Hi Folks!
I am returning after disappearing for a couple of years (life gets in the way sometimes). We moved into our Philly rowhouse about a year and a half ago. We have made it livable, but we are woefully behind on our goal of getting any major projects done.
Even though I haven't gotten any of our renovation projects done, I have been able to do research on our house and confirm that it was completed in mid-1852. I have a .pdf copy of the original deed (all hand written, and very difficult to read), and I know who the entire first family to live here was, as well as the head of household for the first 50 years of our houses history. If anybody is interested, I'll share more here.
I am hoping to spend more time on here to contribute where I can, and learn from those far more experienced than I am. Here is a recent view of our house, tall and slender as it is.
Cheers -- Devyn
Just Bought a Philly Rowhouse
- OurPhillyRow
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Re: Just Bought a Philly Rowhouse
Devyn - Old House Lover
1852 Brick Rowhouse - Philadelphia
1852 Brick Rowhouse - Philadelphia
- Gothichome
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Re: Just Bought a Philly Rowhouse
Devyn, welcome back. You really never left, your blog link is still functioning. From what I see you are doing a great job. The facade looks fantastic, do your neighbours do something similar with planters and such. To me that sort of thing reminds me of a simpler time period. I expect the carriage to pull up at any time.
How is the rear corner rebuild standing up, and did any of your neighbours have the same issue?
How is the rear corner rebuild standing up, and did any of your neighbours have the same issue?
- OurPhillyRow
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Re: Just Bought a Philly Rowhouse
Gothichome wrote:Devyn, welcome back. You really never left, your blog link is still functioning. From what I see you are doing a great job. The facade looks fantastic, do your neighbours do something similar with planters and such. To me that sort of thing reminds me of a simpler time period. I expect the carriage to pull up at any time.
How is the rear corner rebuild standing up, and did any of your neighbours have the same issue?
Thanks for the welcome...
My planters are quite modern, made from cor-ten steel (Image below). Many of our neighbors have planters out front as well (second image, view of the listing photo of our house in 2016 with neighbors plants. The quirky thing here is that technically, our property line is the front wall of our house and the sidewalk is public property. This means our stoop (and everyone else's in our nabe) is sitting on public property. It is however, normal to have personal things on the sidewalk. There are lots of container gardens, benches, chairs, etc. It's a Philly thing to use the public space directly in front your house for private purposes.
New planters in early July.
Listing photo of our house (2016). Our neighbor HATES the stucco and small roof added about 25 years ago, but he is more nervous about how trashed the brick would be if he were to remove the stucco.
Regarding the rear corner rebuild. Things are holding up just fine. We discovered the source of the vertical crack from the ground floor to the top floor is due to the fact that our neighbors house was completed shortly before ours, and when they built our rear wall, they did not tie it into the already existing side wall. The rear wall was slowly pulling away (gravity) while the nearby rotten beams were causing the wall to shift away from our neighbors. Needless to say, it is now connected for the first time with concrete blocks and epoxy. We still plan to avoid putting a shower in that corner though.
Devyn - Old House Lover
1852 Brick Rowhouse - Philadelphia
1852 Brick Rowhouse - Philadelphia
- GinaC
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Re: Just Bought a Philly Rowhouse
Your house is gorgeous!
I lived in Brooklyn in the '90's in various old row house apartments, and seeing your house brings back memories.
Last week I took a drive to a nursery, and I took the scenic route through the rural Northeast Kingdom here in Vermont. There is a fair amount of poverty here, but now and then I saw some old houses that were given some TLC. Now every time I pass one of those I say, "Thank you for taking care of an old house." I wish more people understood the importance of that.
I lived in Brooklyn in the '90's in various old row house apartments, and seeing your house brings back memories.
Last week I took a drive to a nursery, and I took the scenic route through the rural Northeast Kingdom here in Vermont. There is a fair amount of poverty here, but now and then I saw some old houses that were given some TLC. Now every time I pass one of those I say, "Thank you for taking care of an old house." I wish more people understood the importance of that.
1939 Minimal Traditional
- Gothichome
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Re: Just Bought a Philly Rowhouse
GinaC wrote:Your house is gorgeous!
I lived in Brooklyn in the '90's in various old row house apartments, and seeing your house brings back memories.
Last week I took a drive to a nursery, and I took the scenic route through the rural Northeast Kingdom here in Vermont. There is a fair amount of poverty here, but now and then I saw some old houses that were given some TLC. Now every time I pass one of those I say, "Thank you for taking care of an old house." I wish more people understood the importance of that.
- Gothichome
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Re: Just Bought a Philly Rowhouse
Devyn, glad to hear the structural issues have seen sorted out for the long term, Your home will last another century. I see your neighbour makes he best of available space for greenery.
- mjt
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Re: Just Bought a Philly Rowhouse
Glad you're back. Handsome house!
- OurPhillyRow
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Re: Just Bought a Philly Rowhouse
mjt wrote:Glad you're back. Handsome house!
Thanks mjt, I love this board, but had a hard time making time for it with the other ten-thousand things I am simultaneously working on. I hope to do better this time around.
GinaC wrote:Your house is gorgeous!
I lived in Brooklyn in the '90's in various old row house apartments, and seeing your house brings back memories.
Thanks GinaC, I have long been enamored with row houses (affectionately spelled as rowhouses, no space, in Philly). Growing up on the west coast, my only exposure to row houses was San Francisco, which are very different to those here (there are zero brick row houses there). We are fortunate to have great neighbors which makes sharing the two side walls all the easier.
Devyn - Old House Lover
1852 Brick Rowhouse - Philadelphia
1852 Brick Rowhouse - Philadelphia
- mjt
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Re: Just Bought a Philly Rowhouse
OurPhillyRow wrote:mjt wrote:Glad you're back. Handsome house!
Thanks mjt, I love this board, but had a hard time making time for it with the other ten-thousand things I am simultaneously working on. I hope to do better this time around.
No problem. We understand that life gets in the way sometimes.
- JacquieJet
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Re: Just Bought a Philly Rowhouse
Hi Devyn!
Glad to see you back here! I've taken a bit of a hiatus myself.
Funny enough, your instagram popped up as recommended on mine, so I've been following your house journey there even as I was absent here. Don't be so hard on yourself- you have made a lot of progress, and your home is lovely. Bit by bit is the way most of us are able to tackle these projects!
Glad to see you back here! I've taken a bit of a hiatus myself.
Funny enough, your instagram popped up as recommended on mine, so I've been following your house journey there even as I was absent here. Don't be so hard on yourself- you have made a lot of progress, and your home is lovely. Bit by bit is the way most of us are able to tackle these projects!
1917-ish
Happy 100th birthday, house!!
Happy 100th birthday, house!!