I think the headache of squeaky floors and cracked plaster was taken care of for you. lol. Put a glass knob on the door next to the FP.

I love the house and it has a lot of potential for decorating it. It looks like a wall was probably torn down between the kitchen and LR, but it's still nice.

Enjoy!

Yes, the family room off the kitchen and the master bedroom with classic 1920s features such as a vaulted ceiling and recessed lighting were part of the remodel!

Oh it has lots of charm. Most importantly, the warm wood floors, whether squeeky or not, and the original, right-sized windows, including the little octagonal one, to play up. What could be more comforting than your own little tub niche? I'd be in there an hour every night.

We live in a late 19th c. house and although we love the sense of history and character, DH hates!!!! the squeaky floors! I don't mind them, but I don't think I'd be upset if they had been "de-squeakified" prior to our arrival. ;)

That being said, your new home still looks like it has lots of character. Congrats!

You have the best of both worlds here.

There will always be questions as to why a builder/remodeler did this or that. (tray ceiling in master...)

But for the most part - it looks as though there are quite a few elements of charm that they attempted to incorporate in the remodel.

I'm glad you are showing the rest of the house.... I was yearning to look at more that your little sitting room. :-)

Can you add crown moulding to your kitchen and family room? I see that the cabinets go all the way to the ceiling (which I love) but a good carpenter can make that work when the moulding meets the cabinet.

What about your upstairs hallway and rest of the bedrooms? Is there crown there? (couldn't tell from the photos) I find that moulding is one of the easiest way to add warmth and charm.

The little details -- like glass knobs and a wicker set on that great back porch -- will get you where you want to me.

Beautiful home.... and it looks like it will be very easy to maintain, both inside and out.

Here is a link that might be useful: glass knobs

What a lovely house! Congratulations!

All of my floors squeak (and have worn differently) and almost none of my (original) door knobs actually latch, so count your blessings. :)

In reality, I probably wouldn't change much at all in your shoes, but here are some things to consider:
-- Adding crown, maybe increasing the height of the baseboards, maybe bulking up other trim (like around the windows and doors). This is one of my favorite things about my old (fairly plain) house. I think you can mimic original woodwork decently well.
-- Replacing doors with something that looks a bit more "authentic" (don't honestly know if I'd go that far, especially if you have solid wood doors now, but I think it would look nice)
-- Replacing some of the lighting with some that is vintage or vintage inspired. Check out Rejuvenation.

link

Here is a link that might be useful: Kellie's house

thanks for the replies and kind words, I really love the house too and know we will be very happy here. I am probably a litte Polyanna about the challenges that come with actually living in a "vintage" home that hasn't been remodeled, so I am happy to have a bit of both worlds.

jamies - the windows are actually new, which I am happy about. Many that we looked at had the old pulley windows where the pulley was cut. Plus I imagine much less drafty! The tub I like the idea of, but just don't like the execution. I don't like the tile halfway up the wall, I am not sure I like the arch above it. I'll definitely be looking for suggestions to change that unless i learn to love it once I move in.

hlove - maybe I like the idea of them more than I would like the reality of them. But when hunting I found them charming!

Janice - that is on my list of "to-dos" to add molding. Not sure how to tie it in to existing. I'll have to take a pic next time I get in (although you can kind of see it in one of the pictures). The molding from the dining room just "stops" in a hallway connecting it to the kitchen as does the paint color. It sounds odd, but I cant say it doesn't work. So if I add the crown, it will have to tie into that somehow (as well as the paint). That entire kitchen and family room are seriously bland so I can't wait to do ... something. Paint, window treatments, something. It needs some spicing up. Plus I know we'll live there about 90% of the time so I want to make it more cozy.

The upstairs only has crown in the master (by the tray ceiling) and think that it would look great up there.

StellaMarie - I agree about the doors, I don't think that the old style knobs would look right on these essentially builders grade doors. I am not sure they are solid wood. As far as I remember, they look like the doors in my 1990s suburban home. I'll look at the lights too, we replaced all the lights in my current house and feel it is such an easy fix.

Do you guys have any ideas on the style of this house so I know what is appropriate? And just for fun so you see where I am coming from...here is a house similar in location, size, price, amenities that I would have been drawn to but my husband likely would have objected too. These types of features are what I am comparing this too...I drool over the millwork (altough notice they posted no pics of the bedrooms so they must have been the tradeoff)
http://www.reeceandnichols.com/homes-for-sale/MO/Kansas-City/64113/5710-Central-Street-86057590#_

It looks plenty charming to me - why not just move in and live in it, things will wear out and give you the charm :)

I think it was done very appropriately and tastefully. Not all historical homes are a place you'd want to live often they can have very small closed in rooms, looks like they opened some thing up to bring more light and space. I wouldn't complain about that!

kellienoelle - you have a vintage 1920 center entrance colonial. I have a similar vintage CEC that we've updated and tried to keep much of the original charm. The first thing I notice in your house are the recessed lights and tray ceiling as incongruous with the vintage but I can't imagine you're interested in altering either. Changing out the light fixtures a room at a time will make a huge change and it can be fun hunting through antique stores and barn sales to find unique pieces.

It's a beautiful house and already has a lot of charm. Furniture and personal touches will go a long way towards minimizing elements that seem like builder standards. If you see similar things at a big box store, that 's where you want to make changes to more unique/vintage items. They don't have to be 100% true to 1920.

I can take pictures tomorrow afternoon of some of the fixtures we used and the door hardware which varies room to room. We don't have vintage fixtures everywhere but it does make a difference and I'm considering replacing them with things like you have for when we put our house on the market!! I would cry to leave them here and have someone toss them for a more modern look which our realtor says is likely.

Agree with adding molding if possible. Around the doors and baseboard. Just buy some small trim to place on top.
Also, I'm not in love with the doors. They are the same as mine and I have regretted using them.....mainly due to "they look like everyone else"

But just getting your furniture in will make a wonderful difference. And you might want to wait until things are settled in to get a feeling of all.

"Any ideas? "

Kids and dogs --- they'll age the house quickly.

But seriously, the house is already very lovely and charming. In addition to what others have suggested: no TV above the fireplace.
You could perhaps also change the bannister; the white looks a bit spindly.
Then, different tiles around the tub.
The fireplace with the grayish tiles looks a bit bulky and very straight.
But I really think once you move in and add your colors, furniture, and accessories, it'll be wonderful!

Yes dlm - I would love to see the fixtures that you selected! And you mentioned moving, are you planning on buying another older house? Regarding the ceiling, most people who have seen the house remark on it....they love it. I am sure my husband is tired of hearing me say in response "but it isn't authentic to a 1920 home!" But you are right, I am not inclined to change it.

technicolor...is this similar to the extra piece of trim that you are referring to? If so, that seems easy enough and it does feel like it could give me the look that I am after! I don't have any close ups of the moldings to see if that could work but fingers crossed.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/daily-bungalow/1087538429/

And agree on the doors, there is an architectual salvage store locally so I'll have lots of fun browsing their stock and trying to find some that fit the period and the frame. Shoot, I may have some fun trying to figure out how to refinish them myself. I am wondering how wood would look, even though the trim is white. Doing a quick internet search and it looks like about $800-1000 each. Ouch

nosoccormom - my husband is already talking about widening that alcove so our way too big tv will fit. Fortunately he is remarkably non handy so I think I'll be able to talk him out of it.

Sigh....the bathtub. I have no idea what would look better here, but don't care for it currently. Would love suggestions.
We redid the bannister in our current house and actually think something similar may work well here too...

Kellie - I love your bannister. The iron is such a nice look. I'm sure the new homeowners are pinching themselves to move into such a great home.

I agree with what most of said - when you get your furniture in there - add a few new touches, it will warm it up almost instantly. Hunting for light fixtures and accents is lots of fun. Once you move in, you'll start to prioritize what changes you "really" want to make. Some things that bug you now, may not be an issue after you're in the space.

kellienoelle - EVERY house is a series of compromises!!! If the worst thing you have to face are a few updates the previous owners did that are not really in sync with the vintage of the house or your personal dream house, you're doing just fine!!! And really and truly - it's a great house. You know that or you wouldn't have jumped on it the way you did.

Yes we have plans to move - major move from Chicago suburb to the Asheville, NC area.- not retirement but lifestyle change. We keep adjusting the timeline for various reasons mostly family related, but it's in my head all the time and I'm picking away at things we will need to do prior to listing. My DH wants to build - he does remodeling/additions/repair. I want no part of building and far prefer altering an existing house. We'll see ;-)

I took pictures and made an album at Photobucket figuring that's the easiest for you and won't clog up this thread with a million pics. But they are updating that website and I couldn't get things organized and explained for you the way I wanted so it's kind of a mash-up. Hopefully it will make some sense. Our house is a little newer than yours but very similar. We put a large addition on 2 years after moving and recreated the same trim and detail so it wouldn't feel like an addition. When you start looking at doors you'll notice that old doors have much wider stiles and rails - the look and feel more substantial than the doors you pull off the rack at Home Depot. It's details of that nature that makes the difference in how you feel in the house - subtle, but the overall effect is huge. I hunted for a long time for our light fixtures - one here, one there - and we had bare bulbs hanging for a LONG time!! I'd stumble on them in odd little shops, yard sales, farm sales and if they spoke to me I'd buy them and figure out where to use them later. Same with glass door knobs - we have several different kinds as you'll see. A few were original to the house but most had been changed and since we added on we had a lot more doors too deal with anyway. They will be hard to leave behind, trust me, but I'll hunt them out again if we get an old house.

Let me know if there's something specific you'd like to see or have a question.

Here is a link that might be useful: House Detail pics

Kellie, I love the framing of the doors you showed. If that could be done, it would be my choice. Big job though.

My suggestion was to get some small trim and add to existing trim to extend out. There are many options for plain or detailed trims, even at the Big Box Stores. Some of the trim will have a small cutout in back to overlay if the wall end of existing trim is thin. My front door needs this done, just lazy and haven't done it. The base boards are quite high throughout my home and really like them. You could add a trim to the top of yours too.

I think your house looks nice. I too would have loved doors of a higher quality.

We have a 1920's cottage that was remodeled in the 1990's - and I can only assume they ripped out every bit of period charm when they did it. So, we've tried to add back some details realizing that we can't afford to replace every bit of molding. That keeps our new details simple. We've also added back in some walls and headers between rooms. We have solid core doors on order. We've decided to just embrace other oddities like the weird contemporary windows to either side of the fireplace - I hope that white plantation shutters will help up their charm factor.

With a 1920's vintage, this is the youngest house I've lived in during my marriage (we had an early 1800's French Quarter apartment and an 1883 corner grocery store). I tend to romanticize old house living, but I will say, that's easier to do when you have modern plumbing and electric wiring :-)

Is anybody else remarkably impatient? These weeks until we move in and all I can do is think all the things that I can do! But yes, of course you are right, move in, get the furniture settled, and see how it looks. It doesn't help that I don't think that my furniture is the best fit, but I do have plans to replace a few pieces (again just nee to be patient).

dlm - I love Asheville! Such a beautiful part of the country. I am sure that you can either find a great older house or a great lot to build the perfect house! Of course, I love your existing house, it is perfect and charming and cozy with all the character I am looking for! Those doorknobs make me swoon and I especially love that they are all different. This is a look I am going to be trying to achieve. Thanks for sharing, definitely gives me ideas of things to look for.

technicolor - the "big job" statement tells me that I need to choose something else. I'll work with a contractor, and maybe a trim carpenter on the details. But regardless, I do think they can be improved.

sloyd - yes the doors seems to be a definite area for improvement! But thanks for the nice words.

grlwprls - I would love to see how you tackled what seems to be a similar scenario with your house. And yes, I am pretty happy about the new plumbing and electrical. And for me, I also admit I am happy that we do have the nice double paned new windows!

If I knew the door dimensions, I would occupy my time on the hunt for new doors, there are three interior doors on the lower level, so I think I will start there!

Simpsondoor.com will be your friend!

I actually like the bathtub alcove, just not the staggered tiles so much. Below a link.

Here is a link that might be useful: bathtub alcoves

The biggest push for us has been in the kitchen - while it won't be 100% done at the end of the week - it will be "construction done." I still have furnishing and decorating to do. And because the whole first floor was sort of done as a single project I might add in a few pictures of the rest of this story. I just wish my new powder room door would arrive. Right now we have split hollow core doors. Next to the dining room. Oy. And there's no vent fan or anything. Ugh.

Sometimes it is positively amazing what a little drywall and 2x4s can do. We couldn't reinvent the wheel and the spaces are tight (the first floor is just about 900 sq. ft) so the headers really helped define without diminishing.