27 October 2007

House Tour: Entry Before

In September 2003...












...the screen door that opened oposite from the (not original) front door, the mailbox that was mounted too high for somone only 5'4" to reach the bottom...














...the inside of the front door, complete with no less than 3 types of ill-fitting "drapes", including pinch-pleated thermals on the sidelights, 'cause you know how drafty those non-operable windows can be...










...yes, people, that is gen-u-ine stick on "texture" on that transom...










...now, that banister looks better today, but it was still pretty even then...










...and say goodbye to that natty tan carpet.

2 comments:

Sarah Nasto said...

May i ask, how you stripped the paint? I am curently remodeling a 1939 and would LOVE to expose the wood, but honeslty, it does feel a little daunting but seeing your pics gave me some much needed inspiration!!

Christine@Oliver's Bungalow said...

Sarah- the short answer is: we contracted it out! Seriously, though, mom and I did one tiny bathroom's woodwork and we stripped but didn't finish the front door ourselves. The bathroom took us something like 6 months. Mom said she wanted to see the house done in her lifetime, so we found a local company who specializes in wood refinishing, not just furniture, but wood trim and door and the like. Several other companies wanted to remove the trim, take it off site and "dip" it in chemical stripper. Faster, cheaper. But we ran the risk of damaging the wood when removing it, and because it is chestnut, it would be nearly impossible to replicate. In the end we had a great group of guys in the house 5 days a week for more than a year, but they did a fantastic job. Now it is all over and I have beautiful woodwork and a hefty home equity loan to show for. Was it the right thing to do? I don't know. Would I do it again? Probably not. Don't get me wrong, it is beautiful, but it set us back a bit. And I know there are many people out there who have done this themselves, I'm not trying to discourage you from that, I'm just saying that I could definately not do it. Best of luck.
-Christine