Dreaming Your Dreams
We all dream in our lives. Starting in childhood and through teen years. We even dream our dreams in our young, middle adult hood and right up to our older years. What is it inside that makes us yearn to have dreams, search our dreams, capture and even to hold on to our dreams? I have had my dream since I was 5 years old and my Father took me to an old house where he was doing some work. I told him then as I looked up at this beautiful house full of gables, towers, gingerbread and ornate trim "I was someday going to have a house like that." Well, it took me many years(to many to count) and now I am restoring my 1st 1905 Victorian home. No it is not as grand as the one in childhood. But it is mine and I am so pleased to be able to restore such a great lady. Yes, she is a lady of time, treasures and grace. I have named her "My Golden Lady" as she is one hundred and five years old. A century of ware and tear but most of all love. I can tell she was loved by all the owners before I had the blessing to buy her for my family. I am so honored to put back her treasures and to regain her strength so generations after myself and family can let someone else come take care of her. So to answer the question I asked at the top of the page. " What is it inside that makes us yearn to have dreams, search our dreams, capture and even to hold on to our dreams"? It is to keep us alive in heart and hope. It is to remember never to give up on those two words. For they are as important to us as is the word love. God Bless, Lady Echo 11/27/2009
DREAM LAND
Where sunless rivers weep
Their waves into the deep,
She sleeps a charmed sleep:
Awake her not.
Led by a single star,
She came from very far
To seek where shadows are
Her pleasant lot.
She left the rosy morn,
She left the fields of corn,
For twilight cold and lorn
And water springs.
Through sleep, as through a veil,
She sees the sky look pale,
And hears the nightingale
That sadly sings.
Rest, rest, a perfect rest
Shed over brow and breast;
Her face is toward the west,
The purple land.
She cannot see the grain
Ripening on hill and plain;
She cannot feel the rain
Upon her hand.
Rest, rest, for evermore
Upon a mossy shore;
Rest, rest at the heart's core
Till time shall cease:
Sleep that no pain shall wake;
Night that no morn shall break
Till joy shall overtake
Her perfect peace
WHAT IS VICTORIAN ARCHITECTURAL STYLE
What, exactly, is a Victorian? Many people use the term to describe an architectural style. However, Victorian is not really a style but a period in history. The Victorian era dates from about 1840 to 1900. During this time, industrialization brought many innovations in architecture. There are a variety of Victorian styles, each with its own distinctive features.The most popular Victorian styles spread quickly through widely published pattern books. Builders often borrowed characteristics from several different styles, creating unique, and sometimes quirky, mixes. Buildings constructed during the Victorian times usually have characteristics of one or more these styles:Gothic Revival Architecture Victorian Gothic buildings feature arches, pointed windows, and other details borrowed from the middle ages. Masonry Gothic Revival buildings were often close replicas of Medieval cathedrals. Wood-frame Gothic Revival buildings often had lacy "gingerbread" trim and other playful details.Victorian Italianate Architecture Rebelling against formal, classical architecture, Italianate became the one of the most popular styles in the United States. With low roofs, wide eaves, and ornamental brackets, Italianate is sometimes called the bracketed style .Second Empire or Mansard Style Characterized by their boxy mansard roofs, these buildings were inspired by the architecture in Paris during the reign of Napoleon III.Victorian Stick Architecture Trusses and stickwork suggest medieval building techniques on these relatively plain Victorian buildings.Folk Victorian Just plain folk could afford these no-fuss homes, using trimwork made possible by mass production.Shingle Style Architecture Often built in costal areas, these shingle-sided homes are rambling and austere. But, the simplicity of the style is deceptive. The Shingle Style was adopted by the wealthy for grand estates.Richardsonian Romanesque Architecture Architect Henry Hobson Richardson is often credited with popularizing these romantic buildings. Constructed of stone, they resemble small castles. Romanesque was used more often for large public buildings, but some private homes were also built in the imposing Romanesque style.Victorian Queen Anne Architecture Queen Anne is the most elaborate of the Victorian styles. Buildings are ornamented with towers, turrets, wrap around porches, and other fanciful details.Periods & Styles in ArchitectureArchitecture Time LineHouse StylesQueen Anne Picture GalleryVictorian House PlansTop Victorian PlanbooksReproduction Victorian PlansVictorian Plans by WomenVictorian Plans on the WebVictorian StationRelated ArticlesHigh Victorian Gothic RevivalHow to Identify the Greek Revival Style of ArchitectureHouse Styles and Home ArchitectureThe Gothic RevolutionIs This House a Folk Victorian - House Styles
HOW OLD IS YOUR HOME
The real estate lady says the house was built in 1962. The elderly man down the street remembers playing on the porch when he was a boy... 60 years ago. But one look at the kitchen, and you know they're both wrong. This place is practically prehistoric!Unless your house is brand new, it may be difficult to pinpoint its birthday. Houses often aren't built all in one piece. Rooms are added, additions built, roofs raised, porches redesigned. Written records of construction and renovation can be confusing and conflicting.To make sense of it all, you need to be an architecture sleuth. Here's how.1. Try to identify the architectural style of your house.Look at the shape of the roof and the placement of the windows. Explore Web resources such as our House Styles Index, or books such as A Field Guide to American Houses by Virginia & Lee McAlester. Knowing the style of your home will help you place it in a historic period.2. Examine the physical evidence. The building materials and construction methods used for your home contain many clues. A trained investigator can date a house by studying its wood, plaster, mortar, and paint. For technical instructions, print out a copy of Architectural Investigation. This Preservation Brief from the U.S. Department of Interior is a primer for the pros.3. Check the title.If your house is very old, the title may not list all owners. However, it can provide the name of the previous owner... and this information will help you locate people who can answer some of your questions.4. Ask around. Talk to survivors of the previous owners, neighbors, the meter reader, the mail carrier, local carpenters and plumbers, and anyone else who might know something about the house. Their memories might be faint, but someone may have an old photograph, a bill, or written correspondence that will help place your house in time.5. Visit the Tax Assessor.The tax roll for your home is located at your local City Hall, Town Hall, County Courthouse, or municipal building. This document will list each person who owned your property, and the value of the property. Over the years, the value usually climbs at a steady pace. An abrupt increase often means that new construction occurred. The year your property became more valuable may be, in fact, the year your house was built on a previously empty lot.6. Visit your County Register of Deeds.While you're downtown, stop into the Registrar's office and ask to see the tract index or a grantor-grantee index for your house. Translated from legalize, this means that you are asking to see a listing of transactions involving your property. In addition to providing dates, these records will give you names of everyone who ever purchased the land your house is on... Or who ever filed a suit against it!7. Follow the Paper Trail.By this time, you probably already have a pretty good idea about the age of your house. Research is addictive, however. You may not be able to resist scouting out nuggets of information buried in resources like these:Biographies of people who lived in your areaGuidebooks of your townLocal newspapersCensus recordsCity directories and phone booksAcademic papersFamily bibles and genealogiesInsurance recordsWills and probate recordsCity plans and feasibility studiesStill Stumped?You can always try an old trick real estate agents often use: Check your toilet. Lift the lid of the tank and look for a date. If your house is fairly new, the toilet date will correspond closely with the construction date. And if your house is old... Well, at least you know the age of your toilet. Throw a birthday party!Research Your Old HouseFind the Original Floor PlanHistoric House StylesArchitectural Investigation
ON NAMING A HOUSE POEM
On Naming a House
WHEN I a householder became
I had to give my house a name.
I thought I'd call it "Poplar Trees,"
Or "Widdershins" or "Velvet Bees,"
Or "Just Beneath a Star."
Or "As You Like It," "If You Please,"
Or "Nicotine" or "Bread and Cheese,"
"Full Moon" or "Doors Ajar."
But still I sought some subtle charm,
Some rune to guard my roof from harm
And keep the devil far;
A thought of this, and I was saved!
I had my letter-heads engraved
The House Where Brown Eyes Are.
Christopher Morley
Well we started digging into the concrete today in our basement. What a mess! It is very hard labor, digging and hauling out dirt. We are putting in a full bathroom and it has nothing in the room so we are starting from a blank canvass so to speak.We are do it yourself people so we do have our work cut out for us. We are putting in a drain and all the plumbing 1st. I will let you know how we do. Or if we sink in the sewers of beginners.Echo :)
I have decided to make a blog about my restoration in my 1905 Victorian home. I have been in the home for 6 years now. I have done a lot but much much more needs to be done. I am doing this blog to better understand how much I have done, how much more to go and to see the gratification of posting it and seeing results and most of all keeping my sanity. It is hard work, very expensive and sometimes very frustrating. But it also is fun, rewarding and a time I know I will always remember with many emotions. ECHO Nov.22,2009 Well, I have been away for a bit. Many things going on in my life. We are still restoring as it seems there is always something more to do. We have gotten many things started but it seems never finish just yet. It is frustrating but I do see a light (I hope) at the end of this tunnel. I will be posting some pictures for you to see shortly. We have done some great things outside this year. We made a beautiful side and front brick courtyard. It is very nice. Well, I have some errands to run but I will be back. August9,2010
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