Stuccoed 1890's Victorian

[Kmarissa]

Hi all! So glad to find this forum. I did a lot of lurking (and posted a few times) on Wavy Glass but hadn't checked it out in over a year. Seeing a lot of familiar usernames here!

Anyway, I doubt anyone would remember, but I'm the one with an 1890's Victorian (I've seen it described as a vernacular Victorian Gothic Revival) that has this odd stucco exterior. I've subsequently gotten confirmation as to my suspicion: seems it was originally German lap siding with the stucco added later. Not sure if the lap is still under the stucco.

As far as pictures, I feel like a bit of a fraud because the house "needed" very little restoration work when we bought it about a year and a half ago--there's work to be done but not the dramatic transformation that I see other folks accomplish! There is a punch list of items I intended to work on right away, but instead I went and had a baby. Oops.

Here are the pictures from the listing. Now the house is full of our cheap Ikea furniture (and baby toys), but other than replacing the back door (not an original door!), fencing the back yard, painting a few rooms and stripping a few painted hinges, it looks about the same:

http://tour.truplace.com/property/71/29815/?Branding=0

Our next big project will be desperately needed repairs and paint on our front porch and gable, but we'll be hiring a contractor for that work. We're trying to learn to be handier ourselves, but it's a slow process. We've been replacing our front hall light (again, not an original) since November. And that's usually a one-day type project, right?

[Eperot]

Welcome! You needn't feel like a fraud because you have a house that doesn't need much work....(heck, I kind of envy you)...as the tagline says, "people who love, live in, and restore older homes". You live in and love it, right?

That is a super cute house and I can tell it probably does have wood siding under that stucco, because of your non-existent moulding profiles around those porch windows. I have German siding as well, so I might be a little biased.

[heartwood]

welcome k! what a sweet looking house and big green yard too...congrats on the house and the new baby!
...jade

[Gothichome]

Welcome to the district, I must admit to being guilty of coveting your garage.

[Chevygirlalways]

Very pretty house and beautiful porch. How nice for you that there isn't much to do but enjoy your new, old house. Congratulations on the new baby.

Susan

[Kmarissa]

Gothichome, we've heard that the neighbors call our house the "Garage Mahal".

And despite being essentially done and very comfortably livable, there are (mostly minor) things to do here and there one by one. The windows are in decent condition overall, but some don't open properly and I believe all the upper sashes are painted shut. Many of the door hinges have so many coats of paint that you can't see the lovely detailing. And someday I'll strip paint from the stair banister at least (black paint? Why??).

Meanwhile, it's fun to make little discoveries about the house along the way. Just the other day, I realized that the current doorway to the bathroom must have been added later, and I suspect the original door to the bathroom now goes to the linen closet. It's funny how exciting those little discoveries can be, even if most "normal" folks wouldn't care at all.

[Powermuffin]

Nice home, and lucky you to have a new baby without the necessity of working on an old house. You probably know this but you will never regret the time you spend with your family.

I love the newel post on your stairs and the layout of your kitchen seems to be efficient. Ours was about the same size, but extremely inefficient. We built a similar sized garage, and for our small lot, it is a bit overwhelming! But it is my husband's thing, and I get my way in the house so I cannot complain! And yes, it is exciting (at least to some of us) to find out about the original details, the things that were changed and to find even the most insignificant old thing out in the dirt.
Diane

[Vala]

Nice house! It would be cool if you could remove the stucco and see the clapboards once again!

[Wackyshack]

WOW ballroom sized garage, wonderful rooms and built ins... nothing wrong with getting a house that had things finished. It looks great!

[homescribehistory]

Great house! I felt somewhat similarly when I joined here (although I have my own long wish-list to either reverse or improve some more recent non-historic updates) about not being in the midst of an awesome renovation, but all are welcome here! I love every discovery, however minor, it's fun as hell. Enjoy that part, and when you get to the point of getting your hands dirty I'm sure you'll find even more. I have German lap lurking underneath my crappy siding now too.