The Historic District

Not really an after, but a shot my wife took of our 1860 Maine farmhouse today. It's a "getting there" shot - removed most of the asbestos siding and restored the original claps, plus a lot of windows and storms, over the last year (not to mention the inside, LOL!). The ell and porch will get done next year. I haven't put many up on this forum, so thought I'd post this.

Great picture. Love the sky, too.

The trim on that home is neat. Was it buried under the siding, or did you make new trim for what was removed?

It looks great. Are those the original storm windows ?

Thanks guys The wife is a great (professional) photographer. So.Much.Work! LOL

The trim is all-original; I think someone found those storms and 'made 'em work', possibly in the 1950s. The windows are "replacement" windows from that era around 1895 when ppl were starting to get some money...they would take off the then-40 yr old shakes and replace them with clapboards, and remove the 3x2 sashes for those '2 big pane' types. Probably put a toilet in at that time, and everyone seemed to install a hardwood dining room floor then, too!

Here is a pic when I was removing the asbestos last spring..ugly, so I am linking to it rather than inserting the (ugly) pic! Amazing how they just covered houses up - they LOOK bad when like this, but don't take THAT much to bring back! http://i.imgur.com/x1nZpx9.jpg

I bet your house was relieved when you finally took off that ugly siding. Did it sigh happily ?

GibsonGM wrote:ppl were starting to get some money...they would take off the then-40 yr old shakes and replace them with clapboards, and remove the 3x2 sashes for those '2 big pane' types. Probably put a toilet in at that time, and everyone seemed to install a hardwood dining room floor then, too!

You could be describing my place there, other than the toilet... it didn't get one of those until the 1970s!

Willa wrote:I bet your house was relieved when you finally took off that ugly siding. Did it sigh happily ?

You better BELIEVE it! I don't think that stuff is too good for what's under it. It houses millions of ladybug-like critters, and keeps in moisture. High tech for the time, and kept what was under it preserved, but...


No toilet til the 70s, Mick? Was that on your watch or previous owner? Yeah, the 'several phases' we get w/these houses....we probably had a privy in the barn, and no real way to know when they moved it to the house. I'm working on toilet #2 on the second floor...FANCY for a farmhouse!

Hope you have a wood stove with the -12 last night wind chills to -35 or so!

GibsonGM wrote:Hope you have a wood stove with the -12 last night wind chills to -35 or so!

yes I do, still flippen freezing here this am too!

The previous owners of this place saved it from dereliction. They installed a well and a septic. When they bought it it had stood empty for a handful of years after being a rental. There were holes in the roof. They said that the water had been coming from a spring, which had dried up just after they bought the place, it had been piped into a cistern in the basement.

The funny thing is when I built a new bathroom here I all the hardware I used was sourced from salvage and is pre World War One, so you would never know, it looks like somebody with money owned the place in about 1900 - quite far from the truth!

Well Mick, old homes deserve old parts. Unlike old people, we deserve new parts.

Gothichome wrote:Well Mick, old homes deserve old parts. Unlike old people, we deserve new parts.

I could use a few new parts