The minute we walked into this house, we knew it was the "project" house we'd been wanting. It is old enough to have charm and to need work, is well-built and well-maintained so it doesn't need massive structural work, and has not been updated for many decades (excepting some fixture replacements...not all...and a few things here/there...all perfectly acceptable!). A blacksmithing family built the house in the late 1800s--we have a photo dated 1890 in which the house figures prominently, so it was built at least by then--and five generations of the family subsequently lived there. The folks who sold it to us were doing so to settle the family estate. They are the last of the family line and live very far away, so they cannot live in the house themselves, but they wanted to ensure that the "right" buyers purchased it. Apparently it has been in limbo for some time and they have turned down flat several offers to buy the house/land because they feared the house would be torn down or unappreciated. My DH and I wrote a letter to accompany our purchase offer: he is a planner with an architectural background, and I recently graduated with my MAHP, so historic houses are just our thing. :) It's the funniest thing...when the realtor was showing it to us she was very apologetic about the kitchen/bathroom and how dated they are. To me, the kitchen is one of the best rooms in the house because it hasn't been gutted of any of its 1940s-50s charm. It's an addition that hasn't changed much since it was built, as far as we can tell. PERFECT! I had to tell the realtor after the closing how much her apologies had fallen on deaf ears. Every time we walk through the door I'm struck by how it feels like home. We have an electrical crew rewiring right now (fishing new wiring into the old K&T chases), but once they're done it'll be ready to move into. I can't wait. As we've explored the various trunks, dressers, hutches, etc. that are there we've found some fascinating family history as well as some great house history. I have shivers just writing about it. Of course, there are a few problems. At one point the upstairs bath (a closet with a toilet and the tiniest sink in the world) had a minor leak. We'll need to do some probing to ensure that there's no rot or fungal problem lurking. And, probably because of the moisture and heat, the kitchen plaster walls are not in the greatest of shape. However, the plaster in the other rooms is lovely, and from what I could see in the attic, at least the second-story ceilings are remarkably well keyed. Woohoo! The woodwork has not experienced the dozens of paint layers that frequently accompany old houses. There's no real wood rot, even on the exterior wood, that I can find. We'll need to strip off the steel siding to reveal the clapboard underneath, but that will wait until spring, after we've gotten a few other things taken care of. I know this is the longest post EVER, but I can't resist telling the story of this house to some folks who will appreciate it! Most of our friends/family seem to fall into the camp of "Are you nuts? You must be absolutely nuts!!"

We just closed on the FL house. We camped out in the house on blow up beds for 4 days. Now we are back in NY awaiting news of a closing on this house. Contracts are signed. Whew. I like the space in the FL kitchen. We bought a fridge, the same one as we have here in NY. Then we will get an induction stove and a new dishwasher and then stop and see how it goes. We might spray the cabinets a color, install pull outs and new knobs and get new counters. We can't do a whole new kitchen. The pantry is big so I am going to keep my dishes and pots and pans in one side of the pantry and food in the other. That will be easy access. No bending. No stretching. I would also like a new sink. This is a double and I prefer a large single. Thanks for all the encouragement. Incidentally. The realtor said that the rainforest green sold the house.

It looks like you have more paneling in the adjacent rooms? You're going to remove the carpet -- good. If your budget allows, a good wood floor will last a lot longer than another carpet. I see the purpose of those hanging lights for reading by the fire. If you want to update those, it makes sense for reading. If you won't be reading by the fire, then replace with cans. An inexpensive fix. I agree with others on painting the paneling. That's hundreds, versus thousands, by replacing it with drywall. You never know what you'll find behind the paneling that could create issues. Ceiling moulding to go with what's above the fireplace, would be beneficial to the walls. That said, don't paint the trim above the fireplace. Leave the fireplace alone for now. Trim around the door will also give the room more character. That said, that is the one element that makes me wonder if the paneling is added on top of drywall. Can you tell what sort of nails were used on the paneling? If you knock on the paneling does it sound hollow/does it move, or is it hard and solid wood? I also agree on removing that valance. Looks like the room has great possibilities.

I agree that a pretty linen white would look wonderful in the space. It would complement the warm wood tones of the trim and cabinets. A lighter color on the backsplash, at least until you're ready to replace it, would help as well. Perhaps the lightest color in the granite. Replacing the builder grade overhead lights in hallways is always an instant update. I would avoid ceiling fans with lights. Use uplights, floor and table lamps, and recessed lights for lighting. If you want to keep the ceiling fan, something sleek and close to the ceiling is always nice. White will blend into the ceiling and disappear a bit. I would consider a console on the wall in the living room where the air grate is for the t.v. You could wall mount the t.v. on an articulating arm to move it for easier viewing. That leaves room for a great piece of art over the fireplace. A sofa in front of the window and two comfortable chairs with their back to the kitchen area would open up the room. Since there's not a lot of room to stack drapes, you could do one panel on the outside of each window to avoid crowding the fireplace. Are you planning to replace the fridge and dishwasher with stainless to match the stove and microwave? The table size the current homeowners have seems good for the area-it allows nice size aisles to move through the space. Roman shades in the dining space in a pretty print fabric would add color to the dining space. I would definitely change out the chandelier for something more modern as well. It should hang 32-36" above the table. It sounds as though you already have your own style with a "minimalist/natural" style and there's no reason you can't use it in this house. Don't let the style of the cabinets hold you back. If that's your style, embrace it! It's not like you're looking to go full out Victorian in a 1990's house! Congratulations on your new home!