One Project Closer

Jennifer @ Tiny Old House kindly agreed to do OPC’s first house blogger interview. According to her blog, she’s a lover of old, small houses, has a few skills in remodeling, and has an interest in environmental methods. I’ve seen Jennifer’s comments on many house blogs. She’s offerred me some really helpful ones here (Jennifer introduced me to Habitat ReStores and the potential for Asbestos in Stipple and Popcorn Ceilings). So, I think she makes a perfect candidate for my first shot at an interview.

Jennifer authorized me to copy pictures from her blog and put them in the interview. But, her blog is well worth visiting. I suggest following the links she provided throughout. OK, on with the show…

What’s your house blog name and web address?

Tiny Old House http://tinyoldhouse.blogspot.com/

Is this your first house blog? (If not, what others have you had?)

It is our first houseblog… it’s also our first house. I’ve found it is quite fun and motivating to log the progress (or lack of) on our house.

Describe your house for us:

Our house is a pyramidal cottage (or hipped roof box), with a back addition tacked on. It’s 897 square feet, and was built in 1911. The main house is basically a four room square with a room in each corner and the furnace/water heater in the middle. It has a pyramid shaped roof and a front porch. If you walk down our street, there are 8 houses with an identical floorplan and shape… obviously a popular style in 1911!

http://tinyoldhouse.blogspot.com/2007/11/what-in-world-is-my-house-part-2.html

When you walk in the front door, you are standing in the living room. Ahead of you is the open kitchen, and to your right is the first bedroom. The second bedroom is in the far right corner, and there is a bathroom between them. At the back of the main house is the addition, which houses our bedroom and laundry room… both unfinished, of course.

There is little to no indication of original style (apart from the porch columns) as almost everything was replaced in the 1970’s and 80’s. We are redoing the house in a somewhat modern interpretation of a simple Victorian style with Craftsman elements, as the porch columns hint at. We figure as long as we keep it simple, and from the 1900’s to 1910’s, we should be fine.

What made you buy this house?

Well, unlike the rest of the houses we looked at in our tiny price range, it wasn’t falling down, didn’t have huge structural issues, and wasn’t on a highway. It was kind of ugly, but the wiring and plumbing had both been updated somewhat recently.

Oh, and the home inspector said that it was one of the best 1911 houses he had ever seen as far as condition.

What’s the biggest, hardest, or craziest (pick one or more) project you’ve completed so far?

Our biggest project so far has been the kitchen cabinets and new microwave. We’d never done anything like it before, and there was a pretty big learning curve. Now that we know how to hang cabinets, it’s pretty easy… we’ve hung the old ones in the laundry room and garage in 10 minutes or so each.

Our hardest and craziest project was probably doing the disposal of the branches from our tree trimming (saving thousands). 47 FULL pickup loads of tree branches to the city recycling center, in 100 degree heat… and it turns out one of us is allergic to elm trees. Fun week for all. All 17 trees are now fully trimmed and healthy.

What project(s) are you working on now?

Right now I am finishing up the bathroom. We laid slate floors last month, and now I am scrapping off the old texture and priming for some new paint. I still have to cut slate baseboards and hang the new 60 lb bathroom door. I’m dreaming about slate tiling the tub surround, too… but that might be a later project.

http://tinyoldhouse.blogspot.com/search/label/Bathroom

What’s the biggest project you haven’t started yet?

Laying the 100 year old heart pine flooring in the kitchen and living rooms. It was salvaged out of a bungalow down in Denver, and has never been sanded… it should be an interesting experience. Neither of us has laid wood floors before.The other big project will probably be creating the master bedroom out of the back addition.

Is there a room or area in your house that you love the most? Why?

I really like our kitchen right now… I love what we did with the colors, and the stain glass window we found is perfect in the space. I can’t wait for the counter tops and floors!

http://tinyoldhouse.blogspot.com/2007/11/great-kitchen-remodel-70-done.html

Would you buy your house again? (Why/why not)

If the question is “Would I buy it if we were to go back in time?”, then yes. It’s perfect for us at this point…there is nothing original to destroy or mess up as we learn. At 847 square feet, it’s just the right size for two people and 2 curly puppies.

Would I buy it for our next house? No… I want something with a little more of a defined character/style about it next time. I long for other people’s built-ins, original wood floors, and bathroom fixtures. Next time.

Would you like to add anything else?

Thanks so much for allowing me to babble on about my house! It’s been a lot of fun to be a part of a community of fellow home improvers, renovators, and such over the internet. I get new and great ideas every day from other’s experiences… and learn from other’s problems and mistakes. I only hope that others will learn from mine.

—-

Jennifer, Thanks for sharing your time! It is awesome to be a part of a big online community of folks you otherwise wouldn’t meet.

If you’re interested in interviewing at OPC, please leave a comment on this post.