Older home reno

[dove]

We recently moved after a full reno on my previous home 😭 and bought a post WW2 cottage in new city. It has been added onto and renovated through the years. I want to be mindful of the charm older homes offer while we renovate. 
Or do you think we’re wasting time/energy by attempting to keep the charm? I am not sure if buyers now really care about that.

*we move every few years so I always try and renovate/update with the mindset of selling.

[simpsongal]

Define charm? Original wood molding? Built ins? I’d probably try to keep a lot but i wouldn’t hesitate to redo a bathroom and just period appropriate finishes.

[laterz]

if it's been renovated multiple times, is there existing consistency in the house? if not, i'd focus more on the things that will help you ultimately sell, vs. charm.

[dove]

Jul 10, 2022 13:53:50 GMT -5 simpsongal said:

Define charm? Original wood molding? Built ins? I’d probably try to keep a lot but i wouldn’t hesitate to redo a bathroom and just period appropriate finishes.

Mainly thinking bathrooms. I think the 2 in the non-add on part of the house are original.

Def keeping pocket doors, swinging door to dining, moulding , etc

[dove]

Jul 10, 2022 14:44:01 GMT -5 laterz said:

if it's been renovated multiple times, is there existing consistency in the house? if not, i'd focus more on the things that will help you ultimately sell, vs. charm.

This is a good point. All but the most recent add-on bathroom somewhat match

[dove]

Dupe

[winecat]

Can you post pictures of the bathrooms? I’m in a few old house fb groups and there are a bunch of people in those groups who are very passionate about keeping vintage. Have you watched Brent Waterman’s show on HGTV? I think he does a great job of honoring the old homes and making them workable for today.

[dove]

winecat  the house was never listed so there aren’t professional photos, or listing for that matter. Forgive the amateur photo. I hate the shower cubby/hole



And I’ve never seen that show. I will look it up

[spinnaker5]

Check out @vintagebathroomlove on Instagram, you might get inspired - he posts tons of tiled showers similar to yours that are gorgeous.

[winecat]

Jul 10, 2022 15:59:42 GMT -5 dove said:

winecat  the house was never listed so there aren’t professional photos, or listing for that matter. Forgive the amateur photo. I hate the shower cubby/hole

View Attachment

And I’ve never seen that show. I will look it up

Ah yeah- I wouldn't like that either.  But the tile is fantastic!  I bet you could save the tile and keep the vintage aesthetic but with something more functional.  

I love that show.  Brett nerds out ALL the time on the historic details but works with the homeowners so well.  He's also got an Instagram.  I found a bathroom that they redid in period style: 

http://instagram.com/p/CVd1SVlh857

.  

[dr.girlfriend]

I think some things like penny tile, retro sinks and bathtubs, etc. continue to work, but other things just look dated. I would absolutely replace that with a glass shower but maybe with a nice penny tile floor and subway tile walls. My house is for me, not a time capsule.

[simpsongal]

My grandparents had that green tile w/black trim

That shower would be a gut for me though. Gotta start w/function and showering in a tomb like enclosure is not in the cards for me.

[dove]

Jul 11, 2022 8:46:15 GMT -5 simpsongal said:

My grandparents had that green tile w/black trim

That shower would be a gut for me though. Gotta start w/function and showering in a tomb like enclosure is not in the cards for me.

LOL @ bolded. Luckily we haven't had to use this bathroom. It really is terrible. I definitely want to gut it out but wasn't sure if I was de-valuing the charm and monetary value. I know some people look for the original look, but I would think that the majority of people don't want to shower in a tomb either 

[dr.girlfriend]

That bathroom is going to look twice as big with a glass enclosure. This is what ours looks like and it's amazing how open it feels!  I tried to find a before and after reno online more similar to yours, but I couldn't find a before that was that bad!  (sorry!)



If you google "bathroom renovations with vintage feel" or "retro feel" you should be able to find some good examples that fall in the "clean and classic" category:

[dove]

dr.girlfriend yours looks great! And thanks for those inspo pics. I could definitely see something like that in the space

[winecat]

Jul 11, 2022 10:16:37 GMT -5 dove said:

Jul 11, 2022 8:46:15 GMT -5 simpsongal said:

My grandparents had that green tile w/black trim

That shower would be a gut for me though. Gotta start w/function and showering in a tomb like enclosure is not in the cards for me.

LOL @ bolded. Luckily we haven't had to use this bathroom. It really is terrible. I definitely want to gut it out but wasn't sure if I was de-valuing the charm and monetary value. I know some people look for the original look, but I would think that the majority of people don't want to shower in a tomb either 

I'm definitely one who much prefers the original in historic comes BUT that shower is not one I love.  Even if you don't want to reuse the tile, you'll probably be able to find someone who will salvage it.  

[dr.girlfriend]

Jul 11, 2022 19:43:34 GMT -5 winecat said:

Jul 11, 2022 10:16:37 GMT -5 dove said:

LOL @ bolded. Luckily we haven't had to use this bathroom. It really is terrible. I definitely want to gut it out but wasn't sure if I was de-valuing the charm and monetary value. I know some people look for the original look, but I would think that the majority of people don't want to shower in a tomb either 

I'm definitely one who much prefers the original in historic comes BUT that shower is not one I love.  Even if you don't want to reuse the tile, you'll probably be able to find someone who will salvage it.  

This may sound bad, but ... why?  I kind of understand the example above, where the tiles are obviously handpainted or whatever, but the tile in dove's shower is just white and black subway tile, with maybe some materials that don't meet health standards for today.  Is there really a point in salvaging it if it's indistinguishable from current tiles?

[penguingrrl]

I have that exact shower in my house lol! I’m ripping it out this year because it sucks to use.

I am a huge proponent of keeping charm, and didn’t look at houses built after 1930, nor did I consider houses that had been gut renovated at the expense of charm. I love my original plaster walls and the gorgeous trim as well as the way the layout is to live in. But an updated bathroom that had a vintage feel would have been greatly appreciated.

[winecat]

Jul 11, 2022 21:18:52 GMT -5 dr.girlfriend said:

Jul 11, 2022 19:43:34 GMT -5 winecat said:

I'm definitely one who much prefers the original in historic comes BUT that shower is not one I love.  Even if you don't want to reuse the tile, you'll probably be able to find someone who will salvage it.  

This may sound bad, but ... why?  I kind of understand the example above, where the tiles are obviously handpainted or whatever, but the tile in dove 's shower is just white and black subway tile, with maybe some materials that don't meet health standards for today.  Is there really a point in salvaging it if it's indistinguishable from current tiles?

They can be valuable to people who need to replace broken tiles in their bathrooms or kitchens.  They're similar to tiles available today but the patina that develops over the decades make them look slightly different than new tiles so the new tiles stick out if there's just a couple that were replaced.  

Now I'm wondering how much of dove's bathroom is original.  From what I can see, the sink/vanity and toilet don't look vintage.  

[dove]

winecat,The floors in the main hall bath (not pictured) are def original. It is smaller 1” tile. It has the different patina you mention and is lovely. I think the previous owners went with that as inspiration to renovate/expand the hall bath the floor is in and then took it to the bathroom pictured (current primary). The new addition, that I plan to make the new primary suite is absolutely not matching the baths in the original house. It is Spanish inspired. Don’t know wth is up with that.

The bathroom pictured will have to go completely because there are so many damaged tiles. I’m debating in going more modern or staying with the vintage feel

[winecat]

dove- Ah- I understand now. Clearly I have a preference for the vintage. You said the house wasn't listed but did you work with a realtor who might know what buyers in the area typically prefer? Or you could stalk house listings and see what people are doing and what's selling? Either way, I know what you'll pick will be lovely.

[dove]

I will def ask my realtor. From my house shopping adventures, I found both styles sold well. But the market was stupid hot when I was buying. We also have a lot of flippers in the area that gut the soul out of houses and they seem to sell well, too

[dove]

 Picture of what I think is original flooring. WDYT? Original? 



house was built in 1949

[darby]

That tile floor is amazing and looks to be in excellent shape! If you’re going to stay true to the home, then I think you should leave that floor tile. I think it would work with many of the inspo pics above.

[dr.girlfriend]

Jul 15, 2022 19:26:55 GMT -5 dove said:

 Picture of what I think is original flooring. WDYT? Original? 
View Attachment


house was built in 1949

I'm not knowledgeable enough to know if that's actually original, but it at the very least seems to be both period-appropriate and very cool!  My house was built in the 1950's and this is the original flooring I think (sorry, not the greatest picture but it's the only one I have that shows the floor):




Something to think about is that I was told that since my bathroom had clearly not been fully renovated I should be aware that the main stack pipe is probably lead, and therefore to never use a metal snake or it might punch right through.  We plan to renovate this bathroom and at that point we may try to replace the main stack pipe, although I'm sure that will be a mess that will involve opening walls in our downstairs as well.

I have to say, although I love the look of penny tile / small tile for the vintage feel, I'm not sure I'll put it into this bathroom if we redo it.  I feel like making the grout look clean is a huge undertaking for a bathroom that my kid uses regularly.