Intro: 1860s Brick in Indiana

[heartwood]

welcome home to wavyglass!

hahahaha, too many pictures!! hahahaha! we LOVE photos! me, I like the windows the best...you can restore them if you have the inclination and time....you will have plenty of help and encouragement from the good folks here...

...jade

[Superbeetle]

Hello! Looks like you're in my neck of the woods. That's a beautiful house!

[Gothichome]

Indiana, Sam. Welcome to Wavyglass. You do have a fine home there, looks like it has a lot of the original details left. That is great, how long have you been living in the home? It looks like you have settled in. As far as additions, it looks like it has had at least one major addition, probably not long after the home was built. (A time reference for long here on wavy glass is spoken in decades). I would think the general feel of the home would not be hindered by an extension on the original addition. Sort of like a summer kitchen built on to another summer kitchen. There are two thoughts on additions I'm led to believe. The first is to make it close to the original structure as possible, old recycled bricks and materials ect. The other is to build to compliment the general feel of the home but build in a way that in no way hides the fact that it is a recent (once agin spoken in old home age references) I believe this is the format favoured by most historic house organizations.

[clover]

Beautiful! And I finally found my house's kindred spirit on this forum! I also have an 1860s brick Italianate farmhouse (in Ohio), though mine is L-shaped. I recognize many similar details in both our homes. Same sidelights and transom around the entry door. Very similar staircase. The forum has saved me from many errors, and helped me pick out my new roof material and color. Welcome!

[Indianer (WavyGlass)]

Beautiful! And I finally found my house's kindred spirit on this forum! I also have an 1860s brick Italianate farmhouse (in Ohio), though mine is L-shaped. I recognize many similar details in both our homes. Same sidelights and transom around the entry door. Very similar staircase. The forum has saved me from many errors, and helped me pick out my new roof material and color. Welcome!

I would love to see pictures of your home! I'll go searching later today. Lots of these houses in Indiana, Ohio, and Michigan it seems. I've been in love with the style for as long as I can remember.

[Indianer (WavyGlass)]

@superbeetle I'm somewhat near Purdue, but grew up in Hendricks County. Hoosier I presume?

@CS in Low Hud - thanks Chris, I have been driving around every weekend to take note of the style of these types of houses in my county, and additions to old homes in general. I've also searched the web and found some very similar homes.

My home has yellow creme windows/encasements(?) and the soffits & corbels have been painted a gray. Literally every other Italianate I've seen in person in Indiana has all of these components in white. I'll have to make a decision moving forward - the colors on my house are growing on me but I've been attracted to the white details on Italianates for as long as I can remember.

[Indianer (WavyGlass)]

how long have you been living in the home? It looks like you have settled in. As far as additions, it looks like it has had at least one major addition, probably not long after the home was built.

Hi - thanks for the welcome.

We're actually not settled in, those are the previous owner's belongings. We have closed but will make the move in 10 days. I wholeheartedly agree with Chris that we should live in the home before making changes - but my husband is only willing to live in the home as-is for about 6 months.

Our addition will fall under the complement category. I feel it's very organic to an Indiana farmhouse to add to it as time passes and needs change. I am relieved to see that this is acceptable. Of course we'll do brick and keep with the style.

[clover]

Indianer - My farmhouse has an ENORMOUS addition, added on in 1970. It took the house from three (kind of) bedrooms, a dining room and parlor and added a huge kitchen, huge living room, half bath, side porch, master bedroom and bathroom, guest suite with eat-in kitchen, living room, bedroom and bathroom, huge mudroom and huge two car garage. Whew!

I've never been in love with the style of the addition, mostly because it has a gambrel roof, and I'm not crazy about the look, but I do understand why they did it. With such a huge addition, they ran the risk of overshadowing the original house. The gambrel roof helps visually bring down the addition and makes the original house the focal point. It's definitely about balance. You wouldn't guess from the outside that the addition is almost two-times the square footage as the original.

I'll have to take some pictures. I was hoping to wait until our new roof is on, but that's been pushed back to July. It's also been a struggle to make the two parts look cohesive. The farmhouse is painted brick and the addition is exposed brick with some wood siding on the porch and kitchen bump-out. When we bought it the original house roof was split cedar and the rest was asphalt. We replaced the cedar with standing seam 8 years ago, and are just now replacing the asphalt with the same. I'm hoping that will bring the two parts together a little bit more.

[Indianer (WavyGlass)]

@clover I would LOVE to see some photos!

[Indianer (WavyGlass)]

I'm going to make a post in the main discussion session to ask opinions on the addition.