" trunk room" I am assuming ( we all know how that works ) that the farmers who lived here were not rich. Would they still have had a trunk room? A new basement was put under at some point. Probably in the 1950's. The newspapers we found under the old sink base were 1950 and that's what makes me think the porch to kitchen was Dec., 1950 or thereabouts. I really have no idea but it's a nice basement. I've wondered where the old basement doors might have been. I can't tell anything from the existing basement. There would have been steps somewhere?? No evidence of cement steps. I don't see anywhere that would make sense for an outside entrance BUT the house is not at all like original. There's been a breezeway and double garage added. The septic is under the breezeway and will have to be replaced this year. There is not one scrap of complete original woodwork left. I have to think it wasn't very fancy. Taking out a built in cabinet (not old) and taking off two layers of paneling and a few layers of genuine old wallpaper showed the patched windows/doors. I have found three 4 panel doors in the machine shed and one 1950's kitchen door with glass in the top. It's just a regular nothing special plain door. It's back in the kitchen doorway now. The layers of paint matched and the hinges matched so it had to have lived there once. There are no doorways that match the size of the 4 panels I found. The outside is sided in aluminum siding. Not new. As I said, there is not one shred of character left in this old house. I can't remember exactly where the road in front used to be. The interstate went through in 1975 cutting through at a diagonal. That's when the farm was sold and this acreage survived. It was "this close" to being bulldozed. None of the maps I own show the house in relation to the road as it was. I know I traveled that road on occasion but I was young and things like that didn't impress me. I'm trying to find surviving relatives but I likely won't. The people before me lived here 30 years; from around 1978 to probably 2002. I am sure they were responsible for one of the two layers of paneling. I think it was they who refaced the kitchen cupboards. I know where their son is and I am going to try to contact him to return some photos I found during this last facelift. He was a child so I don't know what he will remember. I am hoping he has a photo album. The people before them are long dead and I have no idea if/where any relatives would be. I've asked around about the history or other living people who would know but get no where. Everyone is dead or moved away. I think the first family that I know about/knew were not very neighborly??? I think the husband was a "dirty old man". Maybe that's why no one knows what the inside of the house was like? I think they would have been the ones to do the kitchen. I knew them in the '60's so it's likely they lived here in 1950. The cement apron beside the barn is etched 1950. There must have been some money during that time. The barn foundation is still visible. Also two other small foundation outlines. I think a milkhouse for one. I don't know what the other would be. I'd like to find pictures of everything. Probably not possible. There are still usable outbuildings and those have always been kept up. I was only curious, I will stay here until I die no matter what. I assumed (again) that familes of that era had lots of kids and I didn't think a house of two bedrooms was sufficient.

joy20, all your appliances will have spec sheets and your contractor/cabinet builder should be fully aware of the specs(measurements for depth and width) and if you are having inset doors, they need to accommodate for the doors shutting flush within the cabinet box by building the cabinet box deeper...this is so simple, but critical if they screw it up. Most spec sheets only allow for "overlay doors" - doors that close on the outside of the box, not into it...make sure your carpenter takes this into account! labradoodlemom, benjamin moore's coppermine is the red cabinet...the white cabs are custom to match our trim, but very close to Sherwin Williams Navajo white 6126 Good luck!

150-160 sq ft You DEFINITELY need to get that lasagna floor stack out of there. And, put serious effort into make the floor under the cosmetic layer as clean and well-done as possible. It's your only chance at preventing some issues. If you have to paint the subfloor with a porch paint floor rug because your whole budget went to getting a sound, level floor, that's OK. You can always add the cosmetics layer, but removing cabinets to level a floor is a PITA, and expensive. Tear it out down to the subfloor. Patch any holes. Check for level - the unevenness is possible due to the layers falling apart. There are two kinds of "not level: Flat surface, but slanting to one side or another ... in an old house this is almost normal. You can compensate by shimming the cabinets unless it's a couple inches out of whack. Not flat, but humped, with hills and valleys across the floor. This makes it hard to do a good job on the sheets of sub-floor ... If it's more than 1/2 inch or so, you need to remove the old flooring down to the joists and shim them level and replace the subfloor with 3/4 sheet OSB sheathing. (if you get to the old bottom level and see this, post for help!) If you have to, use a FLOOR levelling compound (levelling, not patching!). Avoid the cement-based ones, they crumble. Find one that stays FLEXIBLE. This stuff: http://www.truevalue.com/product/Paint-Supplies/Surface-Prep-Cleaning/Anchors-Levelers/DAP-Gallon-Ready-To-Use-Flexible-Floor-Leveler/pc/13/c/198/sc/1723/17543.uts Over the subfloor put standard 1/2" or 3/4" underlayment sheets, nailed or screwed according to the manufacturer's directions. Probably OSB strandboard, ... but should specify it's for floors. A pneumatic nailer would be a good investment here. This kind of stuff: http://www.homedepot.com/p/7-16-in-x-48-in-x-8ft-Oriented-Strand-Board-386081/202106230 TIP ... Make sure it's interlocking "brick" pattern when you lay it down, with the seams between one piece and another not aligning so you don't have weak corners with 4 pieces. Take your time planning the layout Don't use teensy pieces cobbled together along the edges to avoid buying another sheet - that is false economy and will bite you in the butt later. And mark the joists and TRY to have the seams along a joist. If the walls aren't square, cut the underlayment to lay snug along the walls. BTW, this is good practice for owning an old house - making things fit unsquare spots. TIP: If you don't run the flooring under the cabinets, seal the underlayment with a couple of coats of varnish under where the cabinets will go ... it keeps it from soaking up musty odors. The cosmetic layer: When the floor is levelled and ready for the cosmetics layer, check how much is left in your budget. :) Because you can't match the rest of the house, go "different" ... a darker wood, a different material. Kitchen floors then were often "linoleum" or other synthetic sheet goods, as well as stone, quarry tile or wood, so something as simple as a dark grey/light grey checkerboard vinyl square tile would be OK. Set diagonally? Or use colored squares - they come in an astounding array. You might find a sheet vinyl in a reasonably "period" pattern of slate Also, check commercial sheet flooring

That is one cute house! Reminds me of something out of Little House on the Prairie. Any color trim would be nice. You can do it around the windows and along the roof line and along the edge of the portico. If you do a google search for Victorian Farmhouse and then click images, you'll see a lot of nice examples in all sorts of colors.