Here’s a photo of George Washington’s kitchen… not a lot of cabinet and counter-top space is there?

I bet there are over a hundred places in this country that claim that “George Washington slept here”.  The one place that we can be most certain is his home, Mt Vernon, and in his own bed there…

Originally posted 2015-08-31 12:54:50.

This is the Mary Stith House, located in Colonial Willamsburg, Virginia.

What a gorgeous building.

“Mary Stith lived to see independence and the establishment of the Republic. She wrote her will in 1813. Among its beneficiaries were her African American servants, to whom she left her shop. Her will shows her depth of feeling for them:

“All the coloured people in my family being born my slaves, but now liberated, I think it my duty not to leave them destitute nor to leave them unrecompensed for past services rendered to me. As in the cause of humanity I can do but little for so many, and that little my conscience requires me to do, therefore I subject the whole of my estate to the payment of my just debts, and to the provision which I herein make for them.”

With the exception of few small legacies to white friends, Stith left most of her considerable estate, including three buildings and the ground on which they stood, to her freedmen.”

Learn more about her at…

http://www.history.org/almanack/places/hb/hbstith.cfm

Originally posted 2015-08-29 15:12:19.

For those who appreciate the “bones” of an old house here’s one for you… the roof system of an old estate home in England.

Most people have little interest in those parts of a home that aren’t seen after a house is completed, which is one of the reasons that homes are built so poorly these days and with materials that are more glue than they are wood.

Originally posted 2015-08-29 13:47:36.

I suppose you could call this a “boathouse”.

A boat is certainly designed to keep the water out so why not make use of a boat to protect yourself from water coming from above?

Originally posted 2015-08-28 18:05:37.

I do love a thatched roof… there is something about a roof that is all natural that I find very comforting.

Originally posted 2015-08-28 17:38:34.

Cruck frames, common in England, make use of naturally curved timbers.

A cruck frame is incredibly strong, and visually striking.

Originally posted 2015-08-26 12:21:01.

Here’s a diagram of an early New England home… I love it. Who wouldn’t feel at home is such a place!

You can tell it’s a New England home because…

1) I’ve never seen a diagram of southern timber frame home… sad isn’t it? What’s up with that?
2) The horizontal members between the rafters, known as “purlins”, were not used in the Mid-Atlantic and further south… roof systems were rafters only.
3) The roof sheathing, those boards between the roof rafters and the shingles, would run horizontally not vertically.
4) The corner angle bracing in this diagram goes up to the top plate. Here in Virginia and the surrounding states it goes down to the sill timber.

Clearly both methods are attractive, and both have held up homes for centuries… so the difference is more about “regional flavor” rather than right or wrong.

Originally posted 2015-08-25 17:58:10.

You know… it’s a funny thing… but when I look at this photo of a back porch my eye is drawn to the well-used screen door. I can hear the spring on that door as it stretches when the door is opened, and I hear the door slam shut as the children come in and out of the house.

I can also hear the mother of the house scolding those children to not let the door slam. lol

But, I bet that same mother, years later, misses hearing that sound of summer.  🙁

Originally posted 2015-08-23 13:55:55.

Summer is quickly coming to an end.
Some youth have already started back to school.
The weather is supposed to be nice this weekend.
Make sure and spend some quite time on your porch!

Originally posted 2015-08-22 13:39:57.

Here is the rebuilt kitchen fireplace in the historic Noah Parsons House located in Massachusetts.

The mantle piece adds a nice decorative touch, don’t you think? The left side is plenty big enough to have a fire to keep the room warm, and, with the aid of the forged swing arm above it, to cook the family’s meals . And then, once enough coals are built up in the fire they can then be moved under the beehive oven where fresh breads or a pies can then be baked.

Other rooms in the house are certainly “fancier” than this kitchen, designed to impress guests and maintain civility within the family… but I can guarantee you that standing in front of this fireplace is where everyone wanted to be. It is certainly where you would find this old boy.

This fireplace is also a great example of designing and building a new home that is classic in appeal. They look good when finished, but they improve in appearance as they age. A homeowner who builds a fireplace like this today will be admired for generations to come.

Originally posted 2015-08-22 13:17:19.