What I find interesting when I look at real estate is that there are more Time Capsules than one would think. As a counterpoint to people who are constantly changing things around and redecorating, there is a group of people who seem to do things once and live with it forever. Sometimes I think the houses are better for it. The finishes are not covered with layers of paint, the walls are not riddled with nail holes. In this group are a couple of subgroups: one who decorated well, and probably fairly expensively, at the outset, and the other, which never cared all that much and neither kept things up nor changed them. I lost a bidding war on a house that had curtains that were literally rotten strings and threads hanging from a strip of buckram. The downside of serial redecoration and constant change is that few people can afford to keep doing it right, when they do it over and over again. And then I think in the back of one's mind is "well, I will be doing this over in a few years so if this one doesn't turn out that great, it's not forever". That's not to say that all time capsules are good, or that some of them don't reflect some rather unfortunate periods or styles of designs--but some of this is temporal--as a sixty year old house we can appreciate it, but I am not sure we would be looking at it the same way if it was 1985.

We did not find a carefully crafted time capsule like yours, but in 1977 when we moved into our 1927 house we found original blue prints, typed documents specifying materials and photos of the house under construction and just completed. We also found photos of the original owner builder. These have been a treasure for us. I would love to have had more information about the people who built the house and lived here. You have done a very good thing! Bravo!

Hmmm - was having fun reading post until I hit the words kitchen remodel and talk about yanking out the bathroom. Pls understand what you have before you start pulling it all apart. The bathroom is a gem - and that type of slab doors of kitchen cabinets are easily sanded/refinished. This is NOT to say you have to live in a time capsule and not change it in any way - just that to retain value (esthetic - and in many markets - financial) you need to be cognizant of its value as a vintage MCM home, keep what you can, and make any changes in a way that works with the house and not against it. Various old house forums - some specializing in MCM style - are out there. Its typically recommended to live in an old house for a year before making major changes - that gives you time to understand how the house works - what doesnt make sense at first - design-wise, or functionally - often does later on. IMHO, a carefully thought out color scheme throughout the house would do wonders - the floors and wood are beautiful. That's where Id put my $ - just decorate and save $$ for a) the inevitable repairs that always pop up when you move into a new house and b) eventual tweaking and upgrades in a few yrs. I too am curious about what's under that green wall paint in the bathroom. Keep fingers crossed that they didn't sand or mess up the tile and the paint comes off easily with a razor blade - if its latex it may soften with hot water and peel off. If not.... well theres always repainting til you figure out what to do. BTW that shade of green of the fixtures is CLASSIC - some new chrome faucets and hardware are about all those might need.

I see your points, Pal. I'm just trying to understand the reasons, not question the judgements or make some sort of claim about the windows in my house. Are there financial incentives for owners of historic homes to maintain the original elements of the home? Like the Energystar tax credits? I know there are design and restoration requirements for homes in my community designated as historic by our local commission. But many people who live in genuinely historic homes steer clear of that official designation because of the stringent requirements. It's too costly, no matter how lovely or endeared the home. But if there were financial incentives for maintenance, that might persuade them to paint what's there every 7-10 years, for example, rather than replace with a modern window that doesn't require such maintenance. ETA the Energystar tax credits isn't a good example here but it's the financial incentive they provide to persuade a homeowner from making a certain choice that's the point.