Helen's House continued

Here is a postcard picture of Helen's house taken before 1915. I am not able to identify the person with the dog in the photograph.

 

 Here is how the house looks today. Helen kept everything. I am certain that I could find the receipt for the asbestos siding in her papers and tell you exactly when it was installed and the cost. I could probably tell you when the porch was redone and when the roof was last installed. Maybe I will .... later.

 Here are some pictures from inside the house. One of the reasons we wanted to buy it was because the woodwork had NEVER been painted and was original from 1900. The windows need restored due to sun exposure but internally the woodwork is in pristine condition.

Helen left a few things when she moved including her piano which she bought in 1951. I paid her an extra $800 for items left in the house that had some value, including an unused oak wardrobe and the cedar casket in the attic. That is right, I said casket. There is a story about this.

Here are the pocket doors. They have the original skeleton key as do most of the doors in the house.

We bought this secretary bookcase at auction for $100. Ten years ago this would have sold for $450.It would seem that people are no longer interested in Victorian furniture.

We bought this dining room set with china cabinet and buffet for just $350 at an auction which surprised us. We figured that it would cost at least $500. I am not complaining, just letting you know that auctions are worth considering if you are in the market for old style furniture.

These two love seats cost just $30 for the pair. The chair was $12 and the rocker was $40. I guess rockers are still popular!

This secretary desk cost $75 at auction and will end up being a TV stand. The DVD player will go in the desk and some DVDs can go in the side cabinets and the remote in a top drawer.  Nothing like repurposing old furniture!

Next I will show you the kitchen and the basement. The kitchen has already been painted and re-tiled so there are some before and after pictures. The basement is interesting. You can learn a lot about old houses by looking in the basement.