1908 Love

Dare I say I have watched one too many HGTV shows over the years? Literally if you look at my recorded programs they consist of HGTV shows and Travel shows. If you have never been to Coeur d’Alene, visualize a Norman Rockwell painting….tree lined streets adorned by quaint homes. Now quaint is a very broad word for the downtown area of CDA….the homes range from stately mansions along the shore of Lake Coeur d’Alene to tiny little bungalows tucked into town, and everything(and I mean everything)in between.….all uniquely their own. Most of these homes have been well loved over the past century and longer but there are some that are waiting for the love they deserve in the current day. Well, I looked and looked and just like Goldilocks checked out a few beds and bowls of porridge….I checked out a few (or several) homes in downtown for just the right one. Maybe in the current seller’s market frenzy in CDA not the most ideal time….but definitely the right time. I started the search with specific desires for my home but quickly realized I was going to have to prioritize those desires and act quick. After several months of looking, a blue craftsman popped on the market…..as soon as I walked in I saw potential, high ceilings, somewhere to put my very large dining room table (yes, kinda was buying a house to go with my table), a front porch with a swing, large rooms and walkable to the beach as well as the little town I enjoy so much. Sounds idyllic…right? Well this was one of the homes looking for love and I was just the right person to give it that love! My hope is to restore her to the beautiful home that I know embraced a lot of love, a lot of sadness, and a lot of laughter through the past century+. Yes, she is 113 years old and has been neglected for quite awhile. Over the next couple blog posts I will share with you the excitement, the joy, the utter frustration and lots of pictures along the way of this huge labor of love that I will call home. As I said previously, when I walked into this home, I saw the potential she held and through all the trials and tribulations of remodeling a 1908 home I have never lost the vision. I was excited to show my friends as well as Maggie the ‘before’ and although they were all saying how wonderful it was, every one of them had the look on their face of “ Tami has lost her fricken mind?” Now, that is up for debate daily but I have always held onto the vision of what I know this house can be….it might take a couple years but she will be beautiful inside and out once again. Will it be my forever home…who knows, that is way to final for me, it will be my sanctuary for now and someday beautifully restored to embrace a new family. It has been exciting to see the transformation that will allow this house to once again stand proud along the tree lined street of historic downtown CDA. Enjoy the pictures below of the house when I purchased and post demo… see if you ask yourself “ HasTami indeed lost her mind?” :)

It was a tuff decision to keep or not keep the retro wall paper?

Nope, don’t really want a washer and dryer in my dining room…..

This closet will become upstairs laundry room.

Behind that little door we found a secret room where someone had been growing marijuana. There also was a mirror in there. Maggie and I watched the movie Skeleton Key the night before about a haunted house and voodoo which all the mirrors were always put in the closet as that is where the ghosts would appear. So my house is haunted by pot smoking, voodoo followers….Perfect! :)

Took down a wall to join the two smaller rooms which will become COZY master bedroom, master bath and powder room. A lot to squeeze into this space.

Stairs supported by centerblock down to scary, spider filled (in my mind)basement.

Yikes!!!! Scary looking behind 113 year old walls.

Doesn’t everyone store their old blinds in the ceiling?

That trim about a foot from the ceiling goes all through the main floor. It is called picture rail which was widely used in historic homes as the walls were all plaster so they would hang the pictures on wire from the rails as to not crumble plaster.

113 years of floor covering. In between the original floors and the first layer there was a layer of newspaper. The year of the newspaper is 1957 which is the year Scott was born…..Is it a sign this house actually found me and my endeavor is not completely insane?…I say yes.

Voodoo pot smoking room