"Rollman Ranch"
This is our home!! When we walked in I was in love. It is tiny and ancient, but the realtor could barely get me to leave when we first viewed it. Luckily my loving husband let me buy it in 2008. Thus, it was a terrible financial decision! During escrow I had a calendar and I would mark off every day, inspection, and appriasal until we got to move in. We would drive by in different cars, or park down the street and walk by so we could visit the house without being total stalkers. I couldn't even sleep I was so excited. Eventually it was all ours and over the last three years we have been working on restoring and repairing this 1920 gem. There is always something to work on - right now we are painting the exterior yellow!
Who knew there were so many shades of yellow...
Painting The House:
It was brought to my attention, that this blog is called Robin's Urban Farmhouse, and I have written very little about the house! So, I am going to make an effort to include some of our house projects. On top is the house when we bought it. The paint had since gotten worse. The bottom picture is what it looks like now!
When we bought the house there was A LOT to be done. It was a like a puppy, so cute and loveable, but so messy and time consuming!
Our house was missing key things, like door handles on the bathroom. Apparently the last owners and their two kids either didn't close the bathroom door or got out a screw driver every time they walked in or out. That was obviously one of the first things to be fixed.
We made a list. We only let ourselves put five projects on the To Do List at a time so we wouldn't get overwhelmed. I am a total list person! We worked on those five projects, and we got great satisfaction from crossing a project off when we finished it. We have kept this list thing going. I think we have one page for each of the years we have been here.
Of course there are always projects to add, but last week we crossed off our LAST major project on the list. We finished painting the house! With a 90 year old house, everything is done a little differently than a new house. For example, it is hard to replace an interior door, because they were all cut by hand to fit the specific door frame. So a door that is actually a prefect rectangle, won't fit in the door frame!! Frustrating.
Painting the house was no different. You can't just paint the house. You have to water blast the house and catch and clean EVERY little flake of paint, because back in the day they used lead based paint. Then you have to scrape what is left. Then fill in the holes in the old redwood siding with Bondo. Then sand it all. Then prime it. At this point you can think about paint. I have to admit. We hired a handyman to 90% of this.
Justin and I haggled over colors, painted about 6 different yellow on our house, which I am sure the neighbors enjoyed, and finally came to an agreement! Thank you to my parents who mixed more quarts of yellow paint for us than I can count! We did the final touch up of the pain ourselves. This means that I painted it. Justin isn't really allowed to paint much around here, because I have to repaint them after :) I think he does this on purpose.
For a final touch we discarded an absolutely ugly old light that we had a got a charming lantern for the front porch. DONE! Dust off the hands, wash the paint brushes, and hopefully store them in the basement for a long, long time...
Our Room
Work on the bedroom began on move in day. After all, it is your place to relax and conclude each day. When we moved in the room was just plain dull. It was a dark greenish gray that just looked to me like a dreary day.
So out with the dull and in with the gold! The paint cans were open as soon as we could get the drop cloths down. Thank you mom and aunt Wendy for painting this! I wanted to do vertical stripes to add some interest to the room without adding stuff that takes up space. It was inspired by the Citizen Hotel in downtown Sac. Initially we just painted the gold in a matt paint. Then when we got around to it we masked off the stripes with painter's tape. This was challenging in a 90 year old house because the walls aren't actually straight so there was a lot of eye balling involved. We painted the cream with a semi-gloss so that there is a difference in sheen. It is probably about time to put something on that wall, but we have been busy redecorating the living room.
The doors to the bathroom came a few days later. The bathroom, which connects to our room, didn't have any handles at all! This meant that you either let everyone be part of your business or you used a screw driver. Obviously this was an immediate fix. Luckily we found most of the door handles in the basement along with these gorgeous period door plates. Most of them are unique so each door has a slightly different design. They were all black and tarnished but looked nice after a good scrub!
I also oiled all the doors with a tinted oil to bring back the rich color. At some point in the life of our house the breakfast nook was added behind our room. I know this because there was the outline of an exterior window in our room that lead to a wall! We debated about all the ways to fix this. In the end we covered it up. Now we have a curtain on one wall. Besides being a great cover for an eye sour, I like the change in texture and the break in the stripes.
So that is our bedroom! It feels relaxing a peaceful to me without being dull! I change the bedspread about three times a year when I am feeling an itch for a new look. I would love to see other people's rooms if you want to share!
So out with the dull and in with the gold! The paint cans were open as soon as we could get the drop cloths down. Thank you mom and aunt Wendy for painting this! I wanted to do vertical stripes to add some interest to the room without adding stuff that takes up space. It was inspired by the Citizen Hotel in downtown Sac. Initially we just painted the gold in a matt paint. Then when we got around to it we masked off the stripes with painter's tape. This was challenging in a 90 year old house because the walls aren't actually straight so there was a lot of eye balling involved. We painted the cream with a semi-gloss so that there is a difference in sheen. It is probably about time to put something on that wall, but we have been busy redecorating the living room.
The doors to the bathroom came a few days later. The bathroom, which connects to our room, didn't have any handles at all! This meant that you either let everyone be part of your business or you used a screw driver. Obviously this was an immediate fix. Luckily we found most of the door handles in the basement along with these gorgeous period door plates. Most of them are unique so each door has a slightly different design. They were all black and tarnished but looked nice after a good scrub!
I also oiled all the doors with a tinted oil to bring back the rich color. At some point in the life of our house the breakfast nook was added behind our room. I know this because there was the outline of an exterior window in our room that lead to a wall! We debated about all the ways to fix this. In the end we covered it up. Now we have a curtain on one wall. Besides being a great cover for an eye sour, I like the change in texture and the break in the stripes.
So that is our bedroom! It feels relaxing a peaceful to me without being dull! I change the bedspread about three times a year when I am feeling an itch for a new look. I would love to see other people's rooms if you want to share!
1920's Here We Come
Molding
The walls in our house are made of plaster and lath. This means that it is hard to hang things on the wall. Thus, people hang things on the picture molding. After 90 years of hanging pictures it looked bad.
Honestly it made the whole living and dining room look pretty cruddy. We decided as a brave engaged couple that we would reconstruct the molding. It would be good practice in "communicating" before our upcoming wedding, and believe me it was!
It took us a long time, and about 1,000 cuts with the compound mider saw. Eventually we ended up with what you see in the picture. We painted the crown molding, then stained the dental piece to match the other wood in the room. For the ends we bought the medallions, constructed boxes out of them. We mostly added these because we couldn't figure out the proper angles to end the molding. I think it looks great and it compliments the other period details!
Honestly it made the whole living and dining room look pretty cruddy. We decided as a brave engaged couple that we would reconstruct the molding. It would be good practice in "communicating" before our upcoming wedding, and believe me it was!
It took us a long time, and about 1,000 cuts with the compound mider saw. Eventually we ended up with what you see in the picture. We painted the crown molding, then stained the dental piece to match the other wood in the room. For the ends we bought the medallions, constructed boxes out of them. We mostly added these because we couldn't figure out the proper angles to end the molding. I think it looks great and it compliments the other period details!
Furniture
Now about three years later we began the hunt for furniture. The first piece we found was this amazing chair from Hause in East Sac. It is styled after a porter chair from the 1880's. In the old castles the doorman would have to sit in the drafty entryway. The dome was designed to give some protection from the elements! I wanted an interesting signature piece to go next to the china hutch.
Anyone have a good book?
Oldie but Goodie
The Final Product
Last but not least we purchased a rug for the dining room. We found one that matched the living room in color but was a bit more formal. It gave the rooms good separation. Now we kick up our feet and enjoy the finished product!
The Kitchen
The kitchen is really the heart and soul of our house. For one it is always the warmest room, due to our old old oven. For two it is full of food. So, people always tend to congregate in there.
Luckily for us, the previous owners did a nice renovation in the kitchen. They modernized some features like the backsplash, counter tops, and hood, but kept some of the great period details like the Wedgewood stove and hard wood. Our stove is still complete with an original timer and little salt and pepper shakers.
I have added a few things that make it more user friendly and give it some character. My mom gave us a pot rack for Christmas, so that was the first addition. This saves so much space in the cupboards!!
The island looks out over the porch and backyard so it is a great place to cook! We shortened and painted the stools so that we could actually sit at the island. Usually these stools are used by guests who are hanging out during cooking.
The walls in the kitchen are still the old plaster and lath, and were riddled with holes and scrapes from years of cooking. This summer I got up on my little ladder, filled in the cracks in the plaster, sanded them down and repainted. This really cleaned things up!
Then I had a whole patch of wall by the sink that was all naked. I decided to put a chalk board, so I could write recipes that I use often. What teacher can refuse a chalkboard! Most of the time the recipe for bread it up so I can quickly pop the ingredients into the bread maker and be done with it.
The chalkboard is fun, and not too complicated. There was of course a mandatory trip to the hardware store where I got a can of chalkboard paint, the molding, and one small piece of wood to hold the actual chalk. I measured and taped off the area where I wanted the board. I actually used saran wrap and painters tape, so that there was a large area covered. Then I put two coats of chalkboard paint up. While these were drying I measured and cut the edging. I then painted it with two coats of white paint we had laying around the basement. When everything was dry I removed the tape. I nailed in the molding, then touched up the paint over the nails. I love the look of it, and it would be great for a kids room!
My neighbor had given me the most adorable measuring cups you have ever seen and I wanted a place to display them. So I went to Target, found those great shelves and put them up. The measuring cups are on the bottom shelf. Those few changes really dressed up the whole area and made it a lot more interesting! One room completed, on to the next! Happy cooking!
Luckily for us, the previous owners did a nice renovation in the kitchen. They modernized some features like the backsplash, counter tops, and hood, but kept some of the great period details like the Wedgewood stove and hard wood. Our stove is still complete with an original timer and little salt and pepper shakers.
I have added a few things that make it more user friendly and give it some character. My mom gave us a pot rack for Christmas, so that was the first addition. This saves so much space in the cupboards!!
The island looks out over the porch and backyard so it is a great place to cook! We shortened and painted the stools so that we could actually sit at the island. Usually these stools are used by guests who are hanging out during cooking.
The walls in the kitchen are still the old plaster and lath, and were riddled with holes and scrapes from years of cooking. This summer I got up on my little ladder, filled in the cracks in the plaster, sanded them down and repainted. This really cleaned things up!
Then I had a whole patch of wall by the sink that was all naked. I decided to put a chalk board, so I could write recipes that I use often. What teacher can refuse a chalkboard! Most of the time the recipe for bread it up so I can quickly pop the ingredients into the bread maker and be done with it.
The chalkboard is fun, and not too complicated. There was of course a mandatory trip to the hardware store where I got a can of chalkboard paint, the molding, and one small piece of wood to hold the actual chalk. I measured and taped off the area where I wanted the board. I actually used saran wrap and painters tape, so that there was a large area covered. Then I put two coats of chalkboard paint up. While these were drying I measured and cut the edging. I then painted it with two coats of white paint we had laying around the basement. When everything was dry I removed the tape. I nailed in the molding, then touched up the paint over the nails. I love the look of it, and it would be great for a kids room!
My neighbor had given me the most adorable measuring cups you have ever seen and I wanted a place to display them. So I went to Target, found those great shelves and put them up. The measuring cups are on the bottom shelf. Those few changes really dressed up the whole area and made it a lot more interesting! One room completed, on to the next! Happy cooking!
