Stunning original trim, mantels, woodwork throughout

[Anonymous]

I need to pool some money to buy this rowhouse before some soulless flipper gets it and destroys the history and beauty of this home.

It needs some touches, but the architectual integrity remains intact.

[Anonymous]

Looks like a funeral home. Very depressing.

[Anonymous]

Yuck. I hate Victorians.

[Anonymous]

Looks like a house that will be a money pit

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Looks like a house that will be a money pit

You don't like the house (which is ok) so you're making up excuses. This is in excellent condition judging from the photos. All houses are money pits.

[Anonymous]

It has a lot of character. Hard to find.

[Anonymous]

It's ok. But all that wood including the wood floors need to be sanded and refinished

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's ok. But all that wood including the wood floors need to be sanded and refinished

Zing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm shocked it hasn't been painted over throughout the past century. If someone stripped and restored all this woodwork, it is an insane project.

Yes, that staircase alone would be a huge undertaking! It is possible that they restored the house - the radiators are stripped and the William Morris details throughout are a nod to that. Some of the shelving also looks new, like they were trying to match the original style. I hope a rich person with taste buys it...

We have a 100 year old rowhouse with the original trim and did similar restoration work when we renovated. You can tell which of the original trim was refinished based on the tone of the wood. The unrestored wood is darker and has the nicks and dents stained darker. The restored original trim is lighter, but still has the knots and texture of the old growth hardwood. Some of the upstairs rooms have new trim that was stained to match, and the wood texture is different since it comes from new growth. When we renovated, we saved the trim and flooring from walls we took out, and used it to replace very damaged pieces and to create new walls and floor area (you need wood to cover an area where there used to be a wall).

Unless you sourced matching original woodwork from other homes, you can't keep it completely original, but for a house like this, the slight differences are part of the character and when it's furnished, it all blends pretty seamlessly. I really love this house and love seeing other homeowners that value the original character of these homes. It's 100% not for everyone, but there's definitely a market for folks that do. We did the work because we wanted it for the house we live in, and I'm guessing so did these homeowners.

[Anonymous]

I love it. Stunning. That said, it is a LOT of wood, so I could also see the temptation to paint some of it, though hopefully the next owner will at least leave the downstairs intact.

(The one "off note" in the house was that hideous tiling-over of one of the upstairs fireplaces, so perhaps not everything is sacred!)

[Anonymous]

Love the real estate agent sock puppeting here. I have a very similar house and the old wood work is intact and incredibly depressing and gloomy. It makes if feel old and gross. That's what this house looks like to me. Dark and old and in need of A LOT of work.

[Anonymous]

I'm trying to imagine what it would cost to strip all that hideous brown stain and restain to a natural tone. I'm guessing a couple hundred thousand dollars?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Love the real estate agent sock puppeting here. I have a very similar house and the old wood work is intact and incredibly depressing and gloomy. It makes if feel old and gross. That's what this house looks like to me. Dark and old and in need of A LOT of work.

Seems unlikely given the RE agents are the first to tell sellers to paint everything white, no matter what.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm shocked it hasn't been painted over throughout the past century. If someone stripped and restored all this woodwork, it is an insane project.

Yes, that staircase alone would be a huge undertaking! It is possible that they restored the house - the radiators are stripped and the William Morris details throughout are a nod to that. Some of the shelving also looks new, like they were trying to match the original style. I hope a rich person with taste buys it...

We have a 100 year old rowhouse with the original trim and did similar restoration work when we renovated. You can tell which of the original trim was refinished based on the tone of the wood. The unrestored wood is darker and has the nicks and dents stained darker. The restored original trim is lighter, but still has the knots and texture of the old growth hardwood. Some of the upstairs rooms have new trim that was stained to match, and the wood texture is different since it comes from new growth. When we renovated, we saved the trim and flooring from walls we took out, and used it to replace very damaged pieces and to create new walls and floor area (you need wood to cover an area where there used to be a wall).

Unless you sourced matching original woodwork from other homes, you can't keep it completely original, but for a house like this, the slight differences are part of the character and when it's furnished, it all blends pretty seamlessly. I really love this house and love seeing other homeowners that value the original character of these homes. It's 100% not for everyone, but there's definitely a market for folks that do. We did the work because we wanted it for the house we live in, and I'm guessing so did these homeowners.

Are you in DC? Curious as to the neighborhood because I haven't seen many houses like this on the market anymore. We're in a (less nice) neighborhood near Cleveland Park and it seems like those historic homes typically have painted woodwork and modern-style finishes. I went on the Georgetown House Tour and was disappointed that they were all pretty much modern homes, lots of white, European slab cabinets, etc.

[Anonymous]

It's already under contract!