The Dole House

Welcome to our next project!

~ thedailydish ~ 17 Comments

Re-tiling the upstairs bath.  A before shot:

upstairs hall bath

Not bad, huh?  Unfortunately, the 50s asbestos tile is falling into serious disrepair, particularly adjacent the tub.  The bath mat hides an awful lot.

bath mat masking ISSUES

beneath the mat the floor is falling apart

Several of the tiles are cracking and the bathroom sub-floor is beginning to rot.  My husband & I don’t want to risk more serious issues arising (like stepping out of the tub and falling through to the first floor vestibule).  Although we have a lot going on, this floor is getting worse by the day and cannot be put off any longer.  Lucky for us, we have already done the downstairs bath w/ mosaic tile, an inaugural project which was much more involved.  This bathroom should be a breeze by comparison.  (Famous last words.)

We only have the one tub, so we need to get this project done QUICKLY.  In our favor: It’s cold now, so we have a few days before we all start to smell.  Against us: we are going to need to bathe by next week.  Bottom line: We’re going to have to PUSH this project over the weekend.  Today’s agenda?  Removing the old tile.  And, once my husband returns from his day job, replacing the floor if necessary, and laying the backer board.  We’ve selected 12 inch black & white ceramic tile to replace what’s currently there.  Stay tuned for progress reports.  Wish us luck!

Wallflowers

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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.

The writing’s on the wall.

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Today we’re going to continue the wall theme — w/ a tribute to Dole House graffiti.  A mixture of old & new.

attic writing 1

attic writing 2

Upstairs in the attic, scrawled on the chimney plaster.  And on the attic beams.

writing on attic beam

Downstairs in the keeping room.

writing - keeping room

more writing - keeping room

behind the fridge

And in the kitchen.

kitchen graffiti

Downstairs in the basement there are signs.

basement signs

And yesterday – in addition to the dead rodent, I found writing behind the wall.

writing - dining room

What I found when I ripped down my wall.

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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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