The Historic District

So our circa 1905 four-square home has some interesting features and we're starting to wonder if they are original to the house. There is a room on the second floor that has glass, rather than wood, panels in the frame of the door to the room. It has the only fireplace on the second floor and is sai...

Thanks Gothichome. Those lamps are really similar. Mines French - which I found out the hard way when I tried to replace the non-working burner. It's 2 pieces: a base and a font, both blown, bristol-type glass. We light it on Winter weekends when we drink too much coffee and pretend it's 1880. The E...

Hello - so glad to have found this new community. We've been in our home in Pittsburgh for just over 2 years, now. It dates to about 1905 and unlike our past 2 old homes, this one isn't in need of rebuilding everything. Maybe we're old and kind of tired, or maybe just super lucky to have found an ol...

You asked for clutter, here it is ... so much packed into our parlor I can't even begin to identify it for you. Ask questions if you dare .... https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vRvUyzFPhyc/VtXfSc4E42I/AAAAAAAABVA/Sq7LcgpQYvA/s1600/20160130_084901.jpg http://stoneshack.blogspot.com/2016/03/the-victorian-per...

I recently started following the same Facebook page "For the Love of Old Houses" and it's now killing me to read the comments or look at the kitchens. and as for the reproduction hardware - YES - although there are some out there that are pretty close. big clunky handles on faucets are lik...

Thanks for your stories. So there are other steel and concrete residences out there - one with connections to commercial buildings. Im invigorated to drag myself into the deeds office and learn more. for now Ill accept that its a sort of anomaly - and keep looking for more info.

We've been in our most recent old house about 10 months and have been busy busy busy getting things done. We put on a new roof, undid the bad master bath, corrected the overgrown garden, installed our 1890 iron fence ... but mostly its been all about creating a mother-in-law apartment in the basemen...

These are great - thanks much for sharing - I'd be honored to add my unusually personal experience In our last home, Katie Sue was our resident spirit. She was seen within the first week we lived there by my sister-in-law, who afterward had regular conversations with her. She was described as a &quo...

Levitating Post - hadn't seen that ... we have a "special resident" who does this kind of stuff (no, really, no ghosts in this house - that was the last one) The supports are just hidden behind the post. SO our final decision on the porch - tear out the whole floor (rather than patch only ...

Thanks for the advice, Phil. I like the flashing idea - that could certainly help and could be covered with trim (we already talked about using some kind of faux wood (plastic) for some of the trim to eliminate the rot - things will be painted. The posts originally had trim similar to baseboards aro...