15 Love Notes to Oddities of the Home
It can take time to fully appreciate a house, warts and all. Houzzers share examples of quirks they've learned to love
Houzz Editorial Staff
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Just like with any other romance, the one you have with your house goes through ups and downs. At first glance, you love it all — it's perfect. Then you move in, and all those little things you used to find adorable start to drive you crazy: the squeaky floors, the lack of closets, the funky door handles that don't work quite right.
The good news is that a relationship with a home often gets better with age, too. Just like the partners in that long-married couple who love to nitpick at each other's quirks, you may have started to realize that some of your home's oddest features are what you love most.
We asked you what you've grown to love about your house. Here are some of our favorite Houzzer responses.
The good news is that a relationship with a home often gets better with age, too. Just like the partners in that long-married couple who love to nitpick at each other's quirks, you may have started to realize that some of your home's oddest features are what you love most.
We asked you what you've grown to love about your house. Here are some of our favorite Houzzer responses.
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Older architectural features often spark the love-hate relationship.
1. "I love my 1928 house with its drafty wood windows, some with wavy glass," says Houzzer einportlandor. "And my glass and brass doorknobs that sometimes come apart in my hand. And my stucco fireplace with the very cool but somewhat chipped floors."
1. "I love my 1928 house with its drafty wood windows, some with wavy glass," says Houzzer einportlandor. "And my glass and brass doorknobs that sometimes come apart in my hand. And my stucco fireplace with the very cool but somewhat chipped floors."
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2. Sharon loves the brick floors in the kitchen, laundry room, hallway and office in her house. "They are indestructible," she says. "Just roll some glossy sealer on it every couple of years to make it easy to mop and they're good to go!"
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3. Decoratorlb's Victorian farmhouse came with original doors and doorknobs set much lower than she was used to. "Back in the 1890s, people were short in stature," she says. "At first it was very strange to reach down to use a door, but now it reminds me of a past history in the house and all the people who have lived here before us."
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| 4. "I love the woodwork in my 1910 Craftsman bungalow," says groveraxle. "Crown molding and picture rails, built-in china closet, and the worst, which is also the best: a plate rail that goes all the way around the dining room. I use a shop vac to dust. Wouldn't have it any other way." |
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Structural quirks become blessings.
5. Lm Chipman's house has taught her about the durability of older houses. "Friends and neighbors affectionately refer to our medieval German row house as a 'hexenhaus' (witch's house)," she says. "The first time we tried to hang something from the ceiling, we were dismayed to find that it was stuffed with straw and impossible to use for mounting anything," she says.
5. Lm Chipman's house has taught her about the durability of older houses. "Friends and neighbors affectionately refer to our medieval German row house as a 'hexenhaus' (witch's house)," she says. "The first time we tried to hang something from the ceiling, we were dismayed to find that it was stuffed with straw and impossible to use for mounting anything," she says.
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"However, as we've progressed through various stages of renovation," Lm Chipman continues, "we've discovered that the original wattle and daub construction, seen in this photo, is the sturdiest and most adaptive aspect of the building."
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| 6. Terri Thompson's 1920s farmhouse is full of surprises, including this water cistern, original to the house. Although at first it looks like a deep eyesore on the side of the house, a little research revealed that this could be a future asset. Commonly found in turn-of-the-century rural homes that didn't have modern plumbing, this 10-foot-deep cistern originally gathered and filtered water from the house's gutters. A pipe led up to the kitchen, where the water could be pumped into the house to use. While it has its downsides, she loves that this water storage solution can help save water for her garden during particularly dry years. |
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| 7. "The first thing I said when I saw [our wood-burning stove] for the first time when we were considering buying the house was, 'God-awful ugly ... it's gotta go!'" says prettyhappynut. "Well, 10 years later and so many great memories later, not only did we not get rid of it, but we saved it during a recent renovation and had it installed in our family room. Talk about growing on you ... " |
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8. Agsus22's 1940s house is full of crazy quirks — including an old block chimney in the living room wall that had been covered up by paneling. After busting it out, she put a 55-gallon fish tank in the space.
"These are things that bothered me at first, and I'm sure there are many more," she says. "But as with most things in an older home, they grow on you, and it becomes a labor of love to preserve as much of the history as you can while still trying to make it more modern and traditional for today's times!"
"These are things that bothered me at first, and I'm sure there are many more," she says. "But as with most things in an older home, they grow on you, and it becomes a labor of love to preserve as much of the history as you can while still trying to make it more modern and traditional for today's times!"
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Loving your home's quirks often means sacrificing convenience for charm.
9. My apartment's radiators took a while to grow on me. They seemed cute at first glance, but when I moved in I quickly learned what a hassle they were. Impossible to adjust and incredibly loud, they struck me as the worst heating solution possible.
Fast forward to four years later, and I couldn't imagine my apartment without these clanking metal beasts. I'm grateful for these charming heaters — particularly on especially chilly San Francisco nights.
9. My apartment's radiators took a while to grow on me. They seemed cute at first glance, but when I moved in I quickly learned what a hassle they were. Impossible to adjust and incredibly loud, they struck me as the worst heating solution possible.
Fast forward to four years later, and I couldn't imagine my apartment without these clanking metal beasts. I'm grateful for these charming heaters — particularly on especially chilly San Francisco nights.
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| 10. Some Houzzers felt the same way about their radiators, including moresparkly, who submitted this photo. They're "so cozy to perch on," she says. 11. Houzzer texshop had the opportunity to get rid of some radiators but decided to keep them. "Although they take up wall space, I love the nostalgic look of the radiators," says texshop. "Glad to know others feel the same." |
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| Some Houzzers emphasize their home's crazy quirks. 12. "When changing a three-season room into a year-round space, [we realized] the walls had many irregular surfaces and edges, and there was a post that would have been difficult to remove," says Houzzer erplaut. |
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"We decided to emphasize them with white pine and give the room a very Japanese flair," erplaut says. "It is now many people's favorite room in our home."
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| 13. The previous owners of tcufrog's home had a big-screen TV built into an entertainment center. Trying to fit a new flat-screen TV into the built-in was close to impossible. Instead, she had a cabinetmaker add doors and cabinets, and a removable back panel so for mounting the TV. "Not only does it look great, but now we have a place to stash DVDs and toys in the living room, plus compartments for our home server," tcufrog says. |
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| 14. "When I first walked into this house, it was so dark," says Houzzer ikwewe. "All the walls are paneled in real cherry paneling. I thought it was going to have to go." Instead, she kept the paneling and had one part of the living room wall opened up to the big window in her dining and kitchen area. "Now I love it," she says. |
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| Sometimes loving the challenges requires extra effort. 15. Houzzer seananddebra1 loves to garden, but living in northeast England doesn't make that easy. Regardless, he and his wife have made the backyard the main focus of their remodeling. "Summers are unpredictable, but my wife toils endlessly to bring out the best of what the U.K. has to offer," he says. Your turn: Show us a quirk of your house you've learned to love. |
Ideabook published on Feb. 14, 2013.
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In summer, the shade fills the entire side of the deck, the dog loves to have an extra bed out there year round, and the birds love all the feeders we can hang from the branches.
Mirrored closet doors - yes they are 'dated' but they are so convenient and they reflect the views from the opposite windows. I'm sure they will come back in style eventually.
Tiny second bathroom - it's perfectly functional as is, no need to add on by removing the adjacent closet. A fresh coat of paint and nice accessories was all it took to bring it up to date.
Original kitchen cabinets - newly refinished, they look fantastic and they are solid wood. At first I wanted to change the layout but now I love it the way it is. And there is real value in "original to the home" in my neighborhood. A lot of homeowners and buyers around here are obsessed with original details.