Old House Life

A Tale of Two Bathtubs

/ Katie / 14 Comments

For as long as I’ve known they existed, which is basically my whole life, I have always wanted a clawfoot tub. I think they’re so pretty, so classic, and most importantly, a very comfy way to take a nice, relaxing bubble bath.

I was ecstatic when we first looked at our house and it already had one. We made plans to move it to our main bathroom upstairs…

…which we’ve now expanded and prepped for its weight.

Clawfoot tubs are heavy, y’all, and we thought that reinforcing the floor would be our biggest issue.

How naïve we were.

See, somewhere along the line in its lifetime, the bowl of our clawfoot tub got painted with standard white house paint. You can paint a clawfoot any color you’d like on the outside, but they’re meant to have a porcelain finish on the inside, which is durable and shiny. Not sure why someone painted ours the way they did, but we figured we’d deal with it. No big issue, right?

Wrong.

After weeks of trying to rent a sandblaster for an afternoon in order to remove the white paint – a seemingly impossible task that was coming in at estimates around $300 – and then receiving a quote for $600 to have that work done for us, we finally gave up. We decided to just buy a clawfoot tub that we found for $350 from a very nice older gentleman in West Virginia.

Does it feel dumb to buy a tub when we already have one? Yes. Yes, it does. But when it’s a lower price? And all we have to do is drive an hour? No, no it doesn’t.

So a couple of weeks ago we took a small road trip and picked up a new (old) clawfoot tub, which is in great shape and only needs a good cleaning. The tub we’ve already got? We’re giving it to a creative friend for a gardening project, which I’m sure will be beautiful.

For now, both tubs are sitting in our garage. Soon enough, though, we’ll have the bathroom of my dreams, complete with the tub I’ve always wanted.

Renovations are crazy.

Choices, Choices (Or, The Great Backsplash Dilemma of 2023)

/ Katie / 11 Comments

Well, just as I suspected we would, we went for it. We chose butcher block for the kitchen countertops. Specifically, a beautiful, oiled cherry. It just felt right. It’s going to look incredible next to the blue cabinets, and will really pop against the bright white we’re going to put on the walls.

The questions now is: What about a backsplash?

This is NOT the thing I thought we’d have the most trouble with. But here we are, and I’ve got no idea what would look best, and what would look right and not piece-y and would blend well, in our small kitchen.

A simple white subway tile? I don’t hate it, but we’re using that style in the master bathroom, and I feel like you definitely don’t want bathroom vibes in a kitchen.

Something more colorful? Great idea! But it’s going to look really busy in such a confined space.

Pressed tin? Yeah, it just doesn’t look…correct.

Just go without it? I actually would be totally fine with this, and I think it would look great, but butcher block requires some kind of backsplash, since it needs to expand and contract and can’t sit flush with the wall. Didn’t know that before. Do know that now.

We’re at a loss. And we’re up to our necks in tile samples. I know we’ll figure it out, but man, I just really wasn’t anticipating putting so much thought into this. The good news is, this is the last thing we really have to choose. I shouldn’t complain.

So, onward. Another day, another decision. What would you do?

(Almost) Wordless Wednesday: More Happy News!

/ Katie / 32 Comments

The dining room ceiling is done!

It looks so nice, and the floor above it feels more secure than it’s probably felt in decades, and I just couldn’t be more pleased. Also, I’ve finally found a use for a lovely vintage (maybe antique?) chandelier I bought years ago, so I’m happy as a clam.

We still need to repaint the room, and it will really brighten things up. But for now, progress is progress!

And, in even MORE good news, we got the results of Graham’s blood test, and he is NOT a carrier of the recessive genetic condition I mentioned in my previous post. This means that, even though I’m a carrier, Baby Girl is not at risk. I’m just incredibly relieved and grateful.

So, a good day all around, and lots to smile about and be thankful for.   

But I like butcher block!

/ Katie / 28 Comments

Another day, another old house update. (Are you bored with these? You can tell me. I won’t be mad. And you can tell me if you’re interested and want to read more of them. I also won’t be mad.)

At any rate, work continues at ye olde Tail Feathers (our house’s name, for those who haven’t seen it in previous posts), and it’s going pretty well! We’ve got a plan for the main bathroom, the ceiling is looking much more secure and will be finished soon, and I think we’ve fixed the leak in the shower. And by “we,” I mean our contractors. Because Graham and I certainly couldn’t figure it out, despite years of trying.

Next on our list: the kitchen.

I like my small kitchen. I have no plans to expand it, but I would like to brighten it up and make it feel a little more like Graham and me. I think we’ve decided to paint the cabinets a very pretty blue, and the walls a nice, bright white. Not sure about a backsplash, as we’ve not decided on a countertop yet. I HATE the tile that’s currently there, and anything would be better. But we’re trying to decide between quartz…

And butcher block.

I love butcher block. As you can see, we used it for our small wet bar in the basement. I think it’s lovely and warm and makes a space feel cozy and homey. It’s also, unfortunately, pretty high maintenance, and when we’ve mentioned to friends that it’s what we’re thinking about, they’ve been…less than enthusiastic. But you guys, it just feels right for the space! And I don’t mind wear and dings and water spots and such. I mean, a house should feel lived in, right?

But as we think about it, we both realize that quartz, which basically requires no upkeep at all, is probably the wiser choice. It’s also more expensive, though, by a lot. So that’s the question at the end of the day: Is quartz a few thousand dollars (or more) more convenient than butcher block? I don’t know.

Sigh.

What would you do?

Focus? What focus? (Or, The Art of Writing in a Construction Zone)

/ Katie / 5 Comments

I find myself once again at the end of a month without a completed short story to post. I’m working on it today, and have been for the past several days. It’s a good one, but not quite done. And that’s just going to have to be okay. I’ll have it up on Friday, so be sure to check back.

Why the delay? Well, a few reasons.

The first is that it’s not easy to focus when you’re living around dust and dealing with construction noise. Don’t get me wrong – our contractors are amazing, they work fast, and they do a really good job of cleaning up at the end of the day. But when you’re me, and (controlled) chaos in the house feels like (uncontrolled) chaos in your brain, it’s still just difficult to work around. The good news is that the dining room ceiling is stable and sound…

…and work has started on updating and expanding our master bathroom.

The second is just that life is just busy right now. I’ll share more on that next week, but for now, I’ll just say that there are lots of things, including renovations and construction, vying for my attention at the moment, and they’re all important, and I’m just not balancing them super well. I’ll endeavor to work on that in the future.

And the third? Well, it’s me. I’m the problem. I’m allowing things to distract me, and I’m making excuses. They’re good excuses (see: above), but I need to prioritize my writing. It’s as simple and as difficult as that.

So, onward, and by Friday, May’s story will be written and posted and done and dusted. The house, however, will not be dusted. And that’s okay, too. For now, I write.

Found Friday #48: A Look Inside

/ Katie / 13 Comments

Work on the ceiling is coming along nicely. Thankfully. And as part of the process to make it structurally sound and safe, the contractors had to put a beam inside one of the dining room walls. This wall is actually part of the original house, and it was so, so cool to see it open.

Seriously, they just don’t make them like this anymore.

The lath and plaster is neat, but what really caught my eye – and you can see it in the side at the right side of the opening – is the timber. Y’all, it’s beautiful, and solid, and only planed down on two sides, so you can see a lot of detail in the wood. It’s also solid as a rock, even after 200 years.

I’ve long said the old section of the house is the easy section. We’ve had no problems. It’s sturdy. Seeing that timber, I definitely understand why.

Well, that was entirely expected…

/ Katie / 13 Comments

Work on the ceiling officially started yesterday.

Things always look (at least) a little worse before they look better when it comes to restoration and renovation, so I’m excited to see where we go from here.

BUT…

As has been the case with almost every piece of work we’ve done in this house, we discovered an interesting and complicated problem.

THERE ARE NO ACTUAL FLOOR JOISTS. Seriously – there are no true, actual floor joists holding up our bathroom floor. The wood that we thought was decorative, and that was not put together in a way that is terribly structurally sound, and that is not at all in good shape…

…is actually the only thing holding up our bathroom floor.

So, that’s fun. And by that I mean: Well, that sucks.

This ceiling project has suddenly become the most important thing that we’re doing in the house. And knowing that, I am especially happy to get it done. And especially, especially happy that the basement bathroom is usable. And especially, especially, especially happy that our contractors found it so early in this process.

They can fix it. I don’t know quite what that will look like, but I know it will be done. And for now, that’s just going to have to be enough.

Hit the Ceiling

/ Katie / 16 Comments

I knew this day would come, and frankly, it’s overdue, but it makes me a little sad nonetheless.

It’s happening. We’re finally replacing the water-damaged ceiling in our dining room. I’m relieved, because it just isn’t in good shape anymore. But I’m a touch sad about it, too, because I can see that once upon a time, it was really lovely.

That, and the fact that there are some Civil War bullets in it.

Hopefully, we’ll be able to find a new place for those.  

Maybe I’m just sentimental. I know that many other people wouldn’t be bothered at all by replacing a worn-out ceiling. And I know that it will look better – we’re using boards from the fencing around our property, which is cool and will look very nice. But then, many people also wouldn’t be terribly interesting in living in a 200-year-old house with a pages long laundry list of repairs.

I am, though. This house is so special, and I’m grateful that Graham and I get to be its stewards for a while. I hope that we do the right things. I feel like we are.

Anyway, I’ll post an update when the project’s done. And same for the bathroom, which I know many of you were interested in seeing. It’s nearly there! So, check back. 😊

This house has lots of stories left to tell.  

Just Some Monday Things

/ Katie / 6 Comments

Busy weekend. Sleepy Monday. Isn’t that just the way it goes? Sometimes, at least. It’s going to be a busy week, too, but lots of good things are happening.

The basement bathroom is almost done. And just look at this beautiful vanity:

It’s made of fence boards from around the property that needed to be replaced. I’m glad to have a use for them.

We’re still contemplating what we’ll do with the upstairs bathroom, and I’ve definitely got my heart set on wallpaper, at least somewhere in the house. Oh! And if you didn’t guess the theme of one of the samples in my last post, it was Back to the Future. It’s called Hill Valley Toile, and here’s a link to it, if you want to buy it for yourself: https://www.hyggeandwest.com/collections/all-wallpaper/products/hill-valley-toile. It’s so fun and really pretty.

And here’s something to make you smile: Annie and Merlin are officially friends! They don’t quite know how to play together yet, but they’re figuring it out. And Merlin is showing his love by cuddling with Annie’s toys.

May we all be as peaceful and happy as that cat, right? Here’s hoping for a good week!

Wallpaper Choices

/ Katie / 22 Comments

Apparently, wallpaper is controversial. Which, I guess I sort of get. But then, I really don’t. I can see an argument that it’s hard to put up and even more difficult to take down. And yes, we’ve all seen those pictures of old, abandoned houses with tattered curtains and one-eyed baby dolls and, sure enough, mottled, gray peeling wallpaper. Spooky. I know.

But my house isn’t spooky. (I promise.)

And I like wallpaper.

All of this to say, as we finish up with the basement bathroom – which is oh so close to done and looks so, so good – I’m thinking of what we might like to do with our bathroom upstairs.

It’s our main bathroom, and it’s due for some pretty major changes. For one thing, the shower leaks onto our dining room table, which is…not great. We’d also like to expand the space and add a claw-foot tub. Luckily, we have one that we moved out of another bathroom. And I don’t think I want to get as cheeky as I did with the pink tile in the basement. But I would like to do something fun, and so I thought, “Why not a neat wallpaper?” My idea is that we’d have wainscoting, painted a warm, bright white, a little more than halfway up the wall, and then wallpaper on top of that. White tile in the shower, and my favorite black and white hexagon tile on the floor.

I can see it, and I think it would be lovely! So, I got some samples. These:

And these:

What do you think? Which would you choose? And props to you if you notice just what the blue and white toile in the second picture (in the middle) is inspired by. Here’s a hint: It’s a pretty famous movie.

Anyway, we’ll see what we decide. We’ve got some time, as our contractors finish up work in the basement. But I’m excited! This process has generally been sort of stressful, and the dust and mess is certainly not fun, but it’s really cool to see things coming together and to feel like our space reflects who we are.

So, onward!