patser - Thanks for the link. I'll probably get those for the switches I was planning to upgrade. I saw them at a house our two while looking for our home and I really liked them. We don't have a coal door on the house. A PO cut large holes into the concrete foundation and put in glass block windows throughout. It was a great upgrade that let tons of light into the basement during the day. Even at night the sparkle of the glass is nice and it feels much more open than with tiny dingy windows. (I just wish they would have kept/left pieces of history like a coal door.) My wife really wants a functioning gas fireplace so we'll probably install one at some point. I'm certain the f/p was never functioning, but I still wonder why it was built like it was. civ IV fan - I'm pretty sure the porch is original. The roof staining matches that of the rest of the house perfectly. The foundation also shows no changes - so the porch was at least there; although that doesn't rule out the possibility that the roof was reworked at some point. Thanks for the compliment on the window seat. I truly love it. If we get a nice sunny day sometime soon I'll open the curtains and take a picture of the full floor to ceiling woodwork that makes up the whole window seat. We've also got blue velvet curtains that look much nicer than PO's ugly curtains imho. Now for some more questions: Does anyone know about the type of brick used here? It's dark brick, which I don't see very often. It also has an interesting texture added to it, which I've shown in one of the additional pictures. Some of the bricks merely have textured vertical lines, but many have this curvy texture in addition to the vertical lines. Is there a name for this type of brick or a way for me to learn more about it and why it was used? Also, there's a patch that was clearly replaced below the kitchen window. It looks like there was something in the place before that window that took up more room, but I don't have a clue as to what it could be. Any ideas? I took a video of the problem with our pocket door the other day, but it's 5 minutes long and 300 mb or so so I'll have to break it up and change format to upload it. Is there someone here that knows about pocket doors and might be able to help? (i.e. is it worth the time and effort to figure out how to make this into appropriate sized videos to upload it?) Thanks for the wealth of knowledge! I'm truly enjoying learning more about my house (and older houses in general by reading everybody's recent and not-so-recent posts). Here is a link that might be useful: More pictures

Have you priced doors yet? We've been pricing them for the past two years since we desperately need ours replaced. More glass = more expense. If expense isn't an issue, my point is moot. Also, if you are doing doubles versus the single with sidelites, you will be talking a custom size which may cost even more. On top of that, unless you go with a very well made door, the glass may not be warrantied for as long and the insulating levels will be less. In shopping for doors, Provia has an excellent warranty on their door AND glass, most others like Therma-Tru have very limited warranties on their glass; it's a read the fine print type of thing. The downside is Provia is a higher priced than Therma-Tru and only sold through dealers who install the doors themselves. I live in a center hall colonial in New England, I don't think double doors fit my house style or my neighborhood. I've lived in homes with them in the past and when they are full sized, double doors, they are indeed quite nice to have. Do you have a standard 36" door with 12" sidelites? Your double doors would be two 30" doors. Privacy would be a concern unless you covered the windows or opted for designer glass. With the expense, be sure you truly want what you think you want, consider all the changes, before going that route.

Emtek Greely Style sandcast medium bronze My choice for five years.

parma, I would drywall over the niche at once. It is not really big enough, or centered enough, or anything enough to keep. This may be an example of a custom modification by a previous owner that is just ***too*** custom---perhaps for a specific vase and chair combination? After drywalling over the niche I would find two companion prints for the former niche wall and the service wall to its right (adjacent to the front door). If you have a nice open area to your foyer, I would put a very traditional and formal round table under the chandelier. On the table I would put a vase with fresh flowers (or a drop-dead gorgeous arrangement from NDI). The round table in the entry can serve as a drop off place for keys, gloves, etc. It needn't be as big as the ones you see in a really grand, large foyer. A 30" table, nice wood, pretty legs, would be beautiful. Or you could do a lovely skirted table with a 1/2" glass top. I don't know what your decorating style is, but here are a few tables: olde world http://www.designtoscano.com/product/code/AF4501.do?code=DTNEXTTAG&engine=nextag&keyword=AF4501&dtpd traditional, from the Biltmore collection and a bit smaller: http://www.thesavvydiva.com/Burled_Wood_Round_Hall_Entry_Table_Biltmore_Es_p/oawt6004-7438.htm skirted tables: http://www.ballarddesigns.com/Linens-Fabrics/Tablecloths/c/1978?path=1%2C2%2C1465%2C1978