"Just out of curiosity, who here thinks that you can build an new old house? " You do not have to use old materials, just old techniques in most cases. Plaster instead of drywall, mud beds for tile floors and walls instead of cement board, etc. You neither can use nor want lead plumbing (DWV or supply), but cast iron is still available (though not with poured lead & oakum joints). Electrical wiring has moved a long way since K&T (and the lack of any electricity before that in many houses). Hardwood floors are not going to be as tight a grain as very old stuff (especially if it was virgin timber) but there is no shortage of wood flooring, even in very large widths of you want to pay the cost. Virgin reclaimed (from old buildings or bodies of water) is also available. There is no reason to use full size dimension lumber (though it can be found if you want to look & pay). Joist spans are likely smaller than in very old structures, so extra wood is likely to be needed (I have never considered the bouncy floors of an older structure a 'feature' worth preserving or repeating. I do not think anyone wants to exactly recreate the old house, just the important parts of the surface finishes. I have repaired 18th century townhouses in Alexandria, VA so that you cannot even tell without putting a hole in the wall to see the new framing and wiring.

Thank you for being excited with me! I knew I was in the right place. xo I'm so excited about your daughter and her stories, sherrmann -- happy April homecoming! My "helper" and I took a few snaps and it has literally taken us >two hours to upload due to the "help." The pregnant mask didn't photograph well -- maybe once it's hung. Thank you again for your encouragement. The Yoruba money tree, with the Mali Wedding Beads (which came back in my luggage as I occasionally wore / wear them) The multi-colored beaded crown The blue bird crown The 6 3/4" wide diviners' belt -- I am totally going to wear this one! The top of the multi-colored crown Vinyl heishi beads -- again, came back in my luggage because I wore them, and now a santo does -- he's so cute Venetian trading beads (one of too-many strands), again came home with me as I wore them jumbled on A yak bone bracelet given me by a villager I befriended in Tsadorje, the Himalayas and an African carved ivory bracelet (purchased in France), the African necklace slung over the chair is another of the dozens purchased in France. I was never, ever able to wear the ivory bracelet, but here on the lamp it doesn't hurt my animal-loving soul And you know, that stuff about my mother (and father, to be perfectly fair for he was a part of it all) doesn't matter. It used to, and it was painful. However for the past many years it just hasn't mattered. I'm not sure precisely when or how, but one day I woke up and realized the wound had healed and the scar is barely visible: when a story with them / their actions comes up it's merely an additional flavor, never the heart of the story. I got over nursing that one a long time ago. I guess because I know them when I wrote what she'd done it was just a piece of the story, certainly not the main part. No biggee. We haven't had a relationship for years, if ever. While I've never actively forgiven them I also no longer care, if that makes sense. I have bigger fish to fry! (mtnrdredux knows I have set my sights on health insurance. Just this week they denied my son's wheelchair saying it's less expensive for them to chance him being hit by a car than fund the pediatric wheelchair. Now this makes my blood boil.) Thank you all again for sharing my old-new-old with me! Je vous remercie -- bon weekend!

Sure it can be done if you're willing to pay the often surprisingly high cost. A good deal depends on where the best location for a second bathroom is. The closer you can place it to existing plumbing and heating, the better because this reduces the amount of wall and/or floor penetration, the number and length of new feeder and drain pipes, as well has heating ducts or pipes. Sometimes convenience for the family is more important than proximity to what already exists. That's the primary reason for adding a second bathroom, so would generally take precedence. The rest of the cost lies in labor, materials, (tile vs. prefab acrylic units for example), etc. Getting several estimates along with references is very important. You'll need to make some decisions abut what you want before getting these, though. Many lumber yards offer free or low cost design services. These are certainly worth investigating.

This is house is in Netherlands. Work Kitchen is like a pantry with all tools and accessories that are too heavy to move around. (Entire Kitchen Aid collection lives there on the counter) Cupboards are full of spices and dry ingredients. I use that area for making pasta, Drying food, making ice cream. North American POV is great, you have much more open plan area ideas, that is why i'm writing here. I want to be different and we can not afford to build something and realise later that it doesn't work. Great that we have ipads with tap design.