My Old House 6/19

No one ever bought an old house as an investment -- at least no sane person ever did. To paraphrase Mickey Spillane, "You buy an old house for love, the kind of love that hits you right between the eyes and lets you know that your life will never be the same." At least that's what I did. Before I knew it, I was tearing out walls, researching vintage wallpapers, and scouring eBay for just the right hardware and light fixture.

A Remodeler's Blog: Plans for the Future

This blog is the story of my "old house" and our, sometimes crazy, journey together. I'll be posting new articles every Monday about the projects I'm tackling and tips and ideas you can use for your "old house" projects. This summer I'll be plastering, painting, shopping for vintage iron hardware, and adding period window boxes and exterior lighting to the front of the house. At least that's what I have planned. Usually, reality, in the form of budgetary issues and pressing maintenance problems intrude on my best-laid plans, but we'll talk about that too.

Introductions

Let me introduce my house and myself. My house is a huge (4600 square foot), 1860 vintage, two-story brick and shingle structure in the middle of one of Cleveland, Ohio's (re)developing neighborhoods. She has quite a history. Now, a part of a sea of homes that stretches from Lake Erie to the Cuyahoga National Forest, south of downtown, she was once one of the only houses in the area, built by members of the Brach's Candy family. The former maid's quarters upstairs is now a rental suite and the back sun porch is now the garden room (pictured at left). I've added indoor plumbing, forced-air heating, and upgraded wiring, but the place still retains an original tin ceiling (more on that later), bead-board paneling, and leaded glass windows.

About Me

As for me, I'm a writer who comes from a long line of interior designers and who has taught herself architectural design piece by piece as I've worked on the house. I consider myself an urban pioneer, trying to add a little beauty to the interior of the big city.

I hope you'll join me as we embark on new projects together.

Sandy

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