design idea - hoosier

We're going to go see this one tomorrow on our way up to or back from the house.  Probably makes more sense to see it on the way back since the car will be packed to the gills with the hardwood flooring so we wouldn't be able to take it even if we love it.
Not sure which brand it is, but it is oak and it apparently has a nice finish and the enamel on the countertop is in great shape.  And it is 48" wide, whereas most are just 36" wide - so it's big.  I like the look of it - wish more of the wood were quarter or rift sawn though.  The only issue I know of is that the roll top needs to be fixed - apparently the canvas backing has deteriorated so it needs to be re-glued to new backing - how hard could that be?
OOOH! And it's on wheels!
What do you think? (and don't talk to me about the pottery next to it or that silly goose on top)

Stove - FREE on Craigslist

This vintage stove just popped up free on Craigslist and it turns out it is about 2 miles from the house.  I love the look of it.  The only downside is that it has a small oven - the left side door is just a storage space for baking pans and the like.  But it is a groovy old Welbilt stove and it is already converted for liquid propane use.  So that is a bonus.
The big riser on the back and the upper storage unit is called a "bread warmer" and it comes off.
What do you think?

Hardwood Flooring

So, I managed to get all the hardwood out of the back of the car and bundled up by length and into the living room.  I measured and did the math and it seems we have 199 square feet.  So, accounting for warped, damaged or otherwise undersirable boards, I expect we'll have about 180 square feet.
So, the plan is to use this stuff in the foyer and on the upper landing.  The lower landing is done in some funny little terra cotta tiles that survived the fire so that's something we don't have to re-do.
Anyway, it really is very exciting.  Here it is.

design ideas - BIG NYC! hardwood flooring / interior windows

Let's be very clear about this: I took these pix myself on my cellphone - that's why they don't look amazing.  Tough!

So, first of all, here's about 1/3 of the hardwood flooring we picked up the other day at BIG NYC. I measured it all and did some math and it comes to 85.4 square feet of flooring.  The long boards are still in the back of the car.  I have to unload them tomorrow night.  V and I bundled this pile out behind the car on the street this evening then brought it into the house just to get it out of the car so that I can use the car on Friday afternoon for other things. (I bought a big roll of hemp rope just for the occasion)

Also included here are pix of these old casement windows we picked up at BIG NYC.  We're thinking we'll try to use these around the soffit / upper wall (whatever you call that thing) around the kitchen.  We'll see.  In any case, they were cheap and they look pretty cool and they have neat old hardware on them.

design ideas - apron-front kitchen sinks

So, I think we're agreed that we want an apron-front kitchen sink.  They're just so big and nice (and they hold like a week's-worth of dishes, which is perfect for me).  So, here they are, apron-front kitchen sinks:

1 - Kohler – Hawthorne™ apron-front, tile-in kitchen sink (over $1800.00)

2 - Kohler – Verity® apron-front undercounter kitchen sink (over $2600.00)

3 - Belle Foret Farm Apron Front $408

4 - http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/ny/kitchen/simple-kitchen-backsplashes--110954

5 - http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/chicago/look/heathers-bungalow-kitchen-update-047289

(sink apparently from Ikea!)

6 – What do we think of the under-counter mounted apron-front sink? - http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/dc/house-tours/courtney-andys-cape-codhouse-call-112527

7 - http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/dc/house-tours/courtney-andys-cape-codhouse-call-112527

(again, the Ikea sink! – I'm going to have to check this out)

 

8 - Whitehaus Apron Front Classic Farm House Sink 30 x 20 x 10 - ~$975.00- http://shop.designerplumbing.com/store/WHITEH58.html

And here are a few pics from shorelychic.blogspot.com: http://shorelychic.blogspot.com/2010/10/farmhouse-sinks.html

design idea - hoosiers

So, it turns out that there are these old oak kitchen cabinets called "Hoosiers" and somehow I never heard of them.  I've seen a few here and there, usually re-painted in awful colors, but these things are lovely.  They were the predecessor to built-in cabinets I guess.  They have a deeper lower cabinet-counter section with an enameled countertop and then the top cupboard section is shallower and is a separate piece with attaches with bolts or a bracket or something.
The details are crazy - most of them seem to have a flour bin with sifter-dispenser built in.  They have all sorts of weights and measures info inside the cabinet doors and who knows what other great details.  Plus, I love the brass hardware on the latching cabinets.
Anyway, so aside from the heresy (heresy?) of it (and maybe the price), what is to stop a person from just lining a bunch of the bottom sections up against a wall, putting on a single layer of stone or wood as kitchen counter and then mounting the upper sections to the kitchen wall and calling it built-ins?
Look at the detail on these things!

Hardwood Flooring

We picked up several hundred square feet of this yesterday at BIG NYC for less than a buck a square foot.  The entire back of the car is piled high with the stuff.
It's 3" width T&G.  I think it's oak, but I'm not entirely sure.  It's too dark to be maple.  Heavy like oak.  I wonder.  Doesn't really matter.
Plan is to put it in the entry foyer and on the upper landing - I figure we'll have more than enough.

design idea - hardwood flooring

These pix are from the Waldilla website - they're a flooring manufacturer.  

 Basically, what they do is scan the boards into a computer then use software to match grain patterns - curves, knots and so forth - and then CNC cut the boards (standard T&G edging) and then create a map for installation.

My question is this: Could a couple guys with a planer, a jigsaw, a big roll of butcher paper and a lot of time on their hands achieve a similar effect starting with 1 inch maple boards?  Fine, we couldn't tongue and groove the edges, but we could certainly bevel the edges so that each piece fit slightly under the next one, thereby hiding the screws and ensuring that where there are little gaps they don't appear to be deep cravasses.

Windows!!! (Before & After)

3 out of 4 people surveyed prefer houses with windows!!

Before:

After:

Current Status - ancillary items

So, here are some pix I shot today around the house:

 Daffodils!!!

 The house may be a wreck, but at least we have daffodils!

 

This is the last of the fire damage - once repaired, the hot tub will reside here.

 The contractor thinks this skylight might be too big to use where I intended. I am certain it will fit though. 

The vegetable garden needs weeding and planting, but the plot is flat and fenced in and ready to go. Hurrah!!

Assembled and ready to host!