you get thousand dollared to death - everything costs $1000. Or more.

Ater having renovated a bungalow and then a villa, I've now gone for a modern low maintenance house.

Old house (http://www.imagef1.net.nz/files/SymSt.jpg)

New house (http://www.imagef1.net.nz/files/TrafSt.jpg)

A

[pctek]

Ranchslider pcteck? Horrors, its been butchered then?

Only one. And the rest of the house is not.
www.mcs.geek.nz/house.htm

[pctek]

Old house (http://www.imagef1.net.nz/files/SymSt.jpg)

New house (http://www.imagef1.net.nz/files/TrafSt.jpg)

A
Gorgeous.

Horrible.


Mine doesn't need extensive rebuilding, just get rid of the ranchslider. And a bit of redecorating is all.

[pctek]

even though it sits on the equivalent of 9 sections,
9 sections?! What! Canterbury is as bad as Auckland now with postage stamp size sections? :groan:
You mean 4 sections.... :thumbs:

[Greven]

Gorgeous.

Horrible.

The modern house still looks like a nice house with a decent section. It doesn't have all the beauty of a character home, but you can't blame anyone for leaving a beautiful bank account drainer in favour of a still very nice, bank account friendly house.

[andrew93]

The modern house still looks like a nice house with a decent section. It doesn't have all the beauty of a character home, but you can't blame anyone for leaving a beautiful bank account drainer in favour of a still very nice, bank account friendly house.
Thx Greven. Plus the other advantage of a modern 2 storey home is that the bedrooms are upstairs so that a) we can safely leave the windows open at night, and b) visitors aren't walking past all the bedrooms to get into the house (as you tend to in villas and bungalows). Plus there's no rattley and breezy sash windows on winter nights (brrrr, villas are COLD). I agree it's not the looker of the villa but after having owned both a villa and a bungalow, I can safely say 'Never again!' with some degree of glee and satisfaction.
A

[godfather]

9 sections?! What! Canterbury is as bad as Auckland now with postage stamp size sections? :groan:
You mean 4 sections.... :thumbs:

Standard section sizes here now are 600 - 700 sq metres.
That makes 9 (5 and 4 as its an L shaped 6000+ sq m block)

All older "1/4 acre" (1000 sq m) sections tend to have infill housing.

[Scouse]

I agree that older houses are beautiful. Until I was nearly seventy and had a triple by-pass I had a 2 1/2 storey wooden rural oldie. GP suggested I give up the constant battle to maintain it (I last hand-painted the 12 metre high steep roof when I was 67 - took longer to rig the scaffold and safety gear than to apply two coats of paint). Moved in to town, 1200 sq mtr back section, brick built, aluminium joinery, single storey, double garage, double carport, single garage as a woodwork shop. Perfect for my time of life. I just can't believe how many hours, months, years, weekends, evenings, I spent maintaining the previous old beauty. My concrete floor doesn't creak (years ago a granddaughter claimed the old house was haunted, it creaked so much), every door fits and closes as though it means it, dining, lounge and main bedroom open with french doors on to a lovely deck, two neat bathrooms with quiet plumbing, town supply water and sewage services, totally insulated, heat pump, walk to the library, bike to the beach - I can't believe how much time I have to play in the workshop. And we have adequate room for apples, plums and lemons plus a great veggie garden. I keep congratulating myself on making the move - but I can still admire the old beauties and what makes people love them.

[Greg]

Ranchslider pcteck? Horrors, its been butchered then?
We've got four, all leading onto the rear deck - two from the lounge, one from main bedroom, and one from my study.

They're fantastic!

[pctek]

Standard section sizes here now are 600 - 700 sq metres.
That makes 9 (5 and 4 as its an L shaped 6000+ sq m block)

All older "1/4 acre" (1000 sq m) sections tend to have infill housing.
Isn't it depressing. Here they are using 350sqm. Step out your door directly into the peak hour crawl.........

And all those modern house fans - I'm moving to Southland - I'm supposed to be cold. :D