Sarah's Country House Update

[bradfordwhite]

Sarah, your taste and wants are so specific.  I love it.  I admire your persistence.  You're like the female version of Robert.

Soon you'll be working on a basement or garage full of top condition washers from the 50s and 60s and you'll have it.

 

I know nothing any of us could recommend would sway you from your path, but I'm going to try anyway.

 

I'm not seeing a vapor barrier behind the drywall on the exterior walls to protect the insulation.  If it's not too late....  though you are in a milder climate, it may not be as big a thing there compared to a cold climate.

 

For fun and authenticity, Just my opinion, I wouldn't forget some small details. It's the little things that mean a lot they say.

Help nail the originality by using small details that really makes a project look the part:

 

1. include at least 2 two prong outlets or "click" styled switches and original plates in a prominent place.  I did a remodel of a 1960s house 20 years ago and though I updated the electrical with appropriate GFIs, I did install 2 two prong outlets down stream of the GFIs, cleaned of any paint and with an original outlet cover.  

 

2. An old style wall mounted pencil sharpener in a visible but out of the way place.  The kind we had in elementary school.  lol

 

3. A wall or desk appropriately colored rotary phone.  No it doesn't have to work but it should look like it could. 

 

Your progress is looking great.  You really seem to be enjoying the work of putting this together.  That's so important.

 

[wayupnorth]

I have the kitchen corded phone, but a Trim Line in orange and the original Boston crank pencil sharpener, but all my outlets are grounded GFI.

 

[tolivac]

I thought putting in 2 pin outlets was now against current electric codes.And are these still available??

 

[bradfordwhite]

There are no doubt lots of things that people have in their homes that may not be up to code. That doesn't stop people from install things, or waiting until after the inspector comes through AND THEN changing them.

This is an old appliance forum. We talk about things that readily contain things like: lack of proper ground, defective designs, asbestos, lead paint, inferior quality that could easily kill someone.

These outlets are antiques, like furniture. Think of them as part of the decor because that's essentially how I've addressed it.

For that matter one could install these outlets as fakes. Like the rotary dial phone.

There are people with old light fixtures that get re-used. Frequently the problem with old electric stuff is not the devices, it's the actual wire. I certainly wouldn't advise re-using that. Knob and tub and asbestos sheathed wire from the 1930s need not be redone, though there are fakes for it.

Fabric lamp cord for authenticity.

 

[sarahperdue]

I'm on it!

Techniques for sealing northern houses up tight kill southern houses because we have so much humidity. Down here, breathing is as important as sealing. We are using rockwool insulation which is hydrophobic. We are putting vapor barrier underneath, grading the land away from the house and increasing ventilation under the house including installing fans if needed. Southern houses must breathe, and vapor barriers can trap moisture and condensation within the walls.

Rotary phone. Check. We have a black one that still works because I insist on keeping the POTS landline. I'm keeping an eye out for a color that will go well with the kitchen--possibly red or turquoise. I have a phone nook pulled from a mid century home that will be wired for phone and electrical outlets for device charging. The nice thing about a POTS line is that it works when the power is off. The last picture is from the night after hurricane Zeta. No power, out of cell charge, but that black phone worked just fine. It doesn't work for entering numbers into an automated phone system, and you can't tap a number on the receiver buttons and get through. I just tried that to make see if I could.

Most of the exposed outlets will be traditional looking 3 prong grounded outlets. All of the kitchen outlets will be slaves of GFI outlets or circuits. I think traditional 3 prong grounded outlets look just as appropriate as the two pronged ones. I will be using salvaged or NOS covers on the outlets and switches. I'm not sure what you mean by "click" switches.

We currently have a pencil sharpener in our kitchen and will most likely have one in the new kitchen.

There will be two matching globe ceiling fixtures, one cloth corded bare bulb edison pendant over the window seat and a fair amount of accessory lighting from the four cabinettes and the Americana refrigerator. The pendant will use new cloth cord with a salvaged porcelain rosette and keyed socket.

Thanks for the ideas and comments! Keep them coming.
Sarah

 

[bradfordwhite]

Was at Habitat and they had receptacle plates

One is literally new and in plastic. The others I soaked, scrubbed and let dry.

There is one more single switch plate that was really dirty and painted over. Half the paints come off so I've put it in a plastic bag with vinegar, baking soda, and a bit of bleach to let it soak for several days and take off another layer and eventually everything.

 

[fan-of-fans]

I saw Leviton two prong outlets for sale at Home Depot yesterday. The ones I saw were white. I didn't look to see if they have them in ivory, almond or any other colors though.

 

[fan-of-fans]

I like the pencil sharpener and the old light fixtures! The house I live in has one of those sharpeners mounted on the side of the shelves in the linen closet. I also have an antique brass pendant with the reproduction cloth wire. I need to get a ceiling plate for it but I'd love to install it someday.

 

[justjunque]

Hi Sarah,

Thanks for posting the updates! Seems like you're making great progress!
So sorry to hear about Spur. We had a similar experience recently with our cat.
I'm with you on the landline phones. We have several touch-tone and rotary phones scattered throughout the house. The rotary phones are plugged into Dial Gizmos, to convert the pulse dialing to tone, because our service doesn't support pulse.
Keep the updates coming! It will be great to see everything come together!

Barry

 

[sarahperdue]

New specialty cabinets

I drove up to Tennessee to pick up the mixer cabinet, peninsula open shelves, glass curves that flank the window over the sink and a roll out trash can. I also got Youngstown counter trim. I thought I was getting enough for the whole kitchen, but there was a miscommunication, so I still need 8' of backsplash and 6'6" of edge trim.

With the white cabinets, red counters and two turquoise appliances, there won't be much yellow, but I think I'm going to keep the yellow laminate on the curved shelves.

I have two of the fans. I'll probably use one in the bathroom. I'm not sure about the other.

Sarah

 

[justjunque]

I really like that yellow laminate too!

Barry

 

[blackstone]

Gas lighting fixtures

This might be unique to northern U.S., but my house used natural gas fixtures for lighting (prior to the introduction of electricity). The house was built around 1890. I have left the old gas piping in the ceilings and walls, along with the gas light fixture that was used above the kitchen sink. The gas fixtures that were in the ceiling are long gone. Of course, the piping is no longer connected with gas; just remains as history of a bygone era.

 

[justjunque]

Hi Fred,
Seeing that fixture, I bet the modern-ish electric fixtures in my upstairs bathroom are inspired by gas lights.
I always wondered, because the design looks like a little knob that would open and close a valve.
Granted, on my fixtures, it's mounted on top, and it's purely decorative. Nothing actually turns.

Barry

 

[sarahperdue]

Acetylene

Bruce's great-grandparent's home has been continuously occupied by the family since the turn of the 20th century. At one time, it had acetylene lights, and there is still an out building--now used for storage--called the light house because that's where the acetylene was kept.
Sarah

 

[warmsecondrinse]

Gas lights:

I've seen a few houses in which the gas pipes were disconnected, the fixtures removed and electric wiring and fixtures installed. So you had a lamp that looked exactly like a gas light, but the valve was actually now a switch. I'd imagine that was pretty labor intensive and therefore expensive. At a guess I'd say it was people who had money to burn and were really resistant to giving up their gas lights.

IIRC the 1902 Sears catalogue reprint has all sorts of lamps that run on all different fuels. I remember gasoline and naphtha, but there were a few others in addition to the usual kerosene.

the 1960's development I grew up in had outside gas lamps on a post near the driveway. I recall outdoor gas lamps in the Beacon Hill area of Boston. Maybe 5 years ago I saw a house somewhere in the mid 90's between Lex and Madison (in Manhattan) that had an outdoor lamp on the corner. Weirdly, it appeared to have no mantle, just a jet with a naked flame.

 

[cornutt]

Two prong receptacles

It's still okay to install them as long as they are protected by a GFCI receptacle or circuit breaker. In theory, you are supposed to put a sticker on them that says "GFCI protected", but no one ever does.

 

[circlew]

If you are trying to make it authentic to the mid - late 50's, there's no reason to not use grounded receptacles. The church I belong to has an addition constructed in 1959, and has always had grounded receptacles. They have been available since the early 50's.

Many appliances have 3 prong plugs, especially mixers, blenders, and especially microwave ovens. Why install something that may prove inconvenient, and wasn't considered ultra- modern even in 1959? Also, to the best of my knowledge, no 2 prong receptacle is available in the tamper-resistant type, which recent codes require. They also are the less durable residential grade, but cost nearly as much as commercial grade grounded models.

The above comment by Cornutt is true for replacements, but not for new construction. Since you have the walls open, it is considered new construction. Regardless of what kind of receptacles you use, there must be a ground in the box to meet code.

 

[sarahperdue]

3 prong grounded vs GFI

All of my outlets will be three prong grounded except vintage accessory plugs on lights or appliances. Kitchen and bath will either be GFI or slaves to GFI.

Sarah

 

[sarahperdue]

Another update. It's been a while

Hi Everyone,

Here's a long belated, kind of brief update. My mother began funding some of the renovations last spring, and the speed of progress has rapidly increased.

The kitchen is has sheetrock and a coat of primer. The reclaimed floor from my grandparent's bedroom has been installed. Cabinets are being cycled through the powder coating shop.

The addition we planned to remove has been removed, but it doesn't look quite like the photoshopped picture earlier in this thread. The bedroom was added first then the bath/laundry & storage was added later on a separate foundation. I decided to tear out the bedroom and keep the bath/laundry & storage portion as the workshop. Not quite the view I wanted, but it definitely beats tearing down a large building and building a new one in a different location.

Monday, I went through the whole house with a new electrician. He was very apologetic about the time he is going to need to trace and double check the wiring that has been done by other electricians. I told him I was prepared for that and very happy to have him double check everything.

All of the rotten siding has been replaced with siding harvested from the future workshop.

About reclaimed house parts--we used flooring from the tear down in the kitchen. We also reused joists & beams to repair foundation issues in the kitchen and breakfast area. We have a house in the back pasture that was built for the help in the 60's that we will salvage windows and siding from.

My turquoise wall fridge is humming away in our basement here in Tuscaloosa.

So, here are some pictures! As ever, thank you all for your support and enthusiasm.

Sarah

 

[pulltostart]

Sarah,

It's looking good!  The house is much larger than I had thought.  It's going to look great with a fresh coat of paint and landscaping!

 

lawrence