Thread: How do you get that old feeling in an old-styled house?

I'm thinking about building a little home in and old style, but I want it to feel like an old home.
Most old styled homes look like Vegas... Not that authentic.

Has anyone come up with this problem and found a solution? Any tips?

I've owned older and newer homes and I know what you mean..... Just something about the "character" of an older home that does it for me......do they even do plaster and lathe walls anymore???

Use reclaimed materials. i.e. reclaimed hardwood floors, interior doors and so forth. Plus make sure the details you follow match the time period you're looking for.

Originally Posted by J08M3

Use reclaimed materials. i.e. reclaimed hardwood floors, interior doors and so forth. Plus make sure the details you follow match the time period you're looking for.

Bingo, reclaimed floors do wonders to a room. You simply cannot machine "character" into a wood floor.

Originally Posted by Forfend

Bingo, reclaimed floors do wonders to a room. You simply cannot machine "character" into a wood floor.

exactly..... i have some heart pine floors that were painted over in spots..... in the areas where they've been refinished, they're amazing...

Yeah, that's how you provide a new look to the old houses providing it a touch of your genuineness. I think that this is something that many people find interesting as living in a house that looks and feels quite different from the others just makes you stand out of the crowd.

i actually own both a new and old home on the same property (my ranch)
the house that is new is just getting finished. the house that is old dates back to the 1830s. it is a former plantation main house..complete with the house slave quarters and the field slave quarters are still intact as well. it is a historically protected landmark in our county....we are very fond of it. the pane glass is civil war era...all the hvac is modern..the pine and maple flooring are from the turn of the last century...and are doing perfect...it isnt energy effecient like our new house is...but it has character. one thing to consider about older houses..especially this old is that people seemed to be small back then..the staircases (three of them including the servants) are narrow and steep...some of the ceilings are short..i forgot to mention..it has a one room school built into it as well. its pretty nice.
I have seen people try to duplicate old homes..and a lot of people (friends or friends of friends or family) come by to get some design ideas for their houses. it never turns out the same...just does not have the character this house has. I dont see myself ever selling it...knock on 110 year old wood.

Originally Posted by Bignmz04

i actually own both a new and old home on the same property (my ranch)
the house that is new is just getting finished. the house that is old dates back to the 1830s. it is a former plantation main house..complete with the house slave quarters and the field slave quarters are still intact as well. it is a historically protected landmark in our county....we are very fond of it. the pane glass is civil war era...all the hvac is modern..the pine and maple flooring are from the turn of the last century...and are doing perfect...it isnt energy effecient like our new house is...but it has character. one thing to consider about older houses..especially this old is that people seemed to be small back then..the staircases (three of them including the servants) are narrow and steep...some of the ceilings are short..i forgot to mention..it has a one room school built into it as well. its pretty nice.
I have seen people try to duplicate old homes..and a lot of people (friends or friends of friends or family) come by to get some design ideas for their houses. it never turns out the same...just does not have the character this house has. I dont see myself ever selling it...knock on 110 year old wood.

Got pics of the house???

I have an old Victorian house, built around 1870. It definitely has a ton of character, but I don't think maintaining a century + home is what I want to keep doing lol.

Every time we do any work to the house, take down wall etc we find something cool. I took down an old ceiling because of a plumbing issue, and found a newspaper from WW1 hidden in the ceiling (pointing to a renovation in November 1915)

MTK accomplished this. You walk into his home and feel like you're in an old Mission. However, the technology is first rate. The pics on here do it justice for it's architecture, but in person, it feels like a very old, comfortable home.

Originally Posted by Waldoonay

Got pics of the house???

I have an old Victorian house, built around 1870. It definitely has a ton of character, but I don't think maintaining a century + home is what I want to keep doing lol.

Every time we do any work to the house, take down wall etc we find something cool. I took down an old ceiling because of a plumbing issue, and found a newspaper from WW1 hidden in the ceiling (pointing to a renovation in November 1915)

I have some pics...I will post them in a seperate thread
ya...we found bunch of crap...not just the house but the slave quarters as well.
found two old dueling pistols (dont know what kind..gave em to my dad)
leg irons for slaves
whips.
a saddle with bullet holes.
some pics...and lots of glass items..