colonial houses

Wallflowers

~ thedailydish ~ 11 Comments

And swirls.  Gilded geometric patterns.  Trees sprouting from the minds of men long gone. Welcome to the third *wall* post of the week.  It couldn’t be helped.

Like these forms, my husband & I have fallen into a pattern – not of shapes or colors, but of morning conferences.  Once the kids are off to school, we commune w/ the house & each other, laying out plans for the day (and ensuing days to come).  We were up in the attic an hour ago, when we came upon this cache of wallpaper.  Hidden beneath all that wood!  In the bottom of a cooper’s barrel.  We were searching for trim for the dining room.  The former owner – God bless him- was a collector, and saved every scrap we’d need.  They’re flaking, still w/ the hand forged nails of the Georgian period.  We’re not sure where each of them goes, but thankfully the peeling paint matches, and piece by piece the puzzle takes shape and the picture begins to emerge.

What I found when I ripped down my wall.

~ thedailydish ~ 16 Comments

I’d planned on discussing more chimney stuff today, but I got too involved w/ work, it’s now 8pm and time for wine.  So I’ll just show you what I found in the wall.

BACKGROUND: A major reason John & I were able to buy this house is b/c two rooms on the first floor need to be restored.  One room is more complete than the other, but basically both need floors. and either partial or full reconstruction of the walls.  We have sketched out a plan for the first of these two rooms – which just happens to be the one needing more work.  Of course.  I spent the bulk of today working on Room #1.  This will be our dining room, once it’s restored.

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The Mystery Flue.

~ thedailydish ~ 9 Comments

One of the most striking things about our new (olde) house is its original heating system.  Not oil, not gas, but CHIMNEYS!  Downstairs in the basement you can see the bottom arches of these massive brick structures, rising from the ground like roman aqueducts.  Impressive in scale and beautiful in form and function.  This Book speaks at length about colonial chimneys and is a great read for anyone interested in the subject.

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Meet My House.

~ thedailydish ~ 14 Comments

Nearly 2 months since closing & I’m still awestruck each time I come home.

the house

Welcome to my “new” house.  Better known as the Francis Waldo-Daniel Dole House of Stroudwater Village, Portland.  Yes, that is a mouthful.

Dole_House

Above is a street view taken a century ago.  Here’s what it looks like today.

home sweet home

TheHouse

This is the view from the back.  The house itself is spectacular, but it’s the yard that first drew us in.  Talk about beautiful.  Waking up to this each morning makes me thank God I am alive.  Although we’re still in Portland, we’re about as far away from the Old Port as you can be w/in city limits – about 10 minutes by car.  The feel of the place is suburban, almost rural.  Our neighborhood, Stroudwater Village, is one of the oldest sections of the city, founded in 1658 (according to the sign on Congress Street), but more often stated as 1727.  Our house – the Dole House – predates the American Revolution.  But we have yet to determine its exact age.  The former owners give the date as 1740.  We have a book which claims it was built between 1760 and 65.  An online reference states 1771-2.  At this point it’s anyone’s guess.  Officially, the oldest home in Portland – The Tate House – is right down the street and was built in 1755.   But it’s owned by an historical society and maintained as a museum.  It could be reasonably argued our house is the oldest surviving colonial residence in Portland.