Little has happened at the Keys house in recent months, but that is beginning to change. We’re finally able to devote some more time to the project and will continue pecking away it it in small increments. We’ve also found some things for the house which are of interest. So far we have have acquired an 1880’s cook stove for the kitchen which retains its original nickeling. We were also able to score an 1880’s six-piece parlor suite which had been languishing in an antique mall pretty much forever. Also an 1880’s wall clock! At some point I will post about these finds.
The real excitement, however, concerns the exterior of the house. The bling is coming back! Both roof cresting and a new paint scheme are in process!
While not a top priority, Jim wanted to order cresting and have it on hand in case the world got too chaotic/dysfunctional. As it turned out, he was not a bit too paranoid. The national shutdown did, in fact, delay the production and delivery of the order, but we finally received it. We still need to prime and paint all the pieces before they can be installed.
Also Jim removed two of the porch supports from the south porch for repairs to be made off-site. I’m in the process of painting them now, so they will be the first bits of color to appear on the house in many decades.
I’m kind of loving these colors with the Barn Red paint in the background. I still don’t know the original siding color of the Keys house, but will remove some cheesy plastic siding (vinyl) and do some sanding in the very near future to determine that. If I don’t like the original siding color, Barn Red will be in the running as a serious potential option!
Glad to see an update, and that snazzy roof cresting! That’s going to totally change the look of the house. I guess the question is whether to put it up right away (instant gratification!), or wait until it’s a “finishing touch” later on.
Do your plans for the house affect which porch will be the primary entry? You’re doing a great job restoring the matching decorative work on each, so I suppose it’s ultimately irrelevant for the exterior. Although, looking at this photo, it appears the side porch does not have the fretwork between the paired columns that the front does; is this by original design?
The cresting will probably have to wait a while before installation, but at least when the day comes we’ll be ready. There is a lot to be said for delayed gratification, too!
We intend to reinstate the west porch as the main entry (as it was originally). You are correct about the lack of a stylized vine weaving between the porch supports. The vines are only on the front (west) porch where the supports are slightly wider than those of the side porch. Both have the “X” motif in their bases, however. The simpler supports of the south porch are further evidence that the west porch was the main entry originally. That side of the house also has a much fancier entry door.
When the side porch was expanded along with an early addition, the supports were simply spaced further apart. They were not spaced equally, an unfortunate fact which will become more obvious with the addition of a multi-hued paint scheme. Still, I’m looking forward to it!
Whatever color this “palace of the prairie ” was painted, I bet it wasn’t barn red. After all your over meticulous research on paint colors, you’d sell out for barn red just like that.
I AM SHOCKED!!!
Looks great on a chicken house but here?
Why not fuschia?
Lol! Don’t be shocked! I have always reserved the right to edit these colors. History has been documented, so that is the important part. Also, when I previously asked for input on colors, many implied that I should just paint the house however the hell I wanted to — and not to be bound by historic precedent if it was not appealing. Actually, I toned down the olive just a bit to make it work better with the seafoam highlights, and I don’t feel a tad guilty about it. The browns we have purchased (but not used yet) are true to the originals. The colors all look great together.
Nothing’s been determined yet regarding siding color… I will try to remove some vinyl this coming weekend and determine the original color. Hopefully it will be a pleasant surprise. Why not fuschia? Because it wouldn’t look good with olive and seafoam. I haven’t sold out for red yet… but I might! 🙂
I can’t wait to see that cresting go up! And, I am not a huge fan of delayed gratification. . .
Those columns look really great. They are really interesting and unusual. As usual, I am interested in how the epoxy works on the wood. That seems like a good idea.
The porch swing looks very inviting – it will look even better when all is ship shape on the outside.
Each situation can be a little bit different, but in this case Jim made the new base blocks from Wolmanized lumber which he then coated with a liquid epoxy. The expoxy soaked into the many fine cracks and pores for good penetration. After the first coat of epoxy dried, he added a second coat which had a little bit of Thin-set tile mortar mixed into it. The Thin-set made the expoxy into more of a paste which filled all the small cracks and gaps. It also gave the wood a bit of texture which can be sanded off if not desired.
After the second coat has dried, the wood can be primed with an oil-based primer. It is then ready for any kind of paint!
The porch swing is not as comfortable as it looks. And it’s falling apart. Apparently it has been there since at least the 1930’s and everyone seems to have a happy memory of sitting in it, so we will probably be loathed and reviled if we remove it. Sigh. We’ll keep it for now.
You guys have a magical way of resuscitating things, so I guess that works both ways! If you have the reputation of being able to fix anything. . . . Cushions perhaps? With enough padding, maybe it will be OK. There is something so incredibly inviting about a porch swing.
Few people reinstate lost cresting.
So…I’M SO FRIGGIN’ EXCITED!!!!!!!!!!!
So far, we have only one photo to use as a guide for the cresting, and it is kind of blurry. We’ve got a good match for the height, if not the exact pattern. As you can see in the photo, the cresting was confined to the main roof ridge and was not used on the dormers. If we don’t get it installed this fall, it will be on the schedule for next summer!
That is a great photo!
I like the open car with snow chains. Winter driving sure would have been an ordeal back then.
Snow chains would be a drag. I remember seeing them when I was a kid and being fascinated by them. A real hassle to put on and take off. Every era has its upsides and downsides I guess, just like today. The house appears to be on its second (or perhaps third) color scheme when this photo was taken. I’d love to find one taken when the house was new.
Do these columns have a name? A friend has then on her house but they are missing a lot of the detail I see on your’s. I have been helping her look for examples of such supports, but your’s is the first we’ve seen.
Great question, and probably a fun subject for a future post! Similar designs are sometimes referred to as trellised porch supports, but there is likely another term I’m not aware of. It’s definitely something to look into. If anyone can help with this question, please do!