The bungalow project

[Lily left the valley]

I know you're choosing colors with resale value, but there's one thing I wanted to share with you after I read about the new house you're hoping to close on.

Since our bungalow has some extant deco fixtures (and hints of possibly color schemes as well buried under the "sale safe" blah beige), I've started researching what I can about deco bungalows. I found this amazing image of a time capsule home in England.



I know something like this wouldn't be in the cards re-sale wise, but wow! It's so cheery and fun. Not what most folks think of when they think of "earthy" bungalows.

So I wouldn't worry overly much about going with lighter colors. They are easier for the buyer to paint over as they like, and it might just send those same folks on a journey of research like I'm currently going through. They might also feel more confident going with something that is historically correct for the combo of styles, even if it isn't the "standard" folks think of for bungalows here in the U.S. Or even a crossover cottage with Arts n' Crafts and deco.

[Mick_VT]

That looks exactly like the living room in Wallace and Grommit!

[eclecticcottage]

I guess it's just that I hate the "flip look" of one color through the house.

The art deco meets craftsman was one we missed out on. I think I have some pics somewhere still, I'll have to look.

The new Cottage is..um...well...mostly gutted. So I will go straight up true cottage with it. Plank ceilings, wide pine floors, and anything I can scrounge that looks good in it-just like my own cottage (except I don't have wide floors except the living room which is old garage sheathing). Cottage is fun, since it's basically not a specific style, rather a mix of whatever they found or had from updates to the "main" house-I have a couple windows in mine that don't match the era that I imagine came from an update somewhere. They "grow into themselves" over the years it seems.

they started on the stairwell with the plaster yesterday. looking good. I'm excited.

[Lily left the valley]

{snips}I guess it's just that I hate the "flip look" of one color through the house.

The art deco meets craftsman was one we missed out on. I think I have some pics somewhere still, I'll have to look.

they started on the stairwell with the plaster yesterday. looking good. I'm excited.

Ah, now I understand.

Hooray for things coming together!

[eclecticcottage]

Thanks! I am heading over there shortly to check on things. Stella came to visit with her snow so I don't know if much has changed since I was last able to get there. I headed straight home from work yesterday to haul in more wood and clear the driveway. I need to find my shovel. I was using the garden shovel yesterday at home, but it does double duty for "dog cleanup" so it is NOT going in my car to be brought over there!! If all else fails I'll use my feet to clear the stairs and "shuffle" the sidewalks lol. Not sure about the driveway, but that's why I have AWD (and the drywall guy has a truck).

[phil]

"In general getting drywall hung has been a bit difficult as it's not a one person job so the closet ceilings will likely be cedar. I can do that myself. Who doesn't like a cedar closet anyway?"
if you are laminating over plaster ceiling you could just use 1/4" drywall. it's way lighter.
otherwise you can usually make a T shaped thing about an inch shorter than the ceiling and one or even two of those make it easier to get sheets up there and hold them to get some screws started. But nothing wrong with Cedar.

I didn't see the 1/4" stuff too commonly here but it seems to be more common all of a sudden. I wouldn't use it as the only ceiling in fact I'd go for 5/8ths fireproof if it might ever separate a suite , just to meet code.. but for laminating, like if you already have plaster or drywall behind then it isn't for strength or for flatness, but only to provide a new surface, I have been using some of the 1/4" I use the green glue between for soundproofing , but still screw as normal. Ive even tried doubling it up to make like 1/2" or so but quieter than regular drywall. Ive also been using the soundproof drywall lots but it is about 75$ per 4x8 sheet, not cheap! it really cuts the sound down of you need that though. a sheet of the soundproof stuff is quoted to be the same as 9 sheets of regular drywall for sound blocking.
http://www.greengluecompany.com/

[eclecticcottage]

I find the 1/4 isn't actually a whole lot lighter than the "ultralight" 1/2 that I've been using, but I do appreciate the suggestion. I used it over a couple walls that I saved the "plaster" on. So as a side note, I can't remember what on earth he called it, but my drywall/plaster guy said that my plaster isn't plaster, rather it's something else. It's more like cement-and that makes sense, because when I used a little water to help unglue the wallpaper, it smelled like wet cement to me. With all sorts of weather and hey, this darn house isn't cooperating delays, the job was hopefully done last night. I was basically staying out of the way there for the most part but I did start filling doors and trim. What a mess! The doors...they were actually worse in some ways that I realized, someone even "dented" (not really scratched, but still marred the surface) of one to make a "smilie" face. Ugh.

[Lily left the valley]

I find the 1/4 isn't actually a whole lot lighter than the "ultralight" 1/2 that I've been using, but I do appreciate the suggestion. I used it over a couple walls that I saved the "plaster" on. So as a side note, I can't remember what on earth he called it, but my drywall/plaster guy said that my plaster isn't plaster, rather it's something else. It's more like cement-and that makes sense, because when I used a little water to help unglue the wallpaper, it smelled like wet cement to me. With all sorts of weather and hey, this darn house isn't cooperating delays, the job was hopefully done last night. I was basically staying out of the way there for the most part but I did start filling doors and trim. What a mess! The doors...they were actually worse in some ways that I realized, someone even "dented" (not really scratched, but still marred the surface) of one to make a "smilie" face. Ugh.

That's really interesting about the surface type. I assumed we had lathe and plaster, but I keep finding spots where we have some sort of wallboard with a vapor barrier (foil) on the back. I first saw it from the foil side in the attic, and then later realized the same was in the downstairs bath medicine cabinet hole, just lightly painted over for some reason.

I keep finding names in our wood here and there. Most of it is surface scratched and upstairs, none are really carved per say. I've been debating if I should keep them or just take pictures to tuck away in our house book before refinishing the wood. Did you try steaming the smiley section with an iron and damp rag? That can help with dents.

[eclecticcottage]

Since the doors are REALLY beat up, gouged, scratched and full of screw holes, I've been filling everything. I will sand and paint them. The one with the smilie face was actually cracked about 1/4 way down on the hinge side enough that there was a 1/4" gap at the top in the crack from sag. I had to screw it back together then fill the screw holes anyway. 99% of people would have trashed these doors or sold them to be "upcycled" into corner cabinets lol.

My drywall and plaster wasn't done yet But it is getting close!

[Sara]

So EC - what's new with the Bungalow project? Is it ready for sale now?

I had been gone from the Forum for a while - around November through April - and am just getting caught up. Just spent a couple hours reading this thread.

Update time!