New Door!

This past week, the exterior doors, front and back, were installed, including all new casing. When we, originally, ordered the doors, I wasn't certain what paint or stain color we'd use.  All it took was the initial glance of the doors as they were unloaded from the truck to realize the obvious choice: stained.  The doors and casings are 100% Douglas Fir.  It would have been sacrilege to cover that beautiful, straight, tight, grain with paint.

Lucky for us, our Contractor's Sub for painting is a craftsman in his own right and seems to know everything about paint.  He's been at his craft for 30 years. Although the Sub has several employees, he stained the doors, himself.  He still has one more coat of varnish to apply, after a light sanding, but they're a timeless addition to our home.

We selected, what would have been the same style, original to the house.  Even though we have no proof there was ever a 3-light door on our house, there are plenty of original examples throughout the neighborhood, specific to Arts & Crafts Bungalows. One thing I'm certain of, however, the door would have been made of solid Fir.

The selection of the handleset was a compromise between 1920's and modern day style.  The sectional style (i.e. deadbolt and handle being separate) was a standard configuration sans a mortise vs. tubular (today's standard) lock and latch assembly.  The Colonial style was, also, the standard for entry sectional handlesets. Coincidentally, the new exterior locks are manufactured locally!

I have been dead set on installing a full view (all glass w/ the ability to change out the insert with a full screen) storm door, but, after seeing the door installed and stained, I'm having second thoughts...

It's a Kohler!

In a previous post, I mentioned how I thought the tub in our bathroom was made by Kohler, specifically, a "Cardinal" corner rolled-lip tub.  The problem was, I had no verifiable proof, since I could not find any markings on the side of the tub.  But, it did match the exact dimensions I had seen in a 1925 hardware catalog. Well, that assumption is now a fact and the markings were not on the side of the tub.  Very early this morning (6am), I was cleaning some of the old mortar and glue off the lip of the tub where a previous homeowner decided to try and convert the space into a traditional apron-style tub alcove.  I was cleaning the tub because the plumber is supposed to be here today to install the tub faucet, supply lines, and waste line; I wanted the mounting surfaces to be squeaky clean.

Kohler U.S.A.

As I was making my way around the top of the tub edge, there it was, "plain" as day. Well, ok, fairly faded, but still legible in blue--"Kohler U.S.A.".  To say I was a little excited is an understatement!  Now, I can justify to my Wife the cost of putting a high-end Kohler toilet and sink in the bathroom. Things have to match, right?  Below is a page copy from an original 1925 hardware catalog showing the tub.

Top tub is the correct model

The bathroom is moving along and, now, is nearing completion--fingers crossed. Here is a pic of the tub ready for the faucet installation.

Kohler stamp was in the top right portion of this pic on the top of the tub

Kitchen Floor

Several months ago, when we began the process of what to do with the kitchen floor, the idea surfaced to remove the 12x12 tile located at the rear entry.  Now, mind you, there are plenty of examples of homeowners in our neighborhood attempting to "modernize" their 100+ year old houses by having their entire kitchens updated with the latest trend in porcelain or ceramic tile. The problem with that is the modern look, eventually, becomes a dated look--think avocado green appliances.  We wanted timeless and the solution was to revert to what we knew was the original flooring--red oak.

We don't have many pictures of that tile floor, since it was an eyesore from our perspective. I'm certain it served it's purpose for previous owners as it provided a durable, waterproof surface when entering from the, then, uncovered rear entry steps.  But, now, we have an, almost complete, covered rear stoop to protect the floor from any rain or snow.

Tile floor at rear entry

After wood floor replacement

No words needed...

The man who "feathered in" the wood floor did a masterful job and we couldn't be more pleased. The great thing about the materials used in old homes is the same materials are, typically, available today. The exact floor (2 1/4" width x 3/4" thick) solid red oak floor can still be easily purchased today, almost 100 years later! And, the interesting thing is it costs half, per square foot, than the cheapest hardwood flooring found in the big box stores. Of course, there is the cost of installation, which includes sanding the old and new floor, and, then, applying a durable finish. But, the results are amazing!

Planks installed (pre sanding/finishing)

Finished floor

After installation (before finishing)

After

Some Progress

The main bathroom finally has new tile!  We went with something timeless and appropriate for the house, instead of succumbing to the latest renovation trends in tile.  The wall tile is the classic subway tile, but with a matte finish.  That was my Wife's choice and it was definitely the correct choice as it looks fantastic!.  For the floor, we used hexagonal tile with a few "daisy" patterns added, which is period appropriate. While they are spec'd as 1-inch tile, they're not true to that size. It's next to impossible to find a true 1-inch hex tile, but they can still be found, specifically, from this company. I would have used this company if the timeline would have allowed.  We were still holding out hope there was an original hex tile floor underneath the square tile floor, due to the obvious buildup at the door threshold.

What was interesting about the original bathroom is that the red oak flooring throughout the house was, also, in the bathroom.  That was, actually, a big surprise, but it was in very rough shape and not only had been exposed to water but had an underlayment added in order to have 12-inch tile laid on top.  It seemed more practical to install hex tile and stay within the spirit of the 1920s.

Original Red Oak flooring

"Original" configuration

Here are a few "in process" demo pics, along with the new tile.  It's difficult to tell from the light, but the walls are now painted slate, which is a softer version of a medium gray.

The tub is an original fixture of the house and in very good shape: I believe it was a Kohler "Cardinal" corner rolled-lip tub. When we purchased the house, it had a knee wall surrounding the side and a full wall to accommodate modern fixtures.  We will be installing what would have been vintage-styled nickel plated tub faucet and shower riser--chrome plated faucets didn't enter residential areas until the early 1930's and I'm not a fan of the bluish cast of chrome versus the warm tones of nickel.

Before

After

Here are a few more before and after pics.  The next steps will be having the sides of the tub resurfaced and having the tub plumbing installed.

Before

After

Before

After

Small Piece of History...

This morning, I was carefully removing the hinges from the bathroom doorway so I can refurbish them.  While removing the bottom hinge (these are original hinges, by the way), I noticed it wasn't positioned in the mortise, but, rather, slightly above it.  After removing the hinge, there seemed to be a piece of paper being used to shim the hinge. But upon carefully removing the paper, I noticed it was three layers of paper, plus a piece of very thin cardboard.

Immediately, I noticed handwriting and plain as could be, the name "Zirkel".  It was a post card letter from 1958. It's the first historical proof within these walls I have found of who has lived in our home.

Renovation begins...

The renovation, officially, began last week.  I'll share pictures in a later post of the progress.  It's been hectic and will be completed in stages. The bathroom has been demo'd and was done in a meticulous manner, which I appreciate.  I joked that it was as if they were dismantling a nuclear bomb.  A few days later, the back steps were jack hammered and hauled off.  It was another job done with care to ensure no damage was done to the foundation wall. There was concern the steps were, possibly, attached to the house with reinforced metal, but that was not the case.  In fact, there was no reinforcement in the steps, yet they stood with nary a crack for almost 100 years!  Now that the steps have been removed, it's obvious they were an original part of the house.

It has been very difficult, for me, to watch the work that has begun.  I've never had this type of work done by someone else.  The knowledge I do have is an emotional weakness as I am not in control of the process.  But, we know we are in excellent hands and I need to trust the process and the very high level of experience (i.e. many decades!) entrusted to our home.

Today, I decided to see if I could remove the corrosion on the original wrought steel door hinges that are attached to the bathroom door stored against the wall in my office.  I wasn't certain if I could remove the discoloration and what appears to be rust (it isn't).  It didn't take long to make a drastic change, which I'm thankful. Just a few more steps and I'll be satisfied, but here is the before and after. These hinges were manufactured by Hager. The manufacturer name is embossed on the mortise portion of this hinge.

Before removing from the door

After...

 Huge improvement!!!

First Blooms

The roses in the back yard have, finally, begun blooming. One of the varieties is known as "Pink Knock Out" and is a shrub rose variety. The great thing about these are they are disease resistant and prolific bloomers. The only reason I know the exact variety is I found the metal tag at the base of one of the bushes while weeding.

Pink Knock Out 'Radcon'

Pink Knock Out 'Radcon'

 The second variety is unknown but more in the category of a Tea Rose.

Besides the roses, the Columbines are blooming quite nicely, although, they aren't in the traditional color schemes. I'll have to take a few pictures of those, as well...