1862 Greek Revival Farmhouse in Michigan

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oaktree
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Re: 1862 Greek Revival Farmhouse in Michigan

Post by oaktree »

This weekend my boyfriend finished my Christmas/birthday present, which was this door that was covered in dust in his garage (he has an 1880 foursquare). A previous owner had already cut the door down to a standard door size and installed standard hardware, so we were able to get it to work with the newer addition in my house without further major modifications. This door is my main entrance to the house, and it now provides a very nice view of the black walnut trees in the back.

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The door originally:

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The storm door is new too, and I hope helps protect the door as well as keep the addition warm. The egg and dart trim on the inside (I know it's supposed to be on the outside, but it worked well this way) needs more scrubbing from years of dirt, but otherwise it's done! I love the heavy beveled glass.

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It originally had smaller copper flashed hinges, but square halves of the hinges were missing. I found exact matches at the salvage place, but the slightly larger ones in the same style were in much better shape so I opted for those. This is how the new hinges looked after cleaning:

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I think the brass screws will oxidize and match better over time.

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We also replaced the plastic and aluminum threshold with this one from another Greek Revival that we cut to fit and refinished (trying to avoid cutting down the door any further). It looks really nice, and so far seems functional.

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There's new poly on the outside of the door, and the inside is still the original shellac. I was thinking that after scrubbing it, I might put some light brown Briwax on it. Good idea or bad? In repairing it, we also got a bunch of silicon on the glass...I read that acetone or alcohol with a razor blade or scrubby should get it off. Any advice on that?
1862 Greek Revival Farmhouse, Michigan

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Don M
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Re: 1862 Greek Revival Farmhouse in Michigan

Post by Don M »

Looks very nice!

lovesickest
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Re: 1862 Greek Revival Farmhouse in Michigan

Post by lovesickest »

It looks very good.

Re: silicone removal. Wait for a few days until it has cured solid. It can then be easily razored off, followed up by glass cleaner. Semi-cured silicone can be a smeary mess that will make you sad, so be patient.

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oaktree
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Re: 1862 Greek Revival Farmhouse in Michigan

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Thanks a lot, Don and lovesickest. lovesickest, I will give that a try!
1862 Greek Revival Farmhouse, Michigan

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oaktree
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Re: 1862 Greek Revival Farmhouse in Michigan

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Now some pictures of the upstairs bedroom. I think is the most beautiful room in the house, but it's a little hot in the summer. After a lot of drama with my flooring contractor, the floors in this room turned out to be the best with bookended wide boards...some close to 2 feet wide.

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Before picture:

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I found the full bed (20s) at my favorite salvage place and repaired it...I found some lovely 3/4 beds, but they really seem too small for today's adults. My dad built the nightstand in high school, my parents found the dresser in the garbage in Detroit and I fixed it up, the alabaster lamp is an antique that I rewired/restored, and the blue chair is from an estate sale at a fancy Greek Revival house. The painting is my own.

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The round register is not functional but fit the hole in the floor perfectly. We modified the hole in the wall for a modern baseboard register to fit the antique one.

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There were no light fixtures in this room, so I added the sconce, which was also restored.

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Obviously, the closet isn't original, and I thought about taking it out. The stairs are way too narrow to move most wardrobes up to this room, so I just left it. There were no doors at all on the second floor when I bought the house. The closet doors are new and the bedroom door is from the 1800s and restored.

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I left the glittery ceilings alone since they were in good shape...it's hard to capture in a picture, but they are strangely compelling in the morning especially in the winter. I know people normally can't stand them, but so far people seem quite enthusiastic about how they look up here.
1862 Greek Revival Farmhouse, Michigan

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oaktree
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Re: 1862 Greek Revival Farmhouse in Michigan

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Original stairs. When I bought the house they were carpeted, and there was *literally* hundreds of nails and staples that we had to remove to refinish these. There was also a door, which I took out.

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My contractor was starting to put new wood over all the risers because of the "dents"...so amazingly misguided because it would ruin the character of the stairs and it makes the steps even narrower. I stopped him after the first one and asked him to remove it, which he claimed he couldn't do. I plan to still try to get it off at some point...at least remove the shoe molding and paint it red. It might be hard because I think it's been nailed and glued on. I think making it match the baseboards looks very dumb, and it bothers me every time I look at it. I guess the wood on the first riser isn't a total disaster because the first step has a huge crack in it, and it's strengthening it...but it needs to be red without the shoe molding.

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The railing is from the salvage place (there was a home depot railing with shiny brass hardware there before), but it's not that old. The railing hardware is Acorn cast iron, since I had no luck finding old hardware.

I picked a color similar to the original red, but I decide to paint them all red instead of painting the risers a different color.

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1862 Greek Revival Farmhouse, Michigan

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Gothichome
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Re: 1862 Greek Revival Farmhouse in Michigan

Post by Gothichome »

Oaktree, those stairs look great, just look at the wear in those treads, you can see the left/right clunking of a 160 years of life in the home going up and down those stairs. In my view that's what gives our homes the character we all love so much.

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oaktree
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Re: 1862 Greek Revival Farmhouse in Michigan

Post by oaktree »

I agree! The wear on the stairs is beautiful, and I always think of how many people lived here over the 160 years every time I walk up them. Thanks! :)
1862 Greek Revival Farmhouse, Michigan

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Re: 1862 Greek Revival Farmhouse in Michigan

Post by BlakeHillHouse »

Everything you have done looks gorgeous! I am especially in love with the door.
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oaktree
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Re: 1862 Greek Revival Farmhouse in Michigan

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BlakeHillHouse wrote:Everything you have done looks gorgeous! I am especially in love with the door.


Thank you so much!!! The door has transformed that room, which is my studio (I'm an artist). I have a lovely view of the black walnut trees behind the house now.
1862 Greek Revival Farmhouse, Michigan

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