I have a house that was built around 1900. Plaster question?
Matt Freeman
11 months ago
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Matt Freeman
10 months agolast modified: 10 months agoRelated Discussions
Florida home landscapes in the early 1900s
Comments (28)Julie The Coconut seems to have originated in Africa but there seems to be at least a little reference to them in Columbus second diary. It seems they were at least on Cuba They have always been a food plant so were frequently moved by humans. Cook identified them in Hawaii as well as Magellan in the Phillipines, but definitely not native to either area. Obviously Coconuts can and do sprout on their own in PB county and they are notorious for floating from island to island. There was human habitation here no later than 9 000 years ago . Coconut has always been a valued food plant and has always been moved by humans anywhere within it's range. So if these inhabitants came from the south sure seems logical they brought them with them. Obviously PB county is on the northen limits of survivability. "Native" would be open to interpretation. Given this it's certainly possible the coconut was here but certainly not native. Royals on the other hand can not tolerate saltwater so spreding the seed accidently would be much tougher The famous Fairchild pic . I believe taken in the everglades of a royal may or may not prove they were native . How could you be certain they were not brought from Cuba by native Americas?? As to the species I believe there are six. but you sure need to be a botanist to tell them apart lol. In my own experience the seeds of Royals sprout very easily but have yet to find one that sprouted entirely on it's own. Though mostly all it needed was some supplimental water and then only as a seedling. To my knowledge they are not nor ever have been used as a food plant. which would really cast doubt they were seeded by natives. ornamental agriculture seems to have been centered in Europe and Asia. since Florida was onre of the first discovered explored and settled what is "native" is always going to be debated. I find palm Beach county particularly interesting as it's definitely on the edge between tropical and temperate. Almost anything could have happened....See More1900 farm house....
Comments (5)air sealing comes first. have a blower door test done to find house leakage. make sure that you follow the tester around & write down leakage areas. keep a roll of tape handy to stick a piece of tape @ leakage site. if you get 'free' utility audit, you will have to be there and slow it down long enough to get an idea of where the leaks are. to be told that you have an ELA (equivalent leakage area) of a 3'x5' hole in the wall is not telling you where leaks are. find out. step one. heat loss/heat gain is through ceiling. air seal from inside attic at attic floor & from inside by caulking window/door moldings to walls, ceiling moldings at top to ceilings, bottoms to walls, caulk floor moldings to walls & floors. if equip/ductwork is in attic, make changes there before adding insulation. ducts can be tested for leakage also. mastic materials should be the only material used for a long lasting seal of ducts. air seal at attic floor, then add insulation. windows will get you between 7-14% savings. not much for the thousands of replacement costs. air sealing saves you the most then insulation. central hvac is biggest user, followed by water heaters. invest in efficiency. closed cell foam for under floors if on crawlspace. not sure what payback for insulating walls would be. here in my hot humid climate it isn't worth it, but if it is for your area, hire it out. the company can drill holes & pump in insulation. vett insulation companies carefully. is the house balloon framed? if so recommendations change. your house is eating up propane costs because your house is like a leaky box. stop the leaks, insulate & heat will stay inside house instead of escaping through openings. tell us more about hvac system type & location of heating system & ductwork. where are the return air(s)? radiant barrier plywood will provide some savings in summer, if house is in full sun. little to no savings in winter. just fyi best of luck....See Morewhat do I do around this fireplace? make an accent wall? built ins?
Comments (34)To answer questions, yes we gutted and opened up this home. We want our family room just inside the front door as it functions well for watching children playing outside. (Rather than a formal living room, but we want to create a NICE space) The dining room has the fireplace and is open to the kitchen, which has an amazing 10’ island with a bar height side with 4 seats and then a counter height end for food prep. We’re loving the kitchen tho still waiting on light fixtures and backsplash. The flow is working well for us but the furniture placement and how to highlight the fireplace and it’s area is the challenge! Thank you BTW we DO have another room that would serve as the formal dining room but we don’t have that need at this time and are using it as a lovely home/mom office and playroom, so toys stay in there and not all over the house....See MorePopcorn ceiling in 1900 house?
Comments (17)pkpk23, do you have any photos of what you're talking about? I've never heard of using your hands to press a pattern! ... assuming it is a pattern and not just a random hand print here and there. lol! Also really wondering if you used ordinary joint compound or the quick-setting stuff you have to mix yourself? I've worked with ordinary joint compound since I was a kid, but have never dealt with mixing my own or the quick-setting version. I've got two ceilings that came with a swirl pattern that then apparently had sand (or whatever they use for 'popcorn') thrown on top of that... it's very dense and clumpy in some spots, sparse in others, unevenly textured, and looks like an overall bad job was done to create it. I've tried scraping the worst spots several times over the years but really cannot budge it because it's been painted over so many times, I guess, so I've tried painting more to "fill in" but that doesn't work. I've been thinking of doing a skim coat on those ceilings using ordinary joint compound and wonder if it really is that much different from the quick-set stuff. Anything would look better than it looks now. :p Last year I primed those ceilings thinking I'd then try a skim coat of JC, but panicked and backed off after reading that I should only use quick-set JC. :p...See MoreMatt Freeman
10 months agoMatt Freeman
10 months agocpartist
10 months agoMatt Freeman
10 months agoMatt Freeman
10 months ago
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