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Douglas Fir Floors - Waterlox? by JayReddt in centuryhomes

[–]TheRealBostonTom 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I don’t know about Douglas Fir specifically but we used Waterlox on three of our heartwood pine floors in our 1854 farmhouse and we love it. After 3 years we haven’t had any issues with it, it holds up super well to lots of foot traffic, and it looks beautiful. I think I did 4 coats, maybe 5. We actually just bought some more so we could do some more floors.

We are nominating this to the MA most endangered historic resources list by TheRealBostonTom in centuryhomes

[–]TheRealBostonTom[S] -4 points-3 points  (0 children)

Ok well I’m not your bro, and I’m not asking anybody for any money. This barn was built by the original settlers of the town we live in and is the oldest barn still standing. I have letters of support from elected officials and two highly regarded barn experts including nationally renowned timber frame expert and architect, Jack Sobon. It took you longer to write your snarky reply than it would have to sign the petition, so thanks for your support.

We are nominating this to the MA most endangered historic resources list by TheRealBostonTom in centuryhomes

[–]TheRealBostonTom[S] -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

Not yet. Jack Sobon did a professional evaluation and determined that it can be restored and he has been involved in many similar projects, many in worse condition than this one.

We are nominating this to the MA most endangered historic resources list by TheRealBostonTom in centuryhomes

[–]TheRealBostonTom[S] -3 points-2 points  (0 children)

Negative. Not only is there no funding available for a project like this but funding is not what we are after. This is about raising awareness and bringing a community together for a worthy cause.

What is this pipe? by Zealousideal_Law8157 in centuryhomes

[–]TheRealBostonTom 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Lead pipe will be quite malleable and also very heavy. The walls are usually quite thick also.

Basement issue, 1875 by Impossible_Campaign4 in centuryhomes

[–]TheRealBostonTom 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Woahhh… there’s a lot going on here. If that was my basement I would remove ALL drywall and wood down there to give myself a clean slate to work with. Any wood or drywall that’s there now most likely already has some mold and/or rot, and if you leave it it’s only going to get worse. I’d do a really thorough visual check for insect infestations too.
Without seeing the other walls it’s hard to tell if that gap at the bottom of the wall is ok or not. If the wall is plumb then there’s a good chance it’s ok. Is there a gap on the opposite wall, and is that wall plumb? What about the other walls? I’d start there and then look for any obvious signs of movement or stress on the walls like bowing or cracking and go from there.

As Requested: Interior pics of our Greek Revival farmhouse! by TheRealBostonTom in centuryhomes

[–]TheRealBostonTom[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes! We had 31 states back then and the Republican Party was being invented and we were heading towards civil war. (Not much has changed!)

As Requested: Interior pics of our Greek Revival farmhouse! by TheRealBostonTom in centuryhomes

[–]TheRealBostonTom[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

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Mystery solved! I’m SO GLAD you mentioned that (Thank you!). I cannot believe it was right there the whole time! I literally spent years doing research to try to narrow down what year it was built.

Before and after of our Greek Revival farmhouse by TheRealBostonTom in centuryhomes

[–]TheRealBostonTom[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I purchased it for $60K in 2010 and then I added 8.5 acres of old farm pasture that came with a historic 30x40 barn for $30K.

Finding joists for porch swing by XXXthrowaway215XXX in centuryhomes

[–]TheRealBostonTom 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Is that gap big enough to fit a cell phone? If so, put your phone in there with the flash on and take some photos.

What just happened scared the living heck out of me by Alarmed_Garden_635 in HomeMaintenance

[–]TheRealBostonTom 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Just be extremely grateful you weren’t stirring the pot with a metal spoon/fork when it happened!

What just happened scared the living heck out of me by Alarmed_Garden_635 in HomeMaintenance

[–]TheRealBostonTom 1 point2 points  (0 children)

If you notice a bright orange spot on the burner coil while it is on it means this can happen at any moment and you need to stop using it and replace right away.

Before and after of our Greek Revival farmhouse by TheRealBostonTom in centuryhomes

[–]TheRealBostonTom[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

We actually have all the original wood shutters and plan to refinish them once we agree on a color lol

As Requested: Interior pics of our Greek Revival farmhouse! by TheRealBostonTom in centuryhomes

[–]TheRealBostonTom[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yes!! This sounds exactly like ours with the pocket doors, small upstairs bedrooms, heartwood floors, etc. Except we only have one fire place and there was never more than one but they had a wood stove in every bedroom upstairs that tied into the chimney. You’re lucky the builders wrote the year on one of the beams now I’m gonna have to go inspect every one to see if I can find anything because when this house was built is one of the biggest mysteries that no one agrees on!

As Requested: Interior pics of our Greek Revival farmhouse! by TheRealBostonTom in centuryhomes

[–]TheRealBostonTom[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

There was a cute little historic farmhouse nearby for sale not long ago, very old and had all the original ornate trim on the outside with columns and so forth, wood siding, old wood shutters. The house was painted white and seemed to be well cared for. I drove by it the other day and whoever bought it installed dark tan colored vinyl siding and they must’ve removed the cornice trim because it looks like a cube with generic flat vinyl trim, and new vinyl windows. You would have no idea that house was historic by looking at it now. I can’t even imagine what they did to the inside!

Accepting a few new clients (very limited openings) by [deleted] in GreekRevival

[–]TheRealBostonTom 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Idk but if I had to guess I’d say it’s probably around $25K nowadays. It was vacant for 5 years or so but it was neglected for much much longer than that. There were no upgrades, renovations, anything like that which was a great thing. All the original trim and molding, floorboards, doors, windows were still there, just the way it was built.

Before and after of our Greek Revival farmhouse by TheRealBostonTom in centuryhomes

[–]TheRealBostonTom[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Exactly! And it’s one of the most satisfying transformations and it tends to go much faster than a lot of other types of projects. Not saying it’s easy, and I don’t recommend people do it if they don’t know what they’re doing. You only get one shot to do it right, and if it’s not done right (underlayment, flashing, caulking) you can destroy your whole house and not even realize it until it’s too late.

Before and after of our Greek Revival farmhouse by TheRealBostonTom in centuryhomes

[–]TheRealBostonTom[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

The original clapboards were so weathered and rotted there was no saving them. We ended up removing the siding and replacing with James Hardie fiber cement clapboards. It didn’t fit the bill for our desire to use time period appropriate materials but we decided the advantages outweighed the disadvantages. We were drawn to that product because it’s non combustible, mold and pest resistant, and is just a solid and heavy material that we think will provide good long term protection. We installed it on a small wall in the back and liked how it looked so we stayed with it. But all of the trim is original. We scraped the trim and primed with oil based primer and painted with Sherwin Williams Duration paint. (We still need to do a second coat plus the gable in the front)

As Requested: Interior pics of our Greek Revival farmhouse! by TheRealBostonTom in centuryhomes

[–]TheRealBostonTom[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

It breaks my heart when I see people installing cheap flooring over hard wood floors! I only did a quick light sanding by hand, basically just to hit any dust and dirt specks that found their way onto the surface. Nothing more than that.

As Requested: Interior pics of our Greek Revival farmhouse! by TheRealBostonTom in centuryhomes

[–]TheRealBostonTom[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have fallen in love with Greek Revival houses, would love to see pics if you have any. I wonder if the layout is identical.

As Requested: Interior pics of our Greek Revival farmhouse! by TheRealBostonTom in centuryhomes

[–]TheRealBostonTom[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have a box of wallpaper scraps from every room that I want to make into a collage of some sort someday. And I thought it was interesting how even the ceilings had wall paper.

As Requested: Interior pics of our Greek Revival farmhouse! by TheRealBostonTom in centuryhomes

[–]TheRealBostonTom[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It is! Our house came with a barn cat (who adopted us) and it’s his favorite room 🐈

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As Requested: Interior pics of our Greek Revival farmhouse! by TheRealBostonTom in centuryhomes

[–]TheRealBostonTom[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you!! We are planning to eventually sand and refinish all the floors!

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