This is going to be a long, long... long, project. That's fine, time I got. It's the sort of job I actually kind of enjoy, picking and pulling. Digging to find what's underneath.
And what's underneath is some lovely wood, covered by a layer of green paint, then white - possibly several, then goopy black paint.
I don't know if I'd have enjoyed restoration or archeology so much when I was younger, but now it's rather satisfying. Like peeling a sunburn. Discovering the past.
Pondering the outside of the bathroom door, natural wood gleaming softly, I wondered which past owner added the black paint everywhere else. My theory is that they did one door, it was so much work, they just painted the rest black. It would be consistent with a lot of other projects begun with enthusiasm and finished up cheaply, or not at all, based on the evidence. I still can't forgive bolting ikkeah crap all over this old beauty. In a sleek new apartment, sure, that works. Not an esthetic that appeals to me, but a perfectly valid one. In a century old house with gorgeous woodwork? Not so much.
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The people who built our house wound up getting a divorce before the house was finished. They started out with great enthusiasm, putting in all kinds of thoughtful extras, but as the project ended, so did the enthusiasm and the quality of the work.
We received verification of our surmise when the female half appeared on our doorstep one day, wanting to see the inside of the house before moving from the area "forever." She had many disparaging remarks to make about her "ex" as she walked through the house and many criticisms of his work.
We wish now that we hadn't answered the door! It was bad enough just to guess about the different levels of quality workmanship, but to know for sure is worse! We didn't want to tell her that her attitude may have caused some of the problems....
Oh, wow, yeah. And they built it? Even more distressing. Sometimes better not to know. Our previous owners were still married, but we heard from our next door neighbor that they had a similar dynamic.
I know just enough about them that I wouldn't let them in. I could restrain myself from punching them, though. Just barely.
The previous owners of the house we bought entertained quite often. We entertain quite often also, so it is a good fit.
I really like the look of modern architecture, my wife really hates it. I'm significantly more easy going than is she on this point, so we have a very classic style house. The only Ikea furniture we have is what is left from having moved from our first small apartment when we could only afford Ikea at the time.
It's deeply satisfying to reveal old wood beneath layers of paint. It's happened a lot in this house - primrose, taupe and eau-de nil over lovely old pine. But who would choose black? No, don't open the door.
Every room of our house has something special. We have custom kitchen cabinets, three pantries, three walk-in closets, a built-in desk in the kitchen (which we use only for the landline telephone), a linen closet in each of the two bathrooms, a Jacuzzi tub in the master bathroom (which we seldom use because it's hard to climb in and out of), ceiling molding in most of the rooms, separate dining room. The house is not large, but it has many nice features.
However -- the male half of the couple overestimated his talents and should have had someone else do some of the tasks. Some of the features look pretty amateurishly-finished. He was not an accomplished electrician or plumber and should have subbed out those tasks. Luckily for him, the house is not located within the city limits and did not have to pass inspection, unluckily for us. We have had to go to some expense to fix his work....
Had it been up to me we would not have let the female half into the house, but my husband met her out in the driveway and invited her in. I was not expecting company and was very annoyed that she came in as though she still owned the place. I'm a pretty private person and value my privacy immensely, but I was confronted with a fait accompli and tried to be friendly, but I don't think I carried it off very well. Just hope she never returns....
Class,
I'm sure I'd have been caught as flatfooted in that case, as well. And would not have come across as friendly at all. Only on rare and unexpected occasions do I react well thrown in without warning.
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