First up, I have to say that I have a long way to go in my photography of interiors… Secondly, you are about to see my house in all its messy glory; this is how it looks day to day at the moment, although I may (!) have cropped out some of the worst bits *coughs* and I am helped by the fact that we haven’t unpacked much yet. Enjoy!
We moved into the project in July. We knew what we were getting ourselves into, and we knew there would be surprises along the way. This house is one of the three oldest houses in our town. It is thought to have been built in the 1830’s and was here before our town was incorporated, and before the railway arrived!
It was built by a Captain Apthorp, and gossip suggests that he built it for himself and his fiancé before discovering that his fiancé preferred his brother… He gave them the house and built another at the top of the rocks that surround our property, and looked down on them from above. Whether or not this is true, it is an historically significant property and we are mindful of that as we begin work to refurbish and restore it.
The house is chock full of original features and it is beautiful; a classic Gothic Victorian. It is also sadly neglected, dated and in some cases in very bad repair. It is a very big house, that we were only able to buy because no one else wanted to take on the work that is needed. I’m not sure if that makes us brave or a little nuts.
After a busy summer, and busy first few weeks of the new school year, it was time to get started on the long list of projects!
To give you a flavour, this list includes: rewiring, new roof, new bathrooms, new kitchen, re-plastering and decoration of all rooms, new windows, new external drainage (a project that has begun, which you can read about here), and lots of other bits and pieces; the list gets longer day by day!
I have to admit that I have been putting off blogging about the house as I don’t quite know where to start. But, one project at a time seems sensible…
Project 1: Re-wiring
Before we can begin any redecoration, we needed to get the wiring sorted out. We knew that there was old knob and tube wiring in the attic, and we suspected that it extended down to some of the bedrooms. I had never heard of this type of wiring, but it was common in North America in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. The biggest issue is that it wasn’t grounded/earthed… Not particularly safe!
Of course, once the electrician started tracing the wiring, it went all over the place, and served a random selection of lights and sockets on the ground floor too!
So, starting at the bottom and working up…
Our entrance hall has a beautiful chandelier, the only light fitting I will be keeping, but it was of course connected to the knob and tube. There are now a large number of holes in the walls and ceiling, and in fact you can see from the hall into the living room (as evidenced by the title photo!).
Not only is this light now safely working again, but it can be switched on and off from the bottom and the top of the stairs!
Next up, the lighting on the landing at the top of the stairs. When we moved in, there was none! One old light fitting had served this hallway, and it was no longer working. Above the stairwell there is a beautiful dome, with (we understand) a copper central panel. However, we had never seen it properly, until now…
[In case you are wondering about the plywood, the bannister is ridiculously low, perfect height for a toddler, so dangerously low from a regulatory point of view! We have built a safety barrier around it until we can get a carpenter to raise the whole bannister…]
None of the bedrooms had central light fittings; the boys bedrooms and our bedroom just had (very poor!) wall lights and the wee girls room didn’t have any light at all. Really! We had to put a table lamp in there for her.
Also, there are built in closets in each room, which are brilliant, but none of them had lighting either, which made finding clothes a little tricky on a dark morning.
Now, all the rooms have an overhead light and closet lights! The boys love the closets so much that they are currently being used as reading nooks :)
[The wee girls room, with light!]
[One of the boys closets, with a book in progress…]
The electrician tackled our bedroom last. It has a vaulted ceiling (!) and he had to climb up and over it, from the attic, to install a central light and get to the lights and sockets on the external wall. Rather him than me.
[This is one of the original carved wooden archways in the master bedroom. This one leads to a closet and the ensuite bathroom.]
I still haven’t quite worked out what I am going to put up for the central light in our bedroom… it will need to be something pretty impressive!
Regular readers may have seen the one new light fitting that I have bought, this has gone up in the living room, where it also turned out the lighting and one of the sockets was served by the knob and tube.
And lastly, one of the lights and two of the sockets in the family room were also on the knob and tube circuit. The other light and sockets weren’t. Go figure!
It is such a relief to have this work done. From a safety perspective and from a practical, actually being able to see upstairs, perspective. Turning on the (dimmable!) lights in our bedroom was such a wonderful moment, and being able to see the dome in all its (in need of repair) glory is amazing.
We have a long, long way to go with this project. But, it feels fantastic to have finally made a start. There may be holes all over the house, and I’m still fighting with the dust, but we have light!
[Despite starting with a single project, this is still an epic post, so thank you for sticking with me to the end :)]
Wow wow wow, your house will be amazing! I love the ceiling and all the detail round the windows, such a beautiful house and hurrah for light! :) x #MagicMoments
Thank you, the details are amazing x
You guys have a HUGE task on your hands but OH. MY. GOODNESS what a stunning house. Cannot wait to see what it looks like once it’s finished lovely xxx #magicmoments
I know, it’s such a massive project… But it will be worth it!
Hooray to light! I am totally in love with your house! The windows, the domed ceilings and the reading nook cupboards – I’m adoring it all, and I already know I want your garden (when it’s a little less holey, though!). It’s coming together, Sara, and I can imagine what a big job that has been x
Still lots to do, but I can finally see it coming together :)
Oh Sara, what a beautiful home! You were definitely brave to take it on but it has potential and gorgeous original features (I also love the history) :-) You and your family will make this a wonderful home and will enjoy many years here! Can’t wait to see your update posts :-)
We are very excited, if a little overwhelmed!
Oh my gosh how amazing are the features in your house…..in love!!!!
Well done you for sorting all the lights :) xx
It’s great to have at least sorted something :)
Wow, looks like you really do have your work cut out for you with this project! I’ve never heard of a knob and tube system, sounds intriguing. This house is going to be absolutely stunning when you’ve finished with it. Popping by from Magic Moments.
I can picture it :) But we have a long way to go!
Wow, lovely to see more of your house, it really is incredible! Such a huge job though with lots of work ahead of you it must be a great feeling now you have really made a start! Love it xx
Knowing we’ve ticked something off the list is a great feeling!
Your house is stunning! Such character in every room and nook. It’s already beautiful, but your work and efforts will make it more so, I have no doubt.
Thank you, I am so looking forward to bringing it back to a state it deserves to be in x
I love old houses and yours is absolutely beautiful and I’m sure once it’s all done up, it will definitely look “grander”. I especially love the dome. That’s what’s so lovely about old houses, the attention to details. We’ve put our house up in the market again, hoping this time we’ll get a serious buyer, and not a flaky one,like the last time and maybe, just maybe, we’ll manage to buy an old Victorian or even a Georgian gem somewhere. Somehow, I doubt if we’ll be able to afford it, but you’ll never know ;) #whatsthestory.
Oh, good luck with your sale! You need to find a project, that’s the only way to afford it :)
Wow, all these architectural details are absolutely beautiful! I was an interior designer by education (before I pursued my first love, photography), I love old homes and the character, history behind them.
It is beautiful, it has so much potential :)
WOW your house looks pretty stunning and what a story about Captain Apthorp too. Hope its a brilliant stressless project to renovate it all.
Thank you! It certainly seems to be a house steeped in history :)
Nice to see your house. And I remember one fixture from the black & white photography linky! Your house looks so massive and posh! #whatsthestory
You have a good memory :) it’s big, but definitely a faded beauty!
Oh Sara, it all looks so beautiful! I can imagine how much more stunning it will be as you refurb it- those original features just can’t be recreated. I’m very jealous of them! And hooray to light!! :) xx
The original features really sold it to us :) Looking forward to starting to make the interior a bit more ‘me’ though!
Wow that does sound like a huge project. So glad that the lighting and rewiring is getting there – it is such a big job. Your house sounds so interesting, love that it has so much history. Good luck with all the ongoing restoration and refurbishment x
Thank you Louise, it’s a great project! If a little overwhelming at times :)
What a beautiful house. It’s going to be amazing when it’s finished – just painful getting there. Must be lovely living in a house with so much history as well.
I love the history, it is quite special x
Gosh you’ve made amazing progress Sara – a huge job to take on but it’s looking beautiful already x
It is a huge job, but it will (hopefully) be worth it :)
You have a lovely home. It must be really exciting to see it progressing!
Thank you, it is very exciting x
This all sounds so familiar… The only thing we didn’t have to do in our house was the wiring, but with everything else we had to start from scratch pretty much! And all whilst living there too… Your home looks incredible though even now so I can totally see why you’d want to take on the project. Good luck – I look forward to following your progress! xx
We loved the house as soon as we walked in, it will definitely be worth it x
Oh wow, Jocelyn told me to check out your house as I kept forgetting to read it all through properly-can totally see why now! Amazing house-we fancy moving out to Boston too :)
It will be definitely worth all the hard work in the end x
Thank you Iona, it’s going to be a long project, but it will be worth it. The house has great bones, we just need to give it some love :)
Sara your house is going to be stunning! Those period features are mad – it’s like you’re living in a beautiful (if badly wired) museum! The closet with the light and the book kind of reminds me of the film The Sixth Sense though.. not too spooky? :-) I bet it feels great to see progress being made though – I’m looking forward to seeing more transformations in the coming months. X
I’m on my own in the house at the moment, well, kids are asleep, but OH away, and I have to admit that I don’t turn all the lights off… But, it’s just such a beautiful house, I can live with that :)
Gosh it is so beautiful, the features are just wonderful. I look forward to following the journey and seeing it through your make-over, although I think it is pretty beautiful now. Mich x
The house is beautiful, needs a bit less wall paper though :) We’ll be tackling it one room at a time, there will be lots of before and after shots!
I’m actually very excited to read the updates about your house. A lot of work but you’ll have joy transforming it to a home and style perfect for your family. Pre-recession I gutted and redid some of my homes and loved every moment despite the chaos. What an amazing home to work on too. Brilliant that you’re going to bring back such a historical home – undoubtedly your past career skills will be a benefit to such a project.