What color to paint house? What style is it?
My husband and I are currently in the house hunting process. We love this one (especially the interior), but feel the outside is kind of blah as far as the color scheme.
I have two questions:
1) It was built in 1866. Does anyone know the name for what style of house this is (Colonial, etc)? It's in Southeast Michigan, if that helps.
2) I'm having a hard time imagining what color to paint the house and the trim. I wish the brick was left alone, and I imagine it would be a really big hassle to remove the paint... plus, I don't want to sandblast brick that's so old. Any other exterior suggestions (shutters, etc.) would be appreciated. It's also important to me to make the colors look good with the roof.
Pictures of the interior have been included to give you more of a flavor for the home.
Thanks so much!
I have two questions:
1) It was built in 1866. Does anyone know the name for what style of house this is (Colonial, etc)? It's in Southeast Michigan, if that helps.
2) I'm having a hard time imagining what color to paint the house and the trim. I wish the brick was left alone, and I imagine it would be a really big hassle to remove the paint... plus, I don't want to sandblast brick that's so old. Any other exterior suggestions (shutters, etc.) would be appreciated. It's also important to me to make the colors look good with the roof.
Pictures of the interior have been included to give you more of a flavor for the home.
Thanks so much!
| Share: |
|
More Discussions
Anyways, I would say maybe a light buttercream yellow or light charcoal gray if you wanted something more "today". Brick red may look kinda cool too. Let us know what you ultimately do if you buy the house.
Ester Exterior Warren House
Ashley Gray HC 87 by Benjamin Moore
Revere Pewter HC-172 Paint
Edgecomb Gray HC-173
Or: how about Michigan Pine? http://ncfstudio.com/product/cece-caldwell-michigan-pine-quart/
Gothic Revival vernacular would have some pointed arched windows or hoods and ornamental barge boards, so that doesn't really fit. It would also have a steeper roof. But there are simularities between Farmhouse gothic, Italianate and Greek Revival in their most simple forms. These were all popular in the midwest about the time your house was built and can be loosly called Victorian farmhouse vernacular. Brick versions were a variation, and most versions tend toward Italianate.
COLOR: Light to medium stone like colors would be appropiate, such as the yellow or gray suggested above, perhaps taupe or brown, and with antique white to tan trim, perhaps some green or burgundy. Some of the window and door trim could be picked out in antique white, tans and perhaps some browns or greens. It is very simple house, so the color scheme will be simple too, but a dark front door and picking out some of the details, like the inner window trim, perhaps a bit of the molding around the doors could highlight it.
Whatever you do, DO NOT SANDBLAST the brick! That would expose the soft inner surface of the brick and cause it to crumble. Some old brick was always painted, esp. if the brick was not fired at high temperatures. It may be possible to chemically strip or steam it off, but it is a tedious and expensive process.
WHY: Gable (the pointed part of the roof) and Ell (a side extension) is a common design for Victorian houses, but it is uncommon for the main door to be in the gable. Typically, the porch and door were nestled in the ell, so to me that would indicate that the gable portion was built first.
It is possible that the original house was the gable portion with a small portico (square porch), but not too long after it was built, the farmer was able to build the side addition, and the porch extension. The brick wall in the kitchen is near the small front door, so that makes me think that that wall is part of the original house. This house doesn't have the typical cornice and brackets, but some country versions did not, or they could have been removed. 1866 is right when this style was extremely popular and common--it hit its peak of popularity right before 1870.
Then probably at some point more recently it lost its porch pillars and maybe had a door added in and the spindels removed and the apron filled in.
If I could see the window detail, the cornice, the front door and the stairwell better, it would be easier to identify the style. I think I can see some cornice detail and window trim that the white paint obscures, and it looks like it still has most of the original windows, which is a good thing. Keep the windows if you buy it. Adding storms is just as energy efficent as replacement, and a lot cheaper. They add a lot of character to the house.
RENOVATION :The first thing I would do is check the footings for the porch and level it. Then I would replace the columns with something more appropiate, maybe a simple square column, perhaps with a bit of molding and chamfered edges, and beef up the lintel, unless you can find documentation for something more elaborate. And then paint.
Later, I would expand the back patio or deck and soften the landscaping in front, add some to the back..
The interior appears to be in excellent shape, which is a plus. Please keep the old woodwork and the original windows--it has such a nice warm tone to it.
LINKS: Here are some decent guides to Italiante architecture and Italiante paint colors and some pics of Italianate brick houses, some fancier than yours.:
http://www.house-design-coffee.com/italianate-houses.html
(lots of pictures)
http://www.wentworthstudio.com/historic-styles/italianate
http://www.historichousecolors.com/precivwar.html (all of these color combinations could work)
http://www.oldhouseweb.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=9420 (excellent links)
http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/photos/0,,20585514,00.html (different choices for 1893 house, first one best for your house, but can go brighter if you wish)
http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/photos/0,,20637377,00.html (also includes tips for online paint visualizers)
If Michigan is anything like Illinois in the winter, just think about how gray everything is by the end of January - and how long it stays that way. The last thing I would want is a gray house to go with the gray skies and dirty snow.
If you do go gray - make sure you have a vibrant and cheery accent color.
groveraxle, a saltbox has a gable end that goes from the second story to the first in the rear of the house as in the picture you supplied. It was called this because it looked like the box that was used to store salt.
Square porch pillars are you best bet unless you document otherwise. Italianates had a variety of porch pillar and trim styles--that and the cornice would be the primary difference between the styles for a brick house. Paint colors were similar--both had light-to-medium stone or maybe light salmon or yellow like colors, plus natural brick or stone. Italianate had sometimes darker body colors and either darker or lighter trim, and Greek Revival was mostly light.
A variety of color schemes would be appropiate. Or you could go with something brighter and less historic. Colorful doors are a modern thing, but do look nice on a variety of house styles. Still, when these houses are done in historic colors, they tend to look their best I think.
http://www.oldhousejournal.com/magazine/2003/february/greek_revival.shtml
and the area around Ann Arbor is a hotbed of Greek Revival :
http://www.house-design-coffee.com/greek-revival-architecture-ann-arbor.html
http://www.ewashtenaw.org/government/departments/economic-development-and-energy/historic_preservation/Feb%2009%20site%20update/histweb/histweb_tours/greek_tours.pdf
Note that most of these are now white--how boring!
Some confusion may occur because MODERN plan book companies and real estate guides call most farmhouse styles like this "Greek Revival" and a modern "Italianate" is a fancy "Italian" villa, not anything close to the variety of venacular homes built 150 years ago. And even architectural historians can disagree on a building's classification..
Here's some Greek Revival farmhouses built mostly in the 1850s, as you can see they are quite similar to the Italianates: The final one combines elements of both styles circa 1860, with a bit of Carpenter Gothic in the porch edging, and Italianate style doors and porch pillars and trim and uses a yellow brick.
Anyway, It looks like a great house and a nice location. I hope you buy it.
I also love that brick wall in the kitchen. So many decorating possibilities with that.
Anyway, if the color is all that's stopping you, that really is a simple fix. So, good luck.
Have to share this pix.
I'm a 'newbie' to being interested in homes and architecture. I'm young and a first-time homebuyer, but I've developed this overwhelming love of old homes (I rarely like anything pre-1930s.) This site has been so helpful.
I often don't know terms people use on here: gables, eaves, lintel, etc. Can anyone recommend a comprehensive primer (site or book) about basic architectural terms and history?
If you Google '224 Grove Ypsilanti,' you can find the listing and pics. Some of the remodeling is too modern. I would want to make the bathrooms and kitchen more classic.
The ceilings are actually VERY high. There is a mix of oak floor and wide plank flooring through the house.
What do you all thimk about a light sage, grayish green for the exterior? Thanks so much!
What knowledge I have has come from schooling and experience so I'm afraid I don't have any books on my bookshelf I would recommend. Every style evolves from something else and comes back a time or two so it's very evolutionary. I would visit a bookstore and thumb through a few books on American homes in this time period and find something that looks helpful to you. In the meantime there's the good ol' internet where terms like lintel and eaves can be googled.
Oh, yeah grayish/green sage would be pretty with light trim and a cranberry or aubergine door.
http://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/query/styles-of-houses
I need to look up my hazardous materials lists for another post. If you have children and plan on doing a lot of demolition or window replacement (please don't) or paint stripping, you need to pay particular care, perhaps even keeping the pre-schoolers at grandma's house until the demolition is cleaned up.
I think the color you picked could be very nice. Restoring an old house can be like writing a good detective novel--it takes a lot of research to pull the parts together, but it can be rewarding in the end. You may find clues by talking to past owners, old pictures, digging around in the attic or basement or accessory structures and talking to neighbors. You may also find a lot of resources at the local library and historical society.
I think you can keep the current porch roof if you level it. That may require some pillar replacement, maybe some structural reinforcement (looks like the middle post was doubled--but may have been screened in at some point) and perhaps railing replacement (which is the detail most people get wrong). Wood has quite a bit of flex to it if you are careful.
This is a pretty full list--I got to admit, even though I went to school for this sort of stuff, I'm still learning terminology and so forth!
Illustrated Dictionaries:
The BEST for basic terminology and lots of pictures!: http://www.historichawaii.org/HPRC/howto/chapters/Chap_5.pdf
Unfortunately, you have to know what term you are looking for to use thee:
http://www.buffaloah.com/a/DCTNRY/vocab.html (museum of architecture--lots of links and detail)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glossary_of_architecture (has some of the more obscure terms)
Style:
About.com has a very good tutorial on historic rsidential architecture and related topics. It also has active links and definitions for any terminology within the style descriptions, which come in handy. It and eHow have some pretty good info on how to clean masonry, etc... http://architecture.about.com/cs/schoolsstudyhelp/a/research.htm
.
AntiqueHomeStyle.com has some good information and original plans, but mostly post 1900. Lots of original renderings. Excellent basic style guide post-1900 http://www.antiquehomestyle.com/styles/
See also AntiqueHome.com http://www.antiquehome.org/Architectural-Style/ And
AntiqueHomesMagazine.com is mainly real estate listings of historic homes, but it has a brief style guide on pre-1900 homes, but the pics are pretty small and unfortunately not as many examples http://www.antiquehomesmagazine.com/info.php?info_id=5 (click on the styles navigation link for drop down box of styles)
Bob Vilas left the "This Old House" crew and created his own website, which tends to be more DIY than This Old House. Some good stuff, but the articles tend to be rather general. The style guide focuses on venacular housing styles
http://www.bobvila.com/cape-cod/2428-bob-vila-s-guide-to-historic-house-styles/slideshows
Dove publications has lots of inexpensive reprints of old plan books, furniture, etc..Some are coloring books, but are still worthwhile.
If you are interested in authentic mid-1800 rural style, Dearfield Village is an excellent resource. The movies of "Little Women" and "Gone with the Wind" are pretty good too, and there are a number of nice house museums areound.
I find doing Google Image searches and searches on PinInterest and Flicker useful for house, garden and interior styles, but you have to keep an eye out for the authentic versus a modern or remodeled version, or something that siimply is a totally different style. Houzz isn't that good for authentic historic house styles--more on historically-inspired styles. Use a variety of keywords for the best results. There are a number of excellent old house blogs out there too.
Renovation Guides:
Old House Journal has some good articles and the old compendiums (out of print now) are worth checking out. Best source I found on repairing old plaster. This Old House is geared more for renovation, and too high end for my tastes, but there is some good info there too.
These are excellent sources for wood windows:
http://starcraftcustombuilders.com/windows.htm (excellent summary of benefits of keeping them)
http://www.historichomeworks.com/hhw/reports/reports.htm (THE window guy, also has book, lots of useful videos and safety tips)
http://www.oldewindowrestorer.com/steamstripper.html (safer and more economical than other methods)
Other technical issues--the authority, the National Park Service, Preservation Services Division: http://www.nps.gov/tps/index.htm
Preservation Briefs: http://www.nps.gov/tps/how-to-preserve/briefs.htm (tuckpointing brick, etc...)
Old House Guy is entertaining and has the best guide to porch railings and porportion and how to avoid common renovation style mistakes. I don't agree with everything he says, but he makes some good points. http://www.oldhouseguy.com/
Plus an excellent reference list (many of these you can probably get through the library)
http://www.oldhouseguy.com/books.php
Reader Digest and other basic DIY books are worthwhile, especially the older ones that detail traditional carpentry and window repair.
Reference books for your home:
(probably can borrow from library, but nice to have own copy)
http://www.amazon.com/A-Field-Guide-American-Houses/dp/0394739698/ref=pd_sim_b_4
The standard reference on American architectural styles
http://www.amazon.com/Renovating-Old-Houses-Bringing-Vintage/dp/1561585351/ref=pd_sim_b_7
Good all-around reference for fixing up old houses
http://www.amazon.com/Working-Windows-3rd-Repair-Restoration/dp/1599213117/ref=pd_bxgy_b_text_y Good basic book on window repair
(Leek's book is excellent but is $40)
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1402791038/kenroginskihisto
Get Your House Right--a guide to avoiding common mistakes in proprotion and detail. Particularly importatnt for a simple and dignified older homes like yours--don't try to fancy it up too much..
http://www.houzz.com/discussions/248534/What-to-do-about-front-of-house--Any-color
You must have an affinity for that period of house! Both are very nice with loads of potential. I actually like the opened up and more modern kitchen in this one--it can be a nice contrast to the rest of the house, and the construction looks well done, the old doors and such were kept and respected the original fabric of the building.
Good luck on house #2!
I like pre-30s homes in general, and craftsman bungalows are my favorite, but homes in this style are a little more common in the area. I like the modern kitchen in this one, too, but don't care for the cabinets and the fake granite inlay. If we buy it, I want to give the kitchen more of a farmhouse look and make the bathrooms more era-appropriate. I am a gardening nut, too, and the huge, sunny backyard is a dreamy blank canvas.
I would love it if you could point me to some info on storming old windows and making them more energy efficient. I'd definitely like to keep the originals.
It is a tight market and she will probably have to do the repairs or reduce the price to sell it. A floor can be leveled fairly reasonably with jackposts (assuming she has a basement). If it is just a crawlspace, that's harder of course, depending on the depth. I kind of fell in love with it too, and the garden was georgous.
Countertops are easily replaced and put your money there. Even formica custom fabricated on plywood can look nice--either retro with the metal banding, or done to look like a piece of soapstone or something. Much cheaper too. Butcher block (can get reasonably from IKEA) is another option that is quite historic--once all counters were wood, with zinc or soapstone or porcelian for the sink, unfitted of course. Obviously anything you put in will be a whole lot different from the original, but maybe you can incoporate some touches of the old, like a farmtable and chairs, or a Hoosier cabinet, a farmhouse sink (salvage or IKEA). I have some ideabooks on historic kitchens and retro style and have posted a lot of stuff about 1920s-1960s kitchens.
AntiqueHomeStyle is an execellent resource for that, and 1912 Bungalow http://1912bungalow.com/2011/03/before-kitchens-were-gathering-areas/ has lots of pics of old kitchens and bathrooms.
Here is some more window stuff I posted recently--http://www.houzz.com/discussions/265169/Stay-with-old-wood-Anderson-windows-or-update-
Michigan Historic Preservation Network trains workmen to fix windows--maybe you can get a referral. It isn't that hard if they are in decent shape, but is time-consuming. I'm on the 3 year plan myself with my windows--done a little at a time, and then some new paint for the whole house once I do the surface prep and caulking.
I have a bungalow that actually predates 1894, but has been through several extreme makeovers during its lifespan. I like most periods of homes, but the early 20th century bungalows and revivals are my favorites. At least for now....I also own a venacular farmhouse type house, now a duplex, circa 1903, and that one is built to last...Each house has a personality, and each room can reflect a different aspect of its history.
I don't mind the kitchen cabinets - I think the door style is appropriate -, although the kitchen looks a bit dark for such dark cabinets. I used Benjamin Moore Cabinet Coat at our cottage. There is a Benjamin Moore paint store, I believe, right on Washtenaw just East of 23 (North side) - Anderson's? Go and talk to them about it. I believe the paint was about $60/gallon, but you don't need to prime. I got very good results with it and you can get it in any BM color. I love the exposed brick wall - we had this in our previous house in Northville, which was an 1870 Italianate. You can do so much with this space. I redid the kitchen in our current house. I wanted to keep the feeling of the period in the details (trim, cabinet door style), but a kitchen - unless you go with the period-styled appliances, which I personally don't like and which are also exceedingly expensive - has to include modern appliances. I like this mix, and I think it makes a home more interesting, I will post a photo of our kitchen, because we have painted cabinets and a similar space (although ours was done over 20 years ago). The countertop can be easily replaced, and you have a huge opportunity to do a wonderful backsplash (are you familiar with Virginia Tile in Farmington Hills - you need a field trip!)
Victorianbungalow has given you a wealth of information and resources. I would also mention that EMU has a Historic Preservation program, so you could always contact them for local resources, too. As the owner of several old houses, as well as the designer/planner for many more, the house has so much potential to be absolutely charming, and as long as it is structurally sound, it seems like a winner (I would try to pretty aggressively negotiate that price though - things are still not bouncing back around here.) Oh, and I love the backyard, too (there is that Heritage Rose Co, somewhere around Ypsi - perfect opportunity)
Good luck! Cat Rowe
How nice to hear from a local! The house is indeed in the historical district of Ypsilanti, which is an incredible resource I haven't tapped yet. It doesn't have a historic plaque, though I would like to go to them and find out what I could do renovation/modification-wise to get a plaque on the house. It's directly across the street from the Gilbert Mansion (second down on this page: http://www.yhf.org/before_and_after.html), and because the home is on a hill, it overlooks the mansion and the city of Ypsilanti at night, providing a wonderful sunset view.
I'm excited to check out Virginia Tile! If we get the home, I definitely want to replace the ugly tile in both bathrooms with something period-specific. I'll definitely need to check out the rose place, too. There are several great antique stores in the area, and my in-laws live near Marshall, Michigan, which is a hotbed of antique stores (including an antique hardware store ... swoon).
Your kitchen is gorgeous! I've thought about painting the cabinets a similar blueish-greenish-gray, though my heart has always been partial to white cabinets with a bit of open shelving.
A friend of my landlord's has his degree in historical preservation from EMU. While a degree in the subject is a far-off "maybe someday" dream, I've been meaning to check and see if they have non-degree or certificate-type programs available... even some sort of adult education weekend course.
mbmckenna, the stonybrook color is wonderful -- exactly what I had in mind. I worry it might be a touch too dark, but I think I'd order a couple of sample cans of that color and a shade or two lighter.
Virginia Tile carries everything from builder's price stuff to the VERY expensive. If you happen to be looking for the traditional hex tile at some point, American Olean has a very reasonably priced tile. They will also do borders of the hex tile, and you can select the colors. Just a little FYI.
I painted my cottage cabinets white and installed glass in one cabinet and painted the back in turquoise. Again, I would highly recommend the Benjamin Moore Cabinet Coat product.
One more place you might want to scout out if you are looking for cool antique pieces is Senate Antiques in downtown Detroit. https://plus.google.com/110815077448527172527/about?gl=us&hl=en They have some cool old architectural pieces (fences, columns, corbels, etc.) When I was there Saturday, they had a ton of old turbines (the big bubble kind which went on industrial buildngs). Another place I've found some cool stuff in the past is Larry's Building Materials
http://directory.metrotimes.com/larry+s+building+materials+used-everything+for+the+home+used+doors-windows-sas+used-everything+for+the+home+used+doors-windows-sas.9.112607755p.home.html It's in a not-great area, so go with someone. They used to have a parking lot of old claw-foot tubs, etc. but I haven't been there in quite a long time. I have also found some very cool stuff at the Ann Arbor Reuse It Center. It is DIRT cheap there!
Anyway, let us know what happens. I wish you luck and hope it turns out in your favor!