I have restored a lovely old colonial house in Vermont, and a blogger has written the first of a three-part series about the renovation. I thought you might enjoy reading about it!
Hi all! This is another post about a really cool restoration project - the 1840's Dunnington Mansion in Farmville, VA. You can see one of my previous posts, along with several other on-site pictures, below:
Quite a few people had asked for updates when they were available, so we finally have one!
For anyone unfamiliar, the house was built in the 1840's and was added onto thru the 1890's. It was abandoned in the early 2000's after the investors who owned it encountered financial issues. A storm in 2009 peeled part of the roof off of the back of the house. The ensuing water damage and elemental exposure led to the partial collapse of parts of the house, including the floor in a front room and the front porch, as well. The roof was repaired in 2023, but 15 years of exposure to the elements have left some areas extremely unstable.
The Dunnington Mansion Foundation, a 501(c)3 nonprofit, was allowed access to steward the house and take care of day-to-day maintenance, fundraise, and promote the Mansion via guided tours and things like music videos.
After a very, very lengthy process, the DMF formally took ownership of the Mansion from the previous owners this past Summer, and restoration work has begun in earnest.
It's been small steps at first, as donations and grant funds become available, but the brush, bushes, and overgrowth that encroached on the Mansion for decades has been completely cleared, and grading around the base of the building has been completed (so that water flows AWAY from the Mansion, instead of into it). The 20+ years of debris that built up on the floors has also been removed, revealing the original wood floors that are still in remarkably good shape, all things considered.
The next step will be to have a structural assessment completed, to see just how bad some of the damage is, and then to repair the roof and gutters to stop water infiltration.
From there, the windows will all be replaced and temporary power will be run to the Mansion so that interior repairs can begin in earnest.
For anyone curious about the DMF and the history of this mansion, and some of the really cool features (like the Conservatory, one of only a handful of originals remaining on the East Coast), check it out at https://dunningtonmansion.org/
Hopefully we'll have more updates soon!
EDIT: Holy cow this blew up. If anyone would like to support this project or would like to see some of the day-to-day goings-on (filmmakers, artists, photographers, etc), you can check out DMF's Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100076580148044
I actually spoke to the DMF after this post went up and the President, Heather, would love to field your questions. Her email is Heather.Beach@dunningtonmansion.org
A while ago I posted asking for opinions on backsplash tile for our kitchen. We still have a few loose ends, but we're finally at a point where I can share photos!
The kitchen had its last full remodel in the 80s, and at some point someone installed that "classic" landlord gray LVP floor. There was barely any counter space (the island wasn't really useful because the finish was not meant to stand up to every day kitchen use or really get wet at all), and the cabinets were homemade and none of them actually closed. Our "favorite" feature was the sink,which was somehow too big AND too small at the same time. When they demoed, the oldest flooring we found was probably from the 1940s.
As many of you know, a Victorian kitchen would look nothing like this. Obviously a dark, bare room with just a fireplace and a table would not be compatible with what we expect from a modern kitchen, so this is my interpretation of something functional and modern with some older details, including push button switches, unlacquered brass hardware, soapstone counters, and milk glass light fixtures.
The floor tile is meant to be a twist on your classic black and white checkerboard. The exterior of our house contains some eight-pointed stars in the detail work, so I thought this tile shape was a nice reference to that.
Trying to save up for some colorful William Morris items like a utensil holder and fruit bowl. The curtains are also temporary until I find something I like more; I thought about having curtains or a roman shade made with William Morris fabric, but quickly discovered that that is not in my budget at the moment! But the idea is to have a neutral base and then add colorful details thar can be swapped out seasonally (see spooky hand towels 🎃)
I certainly learned a lot about designing a kitchen, but overall we're so happy with it!
Recently bought a hundred years old house and would like to replace these old receptacles. I’ve replaced receptacles before but never ones that are these old.
I bought some new, ungrounded receptacles. They’ll only ever be used to charge a phone or power a lamp. Anything look off to any of you? Will I burn my house down?
Built in 1910. My grandparents owned this place between ‘94-06 and I had some of the most cherished memories of my childhood here. It’s had various renovations over the last 20 years, but a handful of the more charming parts remain such as antique doorknobs, dark wood, and stained glass. It’s for sale and I was able to snag a tour thanks to a very kind realtor. It was emotional, but such a treat. As much as I’ve always wanted to own it, it’s out of my range for now. Grandparents bought it for $145,000 and it’s now listed for $750,000 🥲 I hope whoever buys it cherishes it forever.
Also, it used to be a burgundy red like a barn with white trim.
I’m exhausted, stressed, (kinda) broke, and it’s nowhere near done but we successfully saved a falling house.
Lifted her about 4” and added columns into the new rear wall, and new replacement sill joists (LVLs) along with other sistering/joist replacement/leveling. We even managed to tack on a bulkhead within budget.
It’s not the prettiest, it’s not the best, but it’s keeping another home from being leveled. There’s still a lot of work to be done as is evidenced. But this is what kept me up at night for years. Hope to tackle all the exterior siding/trim work next year (and yes reroute our gutters).
Bonus picture of our next ongoing project: ripping out all the cast iron. Served its purpose but it wasn’t well taken care of over the years and we’re having more frequent leaks and clogs at the main.
Old owners went crazy style on the painting.
TL:DR - Bought a 100yo dream house and am completely paralyzed by paint choices. Help!
My partner and I recently bought our dream home, and paint colors have completely paralyzed me.
It’s a 100yo farmhouse with a lot of character, and we are currently doing a complete electrical overhaul. We’re hiding all of the wires behind metal conduit and crown molding, so trim paint is the priority, and tons of wall patching, etc.
I have officially entered paint sample paralysis.
I have tried a dozen colors. Every wall looks different. Every room gets different light. The current color is really yellow in person, which is not my aesthetic. Colors that I love on one wall look muddy on another wall in the same room. I have a dozen whites that I can’t decide on. And I really, really don’t want to turn this house into a sad millennial gray house.
I want something cozy and timeless. I’ve used ChatGPT to build some palettes, but I don’t trust my instincts anymore.
So I’m throwing myself at the mercy of the Century House hive mind. Please help me crowdsource this. I need your collective wisdom. What would you do?
I’m including:
- Photos of the new house (from listing)
- Some of the color palettes I’ve been playing with
- A few photos of my previous century home, because I think it shows my general style
- A few with the electrical redone and crown installed
My fiancé and I bought a house in January. It’s beautiful but every time we upgrade/fix something another issue pops up. We got a new HVAC system recently and the new thermostat has a humidity readout, so now we’re aware of how humid it is inside. HVAC guys have done everything they can, even upgrading us for free to a unit with additional dehumidifying power, so it’s not on them anymore. Went in the crawl space and it’s very humid in there. No standing water, but a lot of moisture. The vapor barrier is in horrid condition, so we’ve had a couple contractors out, but they both have refused to quote for a new vapor barrier and insist on upselling us to a full encapsulation system. We find it hard to believe that the house has stood for a hundred years and suddenly needs a very modern invasive intervention. Does anyone have any insight on humidity issues in old homes?
For context:
- coastal Virginia
- humidity fluctuates between 66 and 74%
- pier and beam foundation with block brick wall and brick facing
This how was built in 1925. We just moved in a few years ago. This just don’t look right. I am happy to get a roofer in the fix these 2 split and 1 drilled? But I’d love to know how scary this actually is and how much it should cost to fix in a suburb of Chicago. Any expertise would be MUCH appreciated!
We bought this home built in 1911 but can’t pin point what style it is .
Had a salesman come to my door. He said my courtyard transported him to old Spain. We sat and had tea and talked about the house. He forgot to try to sell me his product. I was flattered.
I have a few of these old fixtures in my house that I’m going to rewire and get cleaned up while the whole house is being rewired. I’m good on the rewire portion, but after cleaning the fixtures the finish is very uneven and worn. Any tips for how to brighten these up? I’ve read conflicting info on paint vs wax vs lacquer. The majority of the fixture is iron.
I just love looking at this old, dirty cast iron manifold. The house is from 1857 but the pipes (which along the ceiling are wrapped in horse hair) are most likely from 1895. The boiler obviously is newer.
Thought this was nice. $229,000. Wish I had an extra $300k.
I am a carpenter apprentice. Big project for myself is building window sashes for my home. Current ones are all plastic, except the prior owners were smart and kept all the windows that had special features (stain glass, leaded glass) and replaced only the simpler 1:1's.
From the windows that remain, it is clear the sash pulls were in the same style as all the door hardware. I found the door hardware in this catalog book here; an exact match along with the sash pulls!
It seems this exact style was not so popular in its time. I can find very few examples for sale online. And, after a year of searching, I have found zero examples of the sash pulls.
There are some examples that are similar, but they are pointed, and in my opinion wouldn't be harmonious enough to use.
Should I give up? What would you do?
I pressed it, there’s no give to it
Perhaps some kind of weeping system?
Hi folks, new(ish) century home owner here tackling my first major project which came up unexpectedly. I was regrouping my tiled shower walls, only to discover some serious water permeation; there was no real waterproof backing behind the tile walls, so a decent amount of mold and other nasties. I tore these nice vintage tiles out to get everything prepped for water-resistant backer board and some kind of waterproof membrane. However, I broke quite a few tiles in the process, and am now discovering it is rather difficult (and expensive) to find these tiles, or anything close to them.
I believe these tiles are from Florida Tile, and are 4-3/8”. I love the look of them, and the rest of my bathroom is tiled in the same color/size, so I’d hate to have to re-tile my entire bathroom instead of just three shower walls.
Does anyone have any advice on finding similar tiles? Is my best bet finding salvaged tiles on EBay, or is there a company out there that manufactures these? I doubt I’ll find the exact same tiles, but I have enough of the pink that I’d be happy to expand the white tiling you see underneath the shower head to other walls. Much appreciated folks, thank you!
Hello, fellow Century Home folks, I am in need of some guidance.
My husband and I bought a home in Chicago in December 2024 that was built in 1913, and we're trying to bring it back from years of landlord special paint jobs, sloppy repairs, and general neglect.
I suspect that our home had a coal fueled gravity furnace at one point, as there is a coal chute in our basement behind our current furnace, and we have some funky old ductwork (according to the HVAC people). That being said, I don't know if these registers are from 1913 or later after the octopus furnace was removed, as I was unable to find any that match these exactly.
All of the air registers in our house look exactly like this one, except the ones in our kitchen, bathrooms, and basement. This is also one of the only registers not covered in layers of white/copper paint.
My question is, what might these be made of, and what is my best course of action in terms of rust removal, paint removal, refinishing, etc.?
If they are cast iron, do I get them sandblasted and powder coated? If they are some kind of coated steel, do I remove the rust and paint them with Rustoleum? Is that black coating on the first two pictures japanning, enamel, paint? I really like the design, so I'd like to keep them if possible. Thank you!
Pictures are of various registers throughout the first and second floor.