Part 4, the final step, in the reno-storation of the front hall of my 1927 Arts & Craft bungalow is to add trim, including: The Baseboards. This likely looks like amateur hour but then, I’ve never pretended to be a pro. There are three slightly different floor heights in the hall, which makes baseboards tricky. It seems to me the pro… Read More »Part 4: Front hall reno.
Part 3 of reno-storing the front hallway of my 1927 Arts&Craft bungalow is about refinishing the floor. Part 1 covered the walls and ceiling, and part 2 was planning what to do with the floor. The relatively large entry hall, for a 1400 sq ft house, is 23 ft long and mostly 8 ft wide except where it’s 3ft wide.… Read More »Part 3: Front Hall Reno.
The saga continues of renovating the front entryway of my 1927 Arts & Craft bungalow, aiming for the best reproduction of the original era possible. Following Part 1 – walls and ceiling, Part 2 is the floor plan, err, the plan for the floor. The existing floor (layers visible at the top of the stairs from the basement) consisted of, from… Read More »Entry Hall Reno. Part 2
I got tired of looking at the hole in the closet ceiling. The next reno/restoration project is the entry hall on the main floor. The winter blahs also played a role, as there’s a good sized, south-facing window in this area that gets fabulous morning sun. This lead to wanting to arrange the furniture to make a sitting area, which… Read More »Entry Hall Reno. Part 1
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?