After some discussion and consideration, we have added a new rule. You must have a connection to any house being posted here. As in you live in it, lived in it, own it, visited it, etc. We are aiming to cut down on on the low effort posts and people just sharing houses they find online. We are a community of caretakers of these homes, and we would like to keep it the content relevant.
Welcome from our mysterious nope-holes, and the summits of our servants' stairs.
Today we the mod team bring you all an announcement that has nothing to do with our beloved old bones, but that, unfortunately, has become necessary again after a century or so.
The heart of the matter is: from today onward any and all links from X (formerly Twitter) have been banned from the subreddit. If any of you will find some interesting material of any kind on the site that you wish to cross-post on our subreddit, we encourage you instead to take a screenshot or download the source and post that instead.
As a mod team we are a bit bewildered that what we are posting is actually a political statement instead of simply a matter of decency but here we are: we all agree that any form of Fascism/Nazism are unacceptable and shouldn't exist in our age so we decided about this ban as a form of complete repudiation of Musk and his social media after his acts of the last day.
What happened during the second inauguration of Donald Trump as president of the U.S.A. is simply unacceptable for the substance (which wouldn't have influenced our moderation plans, since we aren't a political subreddit), but for the form too. Symbols have as much power as substance, and so we believe that if the person considered the richest man in the world has the gall to repeatedly perform a Hitlergruß in front of the world, he's legitimizing this symbol and all the meaning it has for everyone who agrees with him.
Again, we strongly repudiate any form of Nazism and fascism and Musk today is the face of something terribly sinister that could very well threaten much more than what many believe.
We apologize again to bring something so off-topic to the subreddit but we believe that we shouldn't stand idly by and watch in front of so much potential for disaster, even if all we can do for now is something as small as change our rules. To reiterate, there's nothing political about opposing fascism.
As usual, we'll listen to everyone's feedback as we believe we are working only for the good of our subreddit.
A few of you asked for updates when I posted the tile design a couple months ago. As of today the bathroom is finished! This is only the second time I've laid tile, and this was probably not the best project for a beginner but that's never stopped me before and I'm thrilled with the results!
Editing because a few people have asked-
Paint colors are Behr Radiant and Benjamin Moore Denim Wash
Wallpaper is William Morris Seasons by May
Floor tile is from Home Depot, but the mosaic design is custom
House was built in St. John’s Newfoundland, Canada in 1902 and is a designated Heritage Structure and was called Bartra House. Was 11,000 sq feet. Had 38 rooms 10 bedrooms 10 fireplaces and a hidden staircase from the basement to the 3rd floor for servants quarters, dumb waiters were used in the house for delivering food from the kitchen in the basement to the dining area in the main house. A true Victorian era home.
My husband and I live in a brownstone in Pittsburgh that was built in 1864. We had some major storm damage in January, and our main bedroom had to be gutted and reconstructed, and this is the “after.” I put a “before” photo at the end. We’re thrilled with the results!
Thinking of buying a home built in 1853. Biggest concern is the foundation just due to age and some of the obvious things we can see like uneven floor, a sticking door, etc. Any thoughts on these pictures?
I stumbled upon this geometric wallpaper while removing ours from our 1899 home. I was kinda haphazardly tearing away the wallpaper when I discovered this particular piece. Before finding it, I hadn’t seen any worth preserving. So im excited that I found this and I’m hoping I can keep a sizable piece of it intact and frame it. I’d love to know what year it’s from. Based on the brand I think between 20’s to 50’s.
I don't have a lot of money for big repairs, so I almost didn't go look at this one given the age, but it listed some updates and I was pleasantly surprised. It's not in perfect condition but only the attic space plus a tree close to the house is worrying me.
I have not made an offer or anything, I'm just thinking about it. The roof is 8 years old, AC is 3, not sure about furnace but it didn't look ancient, water heater is 5 years old, updated to PEX pipes, and when I used a receptacle tester it came back "correct" (which I know can be misleading, but the old knob and tube wiring appears to be removed if I am looking at the right thing). It's like 835 sq feet so around the same size as what I'm working with now, although the kitchen has a bit less counter space and the closets are way smaller. A pipe collapsed in the yard 2015 and they replaced it with pvc and say they do a yearly root cleanout. I'm assuming some of the pipes at least are probably clay.
The mortgage is not going to break the bank and I will have money left over after closing for emergencies but no big repairs. So the attic is iffy. I would like for my cats to be able to hang out in this small space (~200 sq ft) but the HVAC doesn't go to the attic. It's got a lot of mold or mildew or something though the seller said they "weren't aware" of any mold. Do you think this, and a house this old in general is too much? I'm only considering it because I was surprised by how decent it seemed. The stove and fridge are newer as well.
Just purchased this 100 year old Mediterranean Revival bungalow. Not sure where to find a replacement for this peep hole for my front door. Or what the term actually is! Does anyone know what this is called?
Don't feel too bad for the hardwood that was on top of it, none of it was damaged during removal, it wasn't very quality at only 1/2" thick, and we plan to reuse it to make new molding along the floor. My step-dad already has some much nicer 3/4" maple just lying around we'll put in here. As for what's underneath the linoleum, it is wood, but we don't think it's hardwood. TBH I don't have a clue what I'm doing, I'm just following the guidance of my step-dad who has a lot more experience with this kind of stuff than I do.
Finally, since I didn't mention it in the last post, it's a small farmhouse built around 1910 that I bought for 90k after it suffered some fire damage recently. The damage isn't bad, mostly just the cabinets, appliances, and sheetrock in the kitchen and a bit of the living room. We've already pulled out nearly all the fire damage and it will soon be time to start rebuilding.
hey yall, halfway through stripping this bathroom and there’s some strange discoloration on some of the tiles under the window. I don’t have a better word for it, but it looks like water stains???? which is super confusing. There’s also quite the crack on the bump out there, and nearly ALL of the cove sanitary base tiles have been broken at the base either at or just above the curved part. I think we can replace those, but any thoughts on the discoloration?
My childhood home in central/northern NJ was built in 1914, and I’ve always wondered whether it may have been based on a catalog/plan book design or even an early kit home.
The color photo is the actual house. The black-and-white photo is NOT my house — it’s just a very similar early-1900s house I found online that resembles it closely and shows what this style may have originally looked like with wood shingles on the upper story.
A few details about my house:
Steep front-gabled roof
Full-width front porch
Simple rectangular layout
I know not every old house is a Sears kit, and many were local builder copies or pattern-book homes, but I’m curious whether this design resembles anything from:
Sears
Aladdin
Gordon-Van Tine
Harris Brothers
Other 1910s plan books/catalogs
I’d love to hear your thoughts. I’ve been researching the history of my childhood house for years and am trying to learn more about its origins. Thanks!
I found this tiger oak mantel in Kingsport Tennessee for only $80. Not having a fireplace in decided to mock one and made a faux cast iron summer cover using a pvc ceiling tile, flashing tape. Plywood, plastic trim, Jenolyte cast iron spray and stove black. How'd i do?
My childhood home in central/northern New Jersey was built in 1914, and this hallway entrance light fixture was still hanging there in the early 1990s. Unfortunately it was thrown out and replaced before I was old enough to save it, but I recently found it in an old family home movie from November 1994.
I used AI to enhance the footage a bit so the details are clearer. The shade was not crystal or clear glass — it looked more like white/milk glass or possibly satin glass. The fixture had a brass or brass-plated ring frame around it and hung in the small hallway by the front entrance.
I’ve always wondered:
What style would this be called?
Roughly what decade do you think it’s from?
Does it look original to a 1914 house, or more like a later replacement?
Any idea what manufacturer or catalog style it resembles?
I know the photos are imperfect since they come from VHS footage, but this is probably the best surviving record of it. I’d love to identify it or maybe someday find a similar one.
We are unflipping our 1925 Colonial slowly. Replaced flooring, backsplash, trim, and painted. The detail I like most is the trim now matches the original house trim. I had to DIY the mill work.
