You Asked For it, Before and After

by Katy on August 29, 2010 · 8 comments

I wrote the other day about the never ending remodeling on my 1914 house, and you, the readers asked for some before and after pictures. So here goes . . .

Before -- My house in 1918. Notice how the stairs come from the front of the porch.

Before -- My house in 1933. Notice how the stairs now come from the side of the porch, which will eventually not support the front of the house very well.

Before -- The house in 2002. The asbestos siding has been removed, but the front porch is a danger zone. The cheap lathe railing sways to the touch.


After -- My house in 2006. Notice how the porch steps now come from the front of the porch again, thus supporting the front of the house.

After -- My porch in 2008. (?) It's been painted, but there's still a few spots which need to be touched up.

And don’t worry, there’s more to come.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

“Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without”

P.S. Here’s a gratuitous before and after photo essay of my lovely, lovely living room chair:

Before -- Goodwill as-is chair sitting on my mother's front porch. I had declined the gift, as it was moist and stanky.

That is, until I saw a reproduction of the same style of chair at Rejuvenation, which looked awesome and cost $1800. It was not as detailed and lower quality.

After -- Hello, reupholstered chair!

{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }

DJ August 29, 2010 at 9:20 am

That is beautiful. Did you recover it yourself? I was given an older chair to fix up and I am debating if this is a do it yourself project or not.

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Louise August 29, 2010 at 9:38 am

I had a chair just like this! Picked it up for $15 at an estate sale in 1986. It had that exact same horribly stained pink upholstery, too. I recovered it in a green fabric and loved it for many years before passing it along to a friend when we moved full-time into our RV.

I LOVED that chair. Everyone told me I was nuts to buy a used, stained piece of furniture, but I could see the good bones underneath. It was so well made that I could stand on one of the arms and it wouldn’t tip over. Heavy, substantial, quality frame.

Chair before (so nasty we let the dog hang out on it): http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/QKGlLEFQEZwiB-bgyu-Y4w?feat=directlink

Chair after: http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/MwWiPx6Og5wTp6cG7qZKsg?feat=directlink

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Kellene August 29, 2010 at 3:08 pm

Wow! Amazing transformation! So wonderful when you can take well-built furniture (hard to find today) and give it a new look. I’m always jealous of people who can refinish and reupholster. I don’t have the patience. Beautiful work!

(BTW, thanks to you, I’m reading The Millionaire Next Door. Wonderful book for those who believe building wealth instead of spending it.)

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Katy August 29, 2010 at 6:03 pm

The reupholstery of this chair was my support of the local economy. My sewing skills are confined to much simpler endeavors.

-Katy

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Karen August 29, 2010 at 5:20 pm

Katy, these are wonderful pictures! It’s amazing that you have a pic of your house as a new house. I live in a 1912 bungalow and would kill for a pic of the house when it was new, or even in any earlier era! Anyway, your pictures are something to be treasured as a visual history of your house.

And, I adore your classic reupholstered chair, which obviously had good bones all along. It’s an inspiration to those of us who prowl Goodwill in search of “pre sat-in” chairs, looking for solid but neglected furniture to restore. Thanks for posting!

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Kristen@TheFrugalGirl August 30, 2010 at 3:13 am

Oh, how fun that you have a photo of your house from way back wen!

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Kristen@TheFrugalGirl August 30, 2010 at 3:14 am

Or rather, when. lol

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Deb August 31, 2010 at 1:44 pm

I agree, I love the pics you posted of your house’s transformation through the years – I’m a fellow Portlander and I’m gaga for all of that old info & photos about our beloved town & the cool old homes here. I know that Westmoreland park used to be a dirt landing strip for small planes, and that Johnson Creek Blvd is so crooked because it was originally an old Indian Trail.

I live in 1930 cottage that was built by a carpenter for his daughter as a wedding gift. It’s been remodeled through the years and I so wish I could see photos of the exterior/interior when it was first built.

Katy, would you mind if I asked who did the upholstery on your chair here? I have an old art deco sofa & chair similar to yours, but they need reupholstering as well. I really like how they did yours, and the color is just what I’m looking for as well. Kudos for the great find!

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