There are five doorways into hall. Five casings to replace, to match the period style of the rest of the (renovated) house. The architrave in these will be interesting – each custom fitted, as the distance to the ceiling varies from door to door, even though the doors are quite close together, and I assume built at the same time. … Read More »Upper Hall Reno. Part 3 – trim.
The renovation of the upper hall floor was part function and part decoration. When I took possession of the house, the floor covering was some vinyl plank stuff, pretending to be wood. Vinyl isn’t in the spirit of era. Considering function, the floor was squishy/flexy-springy in one area1. And it needed to be the right height to match the top… Read More »Upper Hall Reno. Part 2 – The Floor.
When the weather cools, it’s time for indoor projects. Next is the upstairs hall1. Along with the desired redecoration to get into the original period of the house, there’s some ‘wrongs’ to be considered for righting. The attic could use more insulation (this is part of the hall reno because the access to the attic is in the hall). Neutral… Read More »Upper Hall Reno. Part 1 – ceiling and walls.
DIY isn’t as sexy and fun when you have to do it. Such is the case with having to replace the steps to my front porch. As these provide access to the front door, it’s a must do, for the sake of all the visitors, delivery people and misc. uninvited others that I don’t want to talk to but still… Read More »New Porch Steps, same as the old Porch Steps.
After rambling on considerably about fixing the backyard deck, I have one final thing to add. For purely cosmetic reasons, I replaced the lattice that runs around the base of the deck. Lattice is there for two reasons: 1. Practical: To keep critters from making their home under the deck, wherefrom they can cause damage to the house, deck, or… Read More »A DIY Quickie.
The deck, essential of a relaxed summer life. Although there’s no obvious architectural era for this elevation of outdoor enjoyment, the current North American passion for decks is likely related to the ‘backyard culture’ that developed with the rise of the suburban housing developments after the second world war.1 In Canada, there may also be a tie to ‘cottage culture’ –… Read More »What to do with an old deck?
Why? To match the style of the Arts&Craft house, in design and quality. Yes, doors are available at the DIY stores. But, the quality of these products isn’t a good match for the era: Doors made from solid wood are more adaptable, and feel more solid. I’ve been watching for a couple years, at resellers like the ReStore, which is… Read More »Building Doors.
Most of the planning and deciding done (see Part 1 and 2), it’s time to do the project. Got the plumber to take up the fixtures, a necessity for replacing the floor and a delight for painting and replacing the trim. I’ve accepted that three coats of paint are necessary, one primer and two top coats. Ditto on the trim… Read More »Powder Room Reno. Part 3: Putting it all together.
As I continue to redo the powder room in my Arts&Craft era house, I’m correcting a few DI-Don’ts: 1. Aside from picture rail being more of a thing for the era of the house (Part 1), there was crown molding installed in this room in an unusual way. Granted, this was a challenging room for trim, as within the small… Read More »Powder Room Reno. Part 2: Crown molding and Weird Angles.
To redo the main floor powder room, I’m working towards a sympathetic style to the era (1920’s Arts & Craft, with a bit of borrowing from Art Deco, because it’s so cool). The changes are mostly decorative but the project includes improving the quality of the finishes. Since the house didn’t originally have a main floor powder room, I got… Read More »Powder Room Reno. Part 1: Adding Picture rails.