Why I Love Old Houses

As I mentioned when I started this blog, I have a fascination with and attraction to old houses. It's probably because I grew up in a circa 1918 house in Victoria with all sorts of unique features including a pull-down staircase to the attic (talk about the ultimate kids fort!), a fireplace in the dining room and a separate wash closet (toilet room), among its many features.




I remember my Mom and Dad talking about the "character" and "charm" of old homes and watching "This Old House" with my parents on Sunday nights.

So, I thought I'd share some photos of some of the things I love about our current house (built in 1913).

My clawfoot tub, the trim around the windows and doors, the funny angles in the upstairs hallway and the beautiful cold air returns/heating vent covers which were originally coated with about 5 coats of paint before being stripped to reveal the original metal beneath (look closely, they're all slightly different).

Quest for a House

Let's just say that buying a house in the Spring of 2008 probably wasn't our smartest-ever financial move. Of course, we didn't know that a global recession was a few months away, and we were unjustifiably smug in the knowledge that the Calgary real estate market had already peaked the previous summer, so we were getting a deal, right? Besides, we needed somewhere to live and didn't relish the idea of having to move once to temporary housing and again to a permanent home.


So, we were on-the-hunt. While hubbie favoured new (he'd endured two previous renovations), I was pining for an old fixer-upper. After two failed attempts at a house purchase, we finally scored this beauty (ok, so beauty is in the eye of the beholder). Yeesh you say. Well, once past the front door, things improved somewhat.






Besides, we knew we could improve the curb appeal, and were inspired by homes like these:

Potential diversion

But before we moved to Calgary, we explored a possible move to southwestern Ontario.

We were tempted by an 1885 house known in town as "the Doctor's House", and by an old church that had been converted to a house.

In the end, we decided that the job opportunities in the area were too limited.

Then I found a lovely white home not far from where we lived in Mississauga, but ultimately, it was too expensive, and too close to the train tracks.