Hi all! My name's Daniel, and I've been haunting this site for a while, ever since we began the process of buying a circa-1888 Victorian in Easton, PA. We close the day before Thanksgiving.
The house itself is a bit of an odd duck. It is a Queen Anne, I think, but lacking some the usual adornments and detailing, and it doesn't seem to follow any of the usual catalog models, especially with regards to the roofline and lack of pediments. I've attached two pictures below (from the Zillow ad, sorry). We know there used to be balconies on the side. Can anyone shed a little light on the type of house we are buying here?
Thanks, and I look forward to sharing our new home and projects therein.
Introduction
Introduction
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- Wackyshack
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Re: Introduction
That is one fantastic house!!! When we started searching for our old house one of my "musts" was a tower room, but we ended up with one that had the right floor plan and price range.
I was going to say Queen Ann Cottage, until I saw the back . Not sure...
Lucky you got a house from someone who appeared to have loved the house enough to give it a nice paint job that brought out the elements on the house!
Welcome on board... would love to see more photos!!!
I was going to say Queen Ann Cottage, until I saw the back . Not sure...
Lucky you got a house from someone who appeared to have loved the house enough to give it a nice paint job that brought out the elements on the house!
Welcome on board... would love to see more photos!!!
If everything is coming your way..... You're in the WRONG lane!!!
- Lily left the valley
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Re: Introduction
Welcome. That home is stunning. I hope you enjoy many happy years there.
I'm still learning about Victorian period breakdowns, so I can't be much help in that department.
Please note: I did get curious and found more photos online, so that's where I'm getting some of my comparative post info I wrote below. Any details I mention where you have no idea what I'm talking about, those are from the listing I found online, not images in the OP.
It's possible, depending on previous owners, that some of the expected trim/details may have been scaled back or deferred maintenance resulted in them missing. The description mentions the restored decking, which means that other parts may have needed some work as well. One photo I saw of the view out one of the balconies shows unpainted wood, so I'm not sure how deep the exterior restoration work had to be overall. It also may have befallen a time encased in "updated" siding, and I've read far too many times where a lot of details get lost upon application of such.
The interior shots show a bit less wall trim than I'd anticipated, given how much they lovingly cared for the home overall. There's still quite a lot of details around the windows and doors that I can see, but next to no crown, picture or chair rail in most rooms, even those that would be considered more public and therefore would have greater attention to such details. This was most evident in the main entrance, since you can see on the first landing picture of the stairwell/window there that marvelous wide trim one would walk under and then turn to see on their left as they ascend the stairs. The same goes for the interior shots of the turret/tower/bay, although at least one of those appears to be a more private room (blue), probably a bedroom. If the green room (dining?) is where the bay window is, that's the only one I can see with crown. I'd expect the peach (parlor? drawing room?) tower nook to have crown, since it seems that's an entertainment room, but there isn't any.
Although the home has a forced air system, I find it hard to believe that such a home only had one fireplace. Given how stately the home is, I anticipate more, but that's just a gut feeling, and not based on any actual knowledge of the time period.
Are the walls still plaster, or maybe they gutted that to rewire/plumb and replaced with drywall later? Part of that might also be due to open concept-ing/updating over the years. That kitchen is quite large, for instance, and most likely so due to gutting the pantry/larder.
I'm still learning about Victorian period breakdowns, so I can't be much help in that department.
Please note: I did get curious and found more photos online, so that's where I'm getting some of my comparative post info I wrote below. Any details I mention where you have no idea what I'm talking about, those are from the listing I found online, not images in the OP.
It's possible, depending on previous owners, that some of the expected trim/details may have been scaled back or deferred maintenance resulted in them missing. The description mentions the restored decking, which means that other parts may have needed some work as well. One photo I saw of the view out one of the balconies shows unpainted wood, so I'm not sure how deep the exterior restoration work had to be overall. It also may have befallen a time encased in "updated" siding, and I've read far too many times where a lot of details get lost upon application of such.
The interior shots show a bit less wall trim than I'd anticipated, given how much they lovingly cared for the home overall. There's still quite a lot of details around the windows and doors that I can see, but next to no crown, picture or chair rail in most rooms, even those that would be considered more public and therefore would have greater attention to such details. This was most evident in the main entrance, since you can see on the first landing picture of the stairwell/window there that marvelous wide trim one would walk under and then turn to see on their left as they ascend the stairs. The same goes for the interior shots of the turret/tower/bay, although at least one of those appears to be a more private room (blue), probably a bedroom. If the green room (dining?) is where the bay window is, that's the only one I can see with crown. I'd expect the peach (parlor? drawing room?) tower nook to have crown, since it seems that's an entertainment room, but there isn't any.
Although the home has a forced air system, I find it hard to believe that such a home only had one fireplace. Given how stately the home is, I anticipate more, but that's just a gut feeling, and not based on any actual knowledge of the time period.
Are the walls still plaster, or maybe they gutted that to rewire/plumb and replaced with drywall later? Part of that might also be due to open concept-ing/updating over the years. That kitchen is quite large, for instance, and most likely so due to gutting the pantry/larder.
--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.
- Nicholas
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Re: Introduction
That is quite the house! That very interesting second turret thing on the roof, don't see things like that too often, and the way that porch wraps all the way to the back. I see Queen Anne in the style from my guide book. I also noticed that they have secondary supports on that bay window, everything ok with it?
I remember Easton , been there a few times. Lots of old houses.
I remember Easton , been there a few times. Lots of old houses.
1915 Frame Vernacular Bungalow
"If it ain't leanin' or a little crooked then it ain't got character" - local resident
The BumbleBee House
"If it ain't leanin' or a little crooked then it ain't got character" - local resident
The BumbleBee House
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Re: Introduction
Beautiful house, congrats!
What are you plans when you get in? Looks like you do not have to do much.
What are you plans when you get in? Looks like you do not have to do much.
- Old house lady
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Re: Introduction
She's beautiful- congratulations! I hope the close goes smoothly for you. Definitely looking forward to seeing its progress. Like Lily, I peeked online at the listing (couldn't resist a look inside!) Love how much of the wood is still unpainted
- Lily left the valley
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Re: Introduction
Old house lady wrote:She's beautiful- congratulations! I hope the close goes smoothly for you. Definitely looking forward to seeing its progress. Like Lily, I peeked online at the listing (couldn't resist a look inside!) Love how much of the wood is still unpainted
*Offers the Old house lady some tea with an understanding smile.*
--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.
Re: Introduction
Thanks for the warm welcome! The turret on the center is definitely a little strange, and there is second squared one on the back of the house. We have heard from the selling realtor that there is a copy of the original architectural blueprint either on file with the city or the historical society, so we hope to learn more from that.
The porch curving around to the back used to connect to a pair of balconies on the first and second floor that the current owner demolished, with some famifications for drainage. We think that she repeatedly received bad advice from contractors. It is a shame.
There is only the single fireplace apparent, but we hope to find traces of others, though. However, we may not, since it actually had a centrally fired coal furnace in the basement, clearly state of art when the house was built. It is still there, in part, and currently full of coal ash and old tires. Lovely.
The forced air was put in within the last decade, and while much of that install was good, some of it isn't ideal. The third floor had a weird master suite\sex dungeon until the current owner ripped it out, which included an 8-person jacuzzi in the tower. We kinda wish she had left it, but we are also just as glad not to have to worry about it. E were told that they removed the entire tower down to the top of the first floor and reinforced it with I beams to hold the weight. Then they put the second and third story back on and lifted the jacuzzi in with a crane before rrinstalling the roof. To remove it, the current owner had it chopped into pieces and thrown off the upstairs balcony into a dumpster. She also ripped out a bunch of sinks two toilets, a tub, and a shower. Sigh. We are just as glad that they ripped out the massive built-in waterbed underneath the round turret.
The first thing we will need to do is deal with the windows. The original sashes are on the first two floors, but we don't have the original storms. There are some ugly-ass aluminum storms that will help us get through this winter, in conjunction with that plastic shrink wrap. And I'm going to learn to sew curtains. There are something like 42 windows in the house, and there is no way we can accord to actually buy all of those curtains.
High on our wish list is to restore the main staircase (pictured below). At some point, someone decided to convert basement staircase into a full bathroom, and move the basement entrance to the entrance parlor, which really spoils the effect of entering the house. we won't rip out the bathroom at the former basement access, since it is one of only two remaining in the entire house. There is a closet right next to it that might be able to be repurposed for basement access. Fingers crossed.
There are also two pairs of French doors leading into the room that will, in time, be the library, but more immediately will be the twin's playroom (19 months). I strongly suspect there were originally pocket doors there. The first thing I will do after closing is open up a blank former electrical plate in one of those walls and see if the doors are sealed up inside. One can hope!
Nice thing about this house is that it was completely rewired and replumbed. We hope to take advantage of the tax credit that expires this year to put in an on-demand system. I have fantasies about setting up a water-distribution manifold and snaking PEX throughout. It also has a new roof, and there is some sordid tale involving at least three contractors. You can see underneath the bay/oriel window in the original post a pile of stuff....well folks, that is a pile of finials from the roof. Don't know how we are going to get them back up to their homes, but by god, we shall!
The interior details have generally been lost through the ages. We hope to restore them. I just discovered thejoyofmolding.com, and it has prove to be a rich source of inspiration. Our soon-to-be house was student housing for a while for Lafayette College, but the college has generally been selling off or demolishing the wooden houses they own, while buying up all the stone. Our next door neighbor lives in a house that used to belong to the college, and was a former residence of Susan B Anthony. It was slated for demolition, but ended up being sold off and moved to its current location instead.
Hmmm....ah yes, the bay/oriel window with the iron supports. That structure appears to be in good shape. We don't know if the supports are original or not, but we see no evidence of sagging or settling. We will probably just make sure they don't rust and not worry about it.
Ah, one last thing. We will be painting the house come spring. The paint isn't in quite as good shape as it may appear in the pictures, but the wood is mostly sound. We are thinking a richer shade of green with some deep purple accents, set off by cream and white.
So that's it...more pictures to come once we move in, and I look forward to being an active member of the community!
D
The porch curving around to the back used to connect to a pair of balconies on the first and second floor that the current owner demolished, with some famifications for drainage. We think that she repeatedly received bad advice from contractors. It is a shame.
There is only the single fireplace apparent, but we hope to find traces of others, though. However, we may not, since it actually had a centrally fired coal furnace in the basement, clearly state of art when the house was built. It is still there, in part, and currently full of coal ash and old tires. Lovely.
The forced air was put in within the last decade, and while much of that install was good, some of it isn't ideal. The third floor had a weird master suite\sex dungeon until the current owner ripped it out, which included an 8-person jacuzzi in the tower. We kinda wish she had left it, but we are also just as glad not to have to worry about it. E were told that they removed the entire tower down to the top of the first floor and reinforced it with I beams to hold the weight. Then they put the second and third story back on and lifted the jacuzzi in with a crane before rrinstalling the roof. To remove it, the current owner had it chopped into pieces and thrown off the upstairs balcony into a dumpster. She also ripped out a bunch of sinks two toilets, a tub, and a shower. Sigh. We are just as glad that they ripped out the massive built-in waterbed underneath the round turret.
The first thing we will need to do is deal with the windows. The original sashes are on the first two floors, but we don't have the original storms. There are some ugly-ass aluminum storms that will help us get through this winter, in conjunction with that plastic shrink wrap. And I'm going to learn to sew curtains. There are something like 42 windows in the house, and there is no way we can accord to actually buy all of those curtains.
High on our wish list is to restore the main staircase (pictured below). At some point, someone decided to convert basement staircase into a full bathroom, and move the basement entrance to the entrance parlor, which really spoils the effect of entering the house. we won't rip out the bathroom at the former basement access, since it is one of only two remaining in the entire house. There is a closet right next to it that might be able to be repurposed for basement access. Fingers crossed.
There are also two pairs of French doors leading into the room that will, in time, be the library, but more immediately will be the twin's playroom (19 months). I strongly suspect there were originally pocket doors there. The first thing I will do after closing is open up a blank former electrical plate in one of those walls and see if the doors are sealed up inside. One can hope!
Nice thing about this house is that it was completely rewired and replumbed. We hope to take advantage of the tax credit that expires this year to put in an on-demand system. I have fantasies about setting up a water-distribution manifold and snaking PEX throughout. It also has a new roof, and there is some sordid tale involving at least three contractors. You can see underneath the bay/oriel window in the original post a pile of stuff....well folks, that is a pile of finials from the roof. Don't know how we are going to get them back up to their homes, but by god, we shall!
The interior details have generally been lost through the ages. We hope to restore them. I just discovered thejoyofmolding.com, and it has prove to be a rich source of inspiration. Our soon-to-be house was student housing for a while for Lafayette College, but the college has generally been selling off or demolishing the wooden houses they own, while buying up all the stone. Our next door neighbor lives in a house that used to belong to the college, and was a former residence of Susan B Anthony. It was slated for demolition, but ended up being sold off and moved to its current location instead.
Hmmm....ah yes, the bay/oriel window with the iron supports. That structure appears to be in good shape. We don't know if the supports are original or not, but we see no evidence of sagging or settling. We will probably just make sure they don't rust and not worry about it.
Ah, one last thing. We will be painting the house come spring. The paint isn't in quite as good shape as it may appear in the pictures, but the wood is mostly sound. We are thinking a richer shade of green with some deep purple accents, set off by cream and white.
So that's it...more pictures to come once we move in, and I look forward to being an active member of the community!
D
- Gothichome
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Re: Introduction
EQA, Daniel. Welcome to the District, and might I say, what a grand home. Reading your story there must have been some very wealthy owners in the resent past. Fitting, for that home would have been built by some one with wealth. My vote is a classic Queen Anne that's lost a bit of its fussiness over the years. I certainly hope they engineered the support for that bay as well as they engineered the installation of the hot tub.
- Lily left the valley
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Re: Introduction
EQA wrote:{snip}The third floor had a weird master suite\sex dungeon until the current owner ripped it out, which included an 8-person jacuzzi in the tower.
I admit, when I read that, my brain went, "So it's weird because they're not into that, or it's weird because the dungeon theme was something like a cross between transformers and brony décor?"
I do hope you find some more compatible treasures. I am a big fan of pocket doors too, so good luck for that!
Reading the history you found out regarding what was removed and temporarily taken off just blows my mind. Former wealthy owners indeed!
A suggestion for low cost temporary window dressing: when we misplaced our curtains in one move, we picked up a bunch of the paper shades at Home Despot that were very reasonably priced and didn't look cheap from outside, inside you'd have to get really close to even notice they were paper. You can easily cut them with scissors for an exact fit. The black variant really does block light well too if you have rooms that need it. We left the light blocking ones up even after we found the curtain box. They held up well, although we were very careful to make sure they didn't get wet, so I can't say how well they'd do if rain catches them. They come with cheap plastic clothesline style clips you can use to "raise" the shades which work fine. They attach via a peel back to expose adhesive inside the window frame. In the home we used them, when we removed them later, only one window's finish was slightly damaged from removal, which was really because the paint on that one was badly crackling, so it pulled a few of the looser bits off. Except for that window, the adhesive that did stick after removal was easily removed with very little rubbing alcohol (mostly east facing windows).
I've read where some folks use those as a budget privacy screen for the lower half of their windows by wrapping the top part around a café rod they put across the middle of the window, using the adhesive to stick back to the paper to keep them on the rod.
Gothichome wrote:{snip} I certainly hope they engineered the support for that bay as well as they engineered the installation of the hot tub.
--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.