As many readers know, I'll be moving to a small farm town in a few months and I'm having trouble finding a house that excites me. In desperation I considered taking a house that (possibly) nobody else wanted...something the local eccentric used to live in, with a dining area in the hallway and a half-hidden kitchen. It had a weird vibe, too...like an exorcist would be required.
But scratch that. I'm too superstitious to live in something that needs an exorcist. I don't want to be dragged into Hell just because I tried to eat a piece of pie in the middle of the night.
That's not the house I was talking about above, but it's similar. This one is a lot more cheerful. Anyway, thinking about eccentric little houses in the woods got me thinking about older houses and how they frequently have more to offer than newer ones.
Now I'm thinking that a remodeled version of something old may be my best bet. I like this redo (above) of a traditional French kitchen. It has space for a large, cottage-style social table, and that's useful for more than just entertaining. It's a staging area where you can lay out all your ingredients for a meal before cooking, all the while listening to audio books or music. Nice, eh?
BTW, I noticed that older French houses are frequently built a little bit lower than ground level. Why is that? I assume its an adaptation to the uneven level of the ground, but maybe I'm wrong. Doesn't rain water seep into a house that's below ground level?
Who wants to live in a modernist box? I can't imagine entertaining friends in a house like this (above).
But what am I talking about? Apart from relatives I won't have any friends. People where I'm going think Californians are freaks.
6 comments:
I like old houses. A lot of the houses where I live are old, and I always enjoy getting to see the weird, unique features they have whenever I (or a friend) moves into one. Tiny little rooms, or kitchen windows that extend out from the wall, old intercom boxes...etc.
Here in The Holler, we aren't prejudiced against Californians, but if you're from Florida you get the side eye.
Nodnar: I like the old ones, too. There's some great modern houses out there but they tend to be designed by architects, which means they're one-of-a-kind and costly.
Mahala: Haw! I'll tell my Florida friends that you said that!
You're going to be bonding with the Lowes and Home Depot shoppers, since you're going to be seeing a lot of them. Buying an old house will always have you thinking of projects, or having them imposed upon you. I used to do historic restoration and preservation in the Delaware Valley region, (Bucks County PA and Hunterdon County NJ) - the older homes were 18th C, so when new owners wanted modern conveniences, they were in for a months-long project.
You may want to get a subscription to Fine Homebuilding and binge-watch "This Old House"
I got out of the business to get my BFA and MFA in illustration... yeah THAT's how tough it was!
Wishing you an uneventful move and the house of your dreams!
Z: Holy Mackerel!!!!! Thanks for the heads up! Hmmmm...I've gotta think about this!
When I bought my house, I hired a contractor and had everything done before I moved in. It's too much of an inconvenience to remodel when you're living there at the same time. Imagine being without a kitchen or bathroom for a week!
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