Beautifully imagined and carefully edited, the 1886 house is a Victorian Revival jewel box, all in 1700 square feet (and that includes the basement).
![A Cottage All Grown Up](https://magarticles.magzter.com/articles/6178/192936/583ac482c6690/A-Cottage-All-Grown-Up.jpg)
In an 825-square-foot Victorian cottage in San Francisco, this married couple lived together quite peacefully. Twenty-five years into it, they decided to make over the daylight basement for a master bedroom, modestly adding on to accommodate an en-suite bathroom. This doubled their living space.
The downstairs is done in Stick Style splendor, its cherry paneling based on a similar 19th-century treatment in the Sanford-Covell House in Newport, Rhode Island.
In the beginning, the modest 19th-century cottage was all the homeowners could afford. It would just be a starter house, they told themselves—something to resell in a year or two. Built in 1886 by Scottish immigrant carpenter George Gray, it was an unassuming residence for his wife and four children and had remained in their family until 1964. The house had a colorful succession of subsequent owners. The second operated a short-lived pillow factory in the basement; when the third owner flipped the house, he felt so wealthy he moved to Paris!
Perched on a steep hillside, the cottage had been solidly built of thick, heart redwood inside and out. Little had been changed over the years; the hardware was original, as was the paneled wood dado in the parlor.
The cottage began to work its charm on the couple who bought it. They couldn’t resist embarking on a series of improvements, all of them in keeping with the home’s original Victorian design. In the 1950s, the exterior had been covered with white asbestos siding and the front door painted hot pink—so the first order of business was to remove the siding, strip the door, and repaint the redwood siding in its original earthy palette.
AESTHETIC SUITE
Denne historien er fra November/December 2016-utgaven av Old House Journal.
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Denne historien er fra November/December 2016-utgaven av Old House Journal.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
![a farmhouse renewed](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/6178/1797028/zgt8tB1sf1724757674350/A-FARMHOUSE-RENEWED.jpg)
a farmhouse renewed
Sensitive renovations and restoration work preserved a house that dates to 1799.
![AN OVERVIEW OF METAL ROOFING](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/6178/1797028/-fpelgTgh1724757559664/AN-OVERVIEW-OF-METAL-ROOFING.jpg)
AN OVERVIEW OF METAL ROOFING
METAL ROOFS ARE RESURGENT, FOR GOOD REASONS.
![ENDURING BEAUTY IN WALLS of STONE](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/6178/1797028/CRufPFRhB1724756889127/ENDURING-BEAUTY-IN-WALLS-OF-STONE.jpg)
ENDURING BEAUTY IN WALLS of STONE
Now back in the family who had been here since 1830, the old farmhouse is again ready for generations to come. Additions dating to 1840 and the 1950s were preserved.
![ARCHITECTURAL DETAILS COME TO LIFE](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/6178/1797028/v8F4cxphw1724756563730/ARCHITECTURAL-DETAILS-COME-TO-LIFE.jpg)
ARCHITECTURAL DETAILS COME TO LIFE
Owners and their designer celebrate the unique features of a 1912 Arts & Crafts Tudor.
![For a Wet Basement Wall](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/6178/1797028/aBl--dLFh1724754857566/FOR-A-WET-BASEMENT-WALL.jpg)
For a Wet Basement Wall
If there's problem common to old houses, it's a wet basement. I'm not talking about occasional flooding, but rather a basement that apparently seeps or leaks after even a rain shower or during snowmelt. Several approaches are available; sustainable solutions will get to the root of the problem.
![Patching a Plaster Wall](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/6178/1797028/5LpeCPP_21724754495498/PATCHING-A-PLASTER-WALL.jpg)
Patching a Plaster Wall
Fix a hole in the wall with a few common tools and some drywall supplies. Practice your technique!
![Navigating the Lumberyard](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/6178/1797028/PVWqH4hex1724754161333/NAVIGATING-THE-LUMBERYARD.jpg)
Navigating the Lumberyard
Here's some lumber lingo you should know before you venture into a lumberyard.
![Roofing & Siding](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/6178/1797028/vxx8uE8GP1724753957320/ROOFING-SIDING.jpg)
Roofing & Siding
Make note of these historical and unusual materials for the building envelope.
![The Riddle of the water](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/6178/1797028/I20crK0da1724753589716/THE-RIDDLE-OF-THE-WATER.jpg)
The Riddle of the water
When water incursion happens, the roof isn't necessarily the culprit. Maybe snaking a drain line, or clearing debris from a clogged gutter, temporarily will stem a leak. But a recurring problem usually means other forces are at work. It takes persistence-and a team with the right skills and patience—to identify the source and apply a solution.
![Light-filled Craftsman Redo](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/6178/1797028/nvf7uAO121724753136097/LIGHTFILLED-CRAFTSMAN-REDO.jpg)
Light-filled Craftsman Redo
For a dark kitchen in a 1914 Illinois house, the trick was anchoring white expanses with woodsy warmth.