Beebe -- our 1935 Bungalow on Baker Street.
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Kashka-Kat
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Re: Beebe -- our 1935 Bungalow on Baker Street.
IMHO, a good well laid out small kitchen can be more efficient and pleasant to work in than a big sprawling cavernous space - assuming you have enough storage (pantries are the best for that) and work surfaces (steel topped work tables on wheels that can be rolled out when needed). Hanging pots and utensils can go on the walls. Somewere I read that people are getting tired of having kitchens wide open to the rest of the house ..... of having all the smells and the dirty dishes on view for everyone to see... but I don't think HGTV has gotten the memo yet.
Re: Beebe -- our 1935 Bungalow on Baker Street.
Kashka-Kat - I am with you about old kitchens v.s. new 600 square foot kitchens that are open to everywhere except the bathroom. The thing that bugs me the most about new kitchens is that the cabinets do not go all the way to the ceiling = wasted vertical storage space, particularly in a modest house or condo.
Kitchens in older homes are designed with a certain type of functional logic.The only deficit with regards to modernity is that people now depend more on packaged food that takes up more space. When that house was built in 1935, the wife probably went to the market several times a week and bought small amounts of food for preparation/consumption in the following days v.s. gigantic Costco load-ups twice a month. Things like home baking were common v.s. storage space needed for bags of cookies and other snacks, and flats of soda and bottled water. Canned goods - home canned goods - were usually stored in the cellar. People do have more appliances now than when the house was built, but how many of these are essential v.s. novelties used less than 1/20th of any year ?
Having a separate room for food preparation and clean-up (ie a kitchen) is much more sensible than open concept anything. Doors that shut are an excellent innovation.
This business has a series of good articles about functional kitchen design, ergonomics, etc. that also nod to how older kitchens were designed.
http://starcraftcustombuilders.com/kitc ... LtsQSMrImI
To those modern type friends and family that will gasp because you don't have an island ? Why do you need one if the kitchen is properly designed - as it was in 1935 ?
Lily - your kitchen looks most excellent to me.
Kitchens in older homes are designed with a certain type of functional logic.The only deficit with regards to modernity is that people now depend more on packaged food that takes up more space. When that house was built in 1935, the wife probably went to the market several times a week and bought small amounts of food for preparation/consumption in the following days v.s. gigantic Costco load-ups twice a month. Things like home baking were common v.s. storage space needed for bags of cookies and other snacks, and flats of soda and bottled water. Canned goods - home canned goods - were usually stored in the cellar. People do have more appliances now than when the house was built, but how many of these are essential v.s. novelties used less than 1/20th of any year ?
Having a separate room for food preparation and clean-up (ie a kitchen) is much more sensible than open concept anything. Doors that shut are an excellent innovation.
This business has a series of good articles about functional kitchen design, ergonomics, etc. that also nod to how older kitchens were designed.
http://starcraftcustombuilders.com/kitc ... LtsQSMrImI
To those modern type friends and family that will gasp because you don't have an island ? Why do you need one if the kitchen is properly designed - as it was in 1935 ?
Lily - your kitchen looks most excellent to me.
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Lily left the valley
- Inventor of Knob and Tube
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Re: Beebe -- our 1935 Bungalow on Baker Street.
General Blathering: This drop in the weather has Sean wanting to stay indoors, which is totally understandable since he spends his working hours in it. Tonight is another brutal round. ("Clear, with a low around -4. Wind chill values as low as -21. Northwest wind 10 to 13 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph," and it's already down to the teens.) I'm a little frustrated that today and yesterday we didn't even step foot in the house, and it's only two blocks away. I've got the itch, but I know there are other things that I have to keep taking care of too. I keep hoping that one of the viewings will result in a new tenant so at least we won't lose huge chunks of time with those. It's kind of the catch-22, as long as our stuff is here, we should be here for viewings which eats up time we could be using to move stuff. Once our stuff is out, we don't need to be here.
Speaking of the winds, though, one thing we've both been grinning like fools about is that Beebe, with all her original wood windows and the aluminum storms, seems to be holding well. Here, though, at the apartment with the vinyl windows, you can hear the wind coming in on the west side of the house--they've failed that much already. I'm not surprised given how much ice we've had on the inside of them this winter. Our bedroom is much colder than it was when we didn't have winds like this before even when the temperatures were as low.
Sean has really started to feel the aftermath of all the stress from Xmas season plus the house search and then mortgage morass. He was in bed before 10pm, which for him is rare because he and I are both night owls. I am glad that the stress has lessened so much for him, but am worried the crash back will make him sick. Today's temperatures and especially the wind still wore him down today. So although I really hoped we were going to move more stuff, I'm also glad he's resting finally. Technically, we do not have to be out anytime soon, so there's really no rush. We've been caught up in the whirlwind for so long that we forget that.
At least he's off work on Monday, so we can start moving in earnest then if the rains do hold off until night time. He did make it clear when we were coming back from an errand tonight that as long as the temps are really low at night, he does not want to be moving things after dark. After the rain they're predicting in a few days, the temperatures will be better for moving, as will the calmer winds.
Hopefully after the internet is installed on Thursday, that's when we'll have the essentials moved over and we'll be staying there at night. He's working out of Gardner that day, so at least he'll be home earlier too.
When I think about the down the roads, I have tried to do so with the mindset that not everything will miraculously happen in short order. For a long while, things will still be bits and pieces of whatever and figuring out what works best where and finding surprises. With planning, time and making-it-happen, I think we'll manage to do what Sean keeps stressing over and over again when we talk about the future in our new-old home--"make it ours". Not because we've done anything crazy or trendy or whatever, just that we've taken stock of what Beebe has to offer as well as what we are bringing with us, and worked with both so that anyone who knows us will walk into our home and think immediately, "Yep, that's spot on for them."
Everything else on my list is really cosmetic: minor fixes, needed tweaks where deferred maintenance is an issue, and general loving care with a generous helping of elbow grease. Of course my brain has a zillion ideas of what we could do, but aside from the immediate needs (like the radiators), I really am going to do my level best to live and let live with Beebe for the year as I promised Sean. I can always make lots of sketches in the meantime to try to help curb any itches. I also still have lots of furniture pieces we've picked up over the years that need various levels of love.
I don't know about the downstairs bath yet, but there may still be original flooring underneath as there is in the kitchen. The dining and hall used to be carpeted--they were never wood, so eventually that will be whatever we decide with hopefully a mud area near that side door to help preserve what we do. We're fine with the vinyl for now. I realized the other day they didn't even pull up the carpet tacks near the thresholds. I have to go around and take care of those soonish, and will start at the basement stairs door since I don't want anyone tripping down those!
The sink in the upstairs is pink, but I haven't looked at it long enough to figure what era of pink it is. I admit, I am not a fan of pink, but there is a mini movement now to maintaining and restoring pink bathrooms, so I'm sure we could find someone to happily take it off our hands down the road. I did love the mauve/lav tub at 42. I plan to look for colored fixtures when we get to that stage because even Sean isn't a fan of the white on white, but I also realize that with the downstairs bath in particular, depending on what else we do surface wise, white fixtures might really be fine in the long run, especially as the obvious period pieces are all deco leaning. I have some good sources already I had found when we thought we'd need pieces to match the tub at 42, so that's a bit less digging later on if we do pursue changes for upstairs.
Overall, yes--she is in faboo shape considering her age and the fact that there were not so great renters there for a spell. It's one of the reasons that we feel like we made out like bandits and put up with so much with the mortgage morass, given the price. Of course, we've also lived in much more expensive COL areas, where the price for such a home would have been oodles more and out of our reach. (Perspective can be so useful.)
I'm pretty sure we'll be ok on storage when I compared what's there to what we have now with the pantry plus partial wall o' cabinets in the kitchen here. The drawers are actually better sized than what we have at the rental (newer cabinets in the pantry) as here they're too deep for basics--all of them! As to the rolling table...check. Although it needs some work at some point to spiff it up (the half hoosier we have). (For what it's worth, I don't think HGTV got the memo either.)
We know our families think we're quirky on the best of days. Yet the ones that matter accept us and our preferences, thank goodness! We're also a bit snobby towards folks who can't seem to think for themselves and live to chase the Jones family to their respective graves. So we don't really have modern friends in that sense. Do we have friends who just love modern things that are also purposefully designed well? Yep. Those sorts of folks we like too.
Speaking of the winds, though, one thing we've both been grinning like fools about is that Beebe, with all her original wood windows and the aluminum storms, seems to be holding well. Here, though, at the apartment with the vinyl windows, you can hear the wind coming in on the west side of the house--they've failed that much already. I'm not surprised given how much ice we've had on the inside of them this winter. Our bedroom is much colder than it was when we didn't have winds like this before even when the temperatures were as low.
Sean has really started to feel the aftermath of all the stress from Xmas season plus the house search and then mortgage morass. He was in bed before 10pm, which for him is rare because he and I are both night owls. I am glad that the stress has lessened so much for him, but am worried the crash back will make him sick. Today's temperatures and especially the wind still wore him down today. So although I really hoped we were going to move more stuff, I'm also glad he's resting finally. Technically, we do not have to be out anytime soon, so there's really no rush. We've been caught up in the whirlwind for so long that we forget that.
At least he's off work on Monday, so we can start moving in earnest then if the rains do hold off until night time. He did make it clear when we were coming back from an errand tonight that as long as the temps are really low at night, he does not want to be moving things after dark. After the rain they're predicting in a few days, the temperatures will be better for moving, as will the calmer winds.
Hopefully after the internet is installed on Thursday, that's when we'll have the essentials moved over and we'll be staying there at night. He's working out of Gardner that day, so at least he'll be home earlier too.
When I think about the down the roads, I have tried to do so with the mindset that not everything will miraculously happen in short order. For a long while, things will still be bits and pieces of whatever and figuring out what works best where and finding surprises. With planning, time and making-it-happen, I think we'll manage to do what Sean keeps stressing over and over again when we talk about the future in our new-old home--"make it ours". Not because we've done anything crazy or trendy or whatever, just that we've taken stock of what Beebe has to offer as well as what we are bringing with us, and worked with both so that anyone who knows us will walk into our home and think immediately, "Yep, that's spot on for them."
Thankies! I like how you describe it as an evolution. That's pretty spot on to the spirit of what I hope to do with the restovation. The only major change we have planned is the siding outside where we'll likely be adding insulation--and that's waaaaaayyyy down the road.Gothichome wrote:Lily, I'm with the others, your new old home retains most of its original wood work, and in great condition. Also, I see more of an evolution in the updates. I think I might be inclined to work with what's there. Preserving the evolutionary updates. Lots of pink, blue and mauve fixtures still out there.
Everything else on my list is really cosmetic: minor fixes, needed tweaks where deferred maintenance is an issue, and general loving care with a generous helping of elbow grease. Of course my brain has a zillion ideas of what we could do, but aside from the immediate needs (like the radiators), I really am going to do my level best to live and let live with Beebe for the year as I promised Sean. I can always make lots of sketches in the meantime to try to help curb any itches. I also still have lots of furniture pieces we've picked up over the years that need various levels of love.
I don't know about the downstairs bath yet, but there may still be original flooring underneath as there is in the kitchen. The dining and hall used to be carpeted--they were never wood, so eventually that will be whatever we decide with hopefully a mud area near that side door to help preserve what we do. We're fine with the vinyl for now. I realized the other day they didn't even pull up the carpet tacks near the thresholds. I have to go around and take care of those soonish, and will start at the basement stairs door since I don't want anyone tripping down those!
The sink in the upstairs is pink, but I haven't looked at it long enough to figure what era of pink it is. I admit, I am not a fan of pink, but there is a mini movement now to maintaining and restoring pink bathrooms, so I'm sure we could find someone to happily take it off our hands down the road. I did love the mauve/lav tub at 42. I plan to look for colored fixtures when we get to that stage because even Sean isn't a fan of the white on white, but I also realize that with the downstairs bath in particular, depending on what else we do surface wise, white fixtures might really be fine in the long run, especially as the obvious period pieces are all deco leaning. I have some good sources already I had found when we thought we'd need pieces to match the tub at 42, so that's a bit less digging later on if we do pursue changes for upstairs.
Overall, yes--she is in faboo shape considering her age and the fact that there were not so great renters there for a spell. It's one of the reasons that we feel like we made out like bandits and put up with so much with the mortgage morass, given the price. Of course, we've also lived in much more expensive COL areas, where the price for such a home would have been oodles more and out of our reach. (Perspective can be so useful.)
I agree wholeheartedly. There are only so many dirty dishes you can stuff in the stove when company comes over.Kashka-Kat wrote:IMHO, a good well laid out small kitchen can be more efficient and pleasant to work in than a big sprawling cavernous space - assuming you have enough storage (pantries are the best for that) and work surfaces (steel topped work tables on wheels that can be rolled out when needed). Hanging pots and utensils can go on the walls. Somewere I read that people are getting tired of having kitchens wide open to the rest of the house ..... of having all the smells and the dirty dishes on view for everyone to see... but I don't think HGTV has gotten the memo yet.
I'm pretty sure we'll be ok on storage when I compared what's there to what we have now with the pantry plus partial wall o' cabinets in the kitchen here. The drawers are actually better sized than what we have at the rental (newer cabinets in the pantry) as here they're too deep for basics--all of them! As to the rolling table...check. Although it needs some work at some point to spiff it up (the half hoosier we have). (For what it's worth, I don't think HGTV got the memo either.)Thankies, Willa. I am in agreement with everything you wrote, and I've been to that site before more than once. I've even quoted stuff from them on a few sites I haunt.Willa wrote:{snip}Kitchens in older homes are designed with a certain type of functional logic...
This business has a series of good articles about functional kitchen design, ergonomics, etc. that also nod to how older kitchens were designed. http://starcraftcustombuilders.com/kitc ... LtsQSMrImI
To those modern type friends and family that will gasp because you don't have an island ? Why do you need one if the kitchen is properly designed - as it was in 1935 ?
Lily - your kitchen looks most excellent to me.
We know our families think we're quirky on the best of days. Yet the ones that matter accept us and our preferences, thank goodness! We're also a bit snobby towards folks who can't seem to think for themselves and live to chase the Jones family to their respective graves. So we don't really have modern friends in that sense. Do we have friends who just love modern things that are also purposefully designed well? Yep. Those sorts of folks we like too.
--Proud member of the Industrious Cheapskate Club
--Currently pondering ways to encourage thoughtful restovation and discourage mindless renovation.
--Currently pondering ways to encourage thoughtful restovation and discourage mindless renovation.
-
Lily left the valley
- Inventor of Knob and Tube
- Posts: 2170
- Joined: Sun Aug 14, 2016 2:07 pm
- Location: Gardner, MA, USA
- Contact:
Re: Beebe -- our 1935 Bungalow on Baker Street.
Alright! It's a positively "balmy" 30°F right now, compared to last night. March Lion is stuff roaring a bit, though. Sean is on his way home from Fitchburg, I think I've got what I need today to get packed up by the door. So after some lunch, we'll finally be heading back over to see how Beebe is doing and get crackin'. 
--Proud member of the Industrious Cheapskate Club
--Currently pondering ways to encourage thoughtful restovation and discourage mindless renovation.
--Currently pondering ways to encourage thoughtful restovation and discourage mindless renovation.
-
Lily left the valley
- Inventor of Knob and Tube
- Posts: 2170
- Joined: Sun Aug 14, 2016 2:07 pm
- Location: Gardner, MA, USA
- Contact:
Re: Beebe -- our 1935 Bungalow on Baker Street.
Good news is the upstairs radiators are working, though not at full strength yet. I wrote more details on the thread I started about that.
Two things I wanted to mention before my brain starts drifting...one is when we sat and rested in the dining room for a bit, I realized that the small strip of paint between the door trim on the wall abutting that one and left trim of the windows in there is the same color as seen inside the closet in my second post pics of this thread. I guess whomever did the "for sale" paint job didn't own a thin paintbrush. They were pretty sloppy in general, I've been realizing. They didn't even try to wipe off the paint in various places where they hit the wood trim.
So I know things will look even just one step up better once I clean up all the slopped paint. The other is that when we were replacing lightbulbs, we realized that the switches for our stairwell light from first to second floor is not a true three way. If both switches are up, the light comes on. If both are down, or they're some combo of up/down, the light is off. At least I didn't toss the lighbulbs that were in there before we figured that out. Now I don't know if they were just mis wired, or they were not wired for a true three way (I think the former). I'll figure that out later.
Speaking of changing lightbulbs, boy was I glad I grabbed my needlenose vicegrips and tossed them in my backpack. The north bedroom ceiling light had a very thin nut holding up the shade that I discovered after I removed the decorative cap that screwed on and covers the post end, holding the...decorative (don't know the word) that hides the hole area of the shade. At first I thought it was that the post was too long, then I realized that the decorative bit I don't know the name of that covers the hole is very thin metal, so perhaps the thinner nut was a measure to prevent that no-named part being crushed between the shade and the screw-on decorative cap for the end of the post? There was a brand new washer that fit that no-named part, even though there winds up being a slight gap even when the end cap is screwed on firmly. I actually thought that was a good thing, because its the only place heat from the bulbs can escape. (Oh wait...or maybe I should have left a gap at the top instead of making sure there was no wiggle of the shade?
Hrm.) I would have put the washer between the nut and the shade if it was me to help prevent wear on the glass, but I put it all back up the way I found it for now.
Another VERY interesting discovery was made just as we were about to leave, but I didn't get a shot of it because Sean was already hovering near the "toe-tapping" stage because of other "before we go" bits I had already done. I found it when I tried to do a quick scan to get a sense of how many carpet tacks were present, and I just happened to notice that for certain, the vinyl fake wood planks were not under the baseboard trim. There was just enough of a crack that I suddenly got very excited and jumped up with a "I swear, 30 seconds! Then we'll go!" as I ran to the bathroom to wet some TP before rushing back to clear out some grime in the gap. Sure enough, it matches what I saw under the sink in the kitchen. So sheet lino, it seems, especially since it's mono color. Now to be fair to the town record keepers of the past, they don't note cosmetic changes with dates on them, just major ones like adding a garage. So even though the card still says "carpet" as one of the flooring styles, apparently it wasn't always carpeted. This also means that perhaps I did misunderstand, and what we're currently calling the dining room really was an eat-in kitchen. One thing I'll try to look for later from the cellar is any tell tale holes for electric or plumbing. (This would also explain why the built-in ironing board is in that room if it really was the kitchen, and what we'd planned to use for the kitchen really was simply the pantry.
Now, I realize that it may only be the lino under there. The lino may also be trashed depending on whether they tacked the carpet in places other than the edges. I don't know because I never saw the place when it was carpeted to be sure. I admit, there is a chance from what I could see in my 30 seconds that even the lino may not be the bottom layer afterall because I couldn't register fast enough if it really was under the baseboard, or also resting next to it for certain, given the shadow within the crack.
I'm thinking, when we get to that point, of just starting at the side door for the layer peel-off of flooring. Since we were planning to do a mud area there anyhoo, that was always the plan to start there if we had to do it in stages. So that's one more thing to look forward to down the road.
Two things I wanted to mention before my brain starts drifting...one is when we sat and rested in the dining room for a bit, I realized that the small strip of paint between the door trim on the wall abutting that one and left trim of the windows in there is the same color as seen inside the closet in my second post pics of this thread. I guess whomever did the "for sale" paint job didn't own a thin paintbrush.
They were pretty sloppy in general, I've been realizing. They didn't even try to wipe off the paint in various places where they hit the wood trim. So I know things will look even just one step up better once I clean up all the slopped paint. The other is that when we were replacing lightbulbs, we realized that the switches for our stairwell light from first to second floor is not a true three way. If both switches are up, the light comes on. If both are down, or they're some combo of up/down, the light is off. At least I didn't toss the lighbulbs that were in there before we figured that out. Now I don't know if they were just mis wired, or they were not wired for a true three way (I think the former). I'll figure that out later.Speaking of changing lightbulbs, boy was I glad I grabbed my needlenose vicegrips and tossed them in my backpack. The north bedroom ceiling light had a very thin nut holding up the shade that I discovered after I removed the decorative cap that screwed on and covers the post end, holding the...decorative (don't know the word) that hides the hole area of the shade. At first I thought it was that the post was too long, then I realized that the decorative bit I don't know the name of that covers the hole is very thin metal, so perhaps the thinner nut was a measure to prevent that no-named part being crushed between the shade and the screw-on decorative cap for the end of the post? There was a brand new washer that fit that no-named part, even though there winds up being a slight gap even when the end cap is screwed on firmly. I actually thought that was a good thing, because its the only place heat from the bulbs can escape. (Oh wait...or maybe I should have left a gap at the top instead of making sure there was no wiggle of the shade?
Hrm.) I would have put the washer between the nut and the shade if it was me to help prevent wear on the glass, but I put it all back up the way I found it for now.Another VERY interesting discovery was made just as we were about to leave, but I didn't get a shot of it because Sean was already hovering near the "toe-tapping" stage because of other "before we go" bits I had already done. I found it when I tried to do a quick scan to get a sense of how many carpet tacks were present, and I just happened to notice that for certain, the vinyl fake wood planks were not under the baseboard trim. There was just enough of a crack that I suddenly got very excited and jumped up with a "I swear, 30 seconds! Then we'll go!" as I ran to the bathroom to wet some TP before rushing back to clear out some grime in the gap. Sure enough, it matches what I saw under the sink in the kitchen. So sheet lino, it seems, especially since it's mono color. Now to be fair to the town record keepers of the past, they don't note cosmetic changes with dates on them, just major ones like adding a garage. So even though the card still says "carpet" as one of the flooring styles, apparently it wasn't always carpeted. This also means that perhaps I did misunderstand, and what we're currently calling the dining room really was an eat-in kitchen. One thing I'll try to look for later from the cellar is any tell tale holes for electric or plumbing. (This would also explain why the built-in ironing board is in that room if it really was the kitchen, and what we'd planned to use for the kitchen really was simply the pantry.
Now, I realize that it may only be the lino under there. The lino may also be trashed depending on whether they tacked the carpet in places other than the edges. I don't know because I never saw the place when it was carpeted to be sure. I admit, there is a chance from what I could see in my 30 seconds that even the lino may not be the bottom layer afterall because I couldn't register fast enough if it really was under the baseboard, or also resting next to it for certain, given the shadow within the crack.
I'm thinking, when we get to that point, of just starting at the side door for the layer peel-off of flooring. Since we were planning to do a mud area there anyhoo, that was always the plan to start there if we had to do it in stages. So that's one more thing to look forward to down the road.
--Proud member of the Industrious Cheapskate Club
--Currently pondering ways to encourage thoughtful restovation and discourage mindless renovation.
--Currently pondering ways to encourage thoughtful restovation and discourage mindless renovation.
-
phil
- Has many leather bound books
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- Joined: Tue Aug 18, 2015 6:11 pm
- Location: Near Vancouver BC
Re: Beebe -- our 1935 Bungalow on Baker Street.
Lily left the valley wrote:The other is that when we were replacing lightbulbs, we realized that the switches for our stairwell light from first to second floor is not a true three way. If both switches are up, the light comes on. If both are down, or they're some combo of up/down, the light is off. At least I didn't toss the lighbulbs that were in there before we figured that out. Now I don't know if they were just mis wired, or they were not wired for a true three way (I think the former). I'll figure that out later.
the three way switches can be confusing, there are some schematics here. first I'd check to see if they used three way switches. "normal" switches just have two wires but the three way ones have three wires. (ignoring ground)
https://www.do-it-yourself-help.com/3_w ... iring.html
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Lily left the valley
- Inventor of Knob and Tube
- Posts: 2170
- Joined: Sun Aug 14, 2016 2:07 pm
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Re: Beebe -- our 1935 Bungalow on Baker Street.
phil wrote:Lily left the valley wrote:The other is that when we were replacing lightbulbs, we realized that the switches for our stairwell light from first to second floor is not a true three way. If both switches are up, the light comes on. If both are down, or they're some combo of up/down, the light is off. At least I didn't toss the lighbulbs that were in there before we figured that out. Now I don't know if they were just mis wired, or they were not wired for a true three way (I think the former). I'll figure that out later.
the three way switches can be confusing, there are some schematics here. first I'd check to see if they used three way switches. "normal" switches just have two wires but the three way ones have three wires. (ignoring ground)
https://www.do-it-yourself-help.com/3_w ... iring.html
Thanks for the link. We didn't take the time to open them up to look, especially not when we figured out the "system" in place.
I'm hoping that it's just a wrong switch or a mis-wire because those are easier fixes, but I'll find out in due time.Today's been all about moving stuff since Sean's off work. We're having some late lunch now.
--Proud member of the Industrious Cheapskate Club
--Currently pondering ways to encourage thoughtful restovation and discourage mindless renovation.
--Currently pondering ways to encourage thoughtful restovation and discourage mindless renovation.
-
phil
- Has many leather bound books
- Posts: 4616
- Joined: Tue Aug 18, 2015 6:11 pm
- Location: Near Vancouver BC
Re: Beebe -- our 1935 Bungalow on Baker Street.
It won't be an expensive repair , Yea someone who didn't know what they were doing probably did it or maybe a wire came loose. I'd just forget it for now and when you have time you can trace the wiring and see what is going on. electrical problems like that are always cheap to fix but you need to be able to focus on only that or it can be frustrating or even dangerous. since it's a new place you could perhaps buy or borrow a tester like this and check all plugs. it might help you sort out if they have done other things that aren't right without opening up all the boxes although it won't help with the 3 way of course. I fyou find a lot more things like grounds and neutrals swapped or ungrounded outlets with no ground connected then I'd look deeper. If it all looks ok otherwise maybe just shut the circuit off and check the wires to see if maybe there is a loose wire nut or something similar.
https://www.homedepot.ca/en/home/p.gfci ... 49483.html
these are handy too
http://www.globalindustrial.ca/p/tools/ ... oCWy7w_wcB
you can do all these tests with just a meter if you want. I think it just simplifies the check. If I work on a circuit I like to plug something in like a radio , then turn off the breaker so I can hear it go off from down at the panel then before I actually touch a wire I usually go get my meter and connect it to a plug to make absolutely sure it's working , then check with the meter that the wire isn't hot before I touch it. most of the electricians I know keep the little tester thing in their pocket and use it every time before they touch a wire. its not that they can't check with a meter it just helps prevent the situations where you reach in without thinking things through. often we will be troubleshooting with power on but it is easy to forget when you are powering down to move wires and back on to test and off again and you get two guys with different ideas and that's when it happens. with something like the 3 way, I'd be especially conscious as you dont' know , maybe they have a mix up with more than one circuit involved and power could be back-fed from some other circuit even with that one off. better safe than sorry. once you find the cause it'll be cheap and simple. be aware that the wire colors dont' necessarily relate to the color.
often the white wire which may be thought of as the neutral in plug circuits can be hot in switch circuits so dont' assume it's neutral because it's white. sometimes electricians will mark the white with a bit of colored tape to signify it is being used for a different purpose. even a normal switch with only two wire ( white and black) will have to use the white as a hot when the light is on. the black has to feed the switch ( always hot) and the white is the switched wire. ( hot with switch on) the three way will have one feed wire and the other two are hot depending which position the switch is in. you will probably see some 3 wire romex in those boxes ( red black and white plus ground)
https://www.homedepot.ca/en/home/p.gfci ... 49483.html
these are handy too
http://www.globalindustrial.ca/p/tools/ ... oCWy7w_wcB
you can do all these tests with just a meter if you want. I think it just simplifies the check. If I work on a circuit I like to plug something in like a radio , then turn off the breaker so I can hear it go off from down at the panel then before I actually touch a wire I usually go get my meter and connect it to a plug to make absolutely sure it's working , then check with the meter that the wire isn't hot before I touch it. most of the electricians I know keep the little tester thing in their pocket and use it every time before they touch a wire. its not that they can't check with a meter it just helps prevent the situations where you reach in without thinking things through. often we will be troubleshooting with power on but it is easy to forget when you are powering down to move wires and back on to test and off again and you get two guys with different ideas and that's when it happens. with something like the 3 way, I'd be especially conscious as you dont' know , maybe they have a mix up with more than one circuit involved and power could be back-fed from some other circuit even with that one off. better safe than sorry. once you find the cause it'll be cheap and simple. be aware that the wire colors dont' necessarily relate to the color.
often the white wire which may be thought of as the neutral in plug circuits can be hot in switch circuits so dont' assume it's neutral because it's white. sometimes electricians will mark the white with a bit of colored tape to signify it is being used for a different purpose. even a normal switch with only two wire ( white and black) will have to use the white as a hot when the light is on. the black has to feed the switch ( always hot) and the white is the switched wire. ( hot with switch on) the three way will have one feed wire and the other two are hot depending which position the switch is in. you will probably see some 3 wire romex in those boxes ( red black and white plus ground)
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Powermuffin
- Forgotten more than most know
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- Joined: Tue Aug 18, 2015 5:19 pm
- Location: Beautiful Colorado
Re: Beebe -- our 1935 Bungalow on Baker Street.
Congratulations of becoming a home owner. The house looks great! I love that kitchen sink. I would have bought the house just to get that. And that shed dormer is perfect too.
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Wackyshack
- Forgotten more than most know
- Posts: 404
- Joined: Wed Aug 19, 2015 2:28 am
Re: Beebe -- our 1935 Bungalow on Baker Street.
Great house and I would love to know if you have an idea of the age of the linoleum in your tiny closet. By the looks of it, I have the same patch in my upstairs storage area and would love to zero in on the era it was dropped there.
Good luck with the house, it is fantastic!
Good luck with the house, it is fantastic!
If everything is coming your way..... You're in the WRONG lane!!!