Ok, I have no hopes in keeping this out of the realm of "rant" so if you are not in the mood to lend an ear to a cranky Twila Jean, carry on and come back tomorrow.
Last year (almost to the day) Solanah and I stumbled upon a stunning piece of history in my own neighborhood. The owners were lovely enough to let us tour around it as it was vacant. Solanah took some lovely pictures and blogged it here. The wall paper was decadent, the floors were the deepest dark you could imagine, the kitchen ceilings reached for the heavens. This house was in shambles, but with the right work, could have been nothing short of perfection.
Today, I accidentally stumbled upon the MLS listing for this house, as it is today, fully remodeled. I can't even begin to describe my rage, and anger, and sadness, and homicidal thoughts. It pains me to see what people will do to a gorgeous piece of history. If you want a NEW house, buy a NEW house. Don't degrade, destroy, and disrespect history and beauty for the sake of a "cool old shell." BUY A NEW HOUSE!
This once gorgeous house, has now been home-depot-ed, ikea-ed, and target-ed to the nines, and is a complete degradation of its original heritage. You can view the full listing here. While I know this only gets the home more views, and thus helps the listing agent and the people who committed such a a heinous act of remodeling, I can't help but scream it anyway. BUY A NEW HOUSE.
Wallpaper gone, and what is this? CARPET on the stairs? I am literally dazed, and thoroughly confused at this. I know its not just me that gets upset by this, and yet you see it all too often. Half of downtown Vancouver, WA now looks like this. Thank you over-zealous house flippers, thank you for destroying history.
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Old Hearts, Destroyed
at 2:21 PM
Labels: history, houses, rant, renovation
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47 comments:
That infuriates me. I hate when people do that. Stick to your track homes house flippers!
THEY PAINTED THE RAILING??
This kills me. Someone painted over all the wood in my mom's house as well. We tried to take it off but it was impossible. Why are people insistent on catering to the crappy beige drowns of this generation? I say they can all piss off!
What a shame! That Oriental wallpaper was awesome. I dislike granite counters and I really hate those bowl sinks.
I agree, if you want new, buy new. There are alot of people who would appreciate an old house. Did they at least try to sell it as-was?
Carol- The house was for sale as-is and thus the home flippers bought it, and did this to it. But yes, someone could have saved it.. I only wish it would have been me and Solanah.
Yup as someone who has her house on the market, when I was interviewing real estate agents the first guy was a complete prick and told me I had to do all kinds of updating to sell it! What an ass...he didn't get the charm of vintage...he called my things cheesy and junky...and that's after I took out most of my over the top things. Screw him, I found a wonder agent who gets it! I'm so tired of granite counter top house flippers!
~MaryDeluxe
Oh no!! That wallpaper and the woodwork were FANTASTIC! I'd be glad to scream along with you!!
My mister and I have been keeping our eye out for a place like the house in your post used to be. Unfortunately, I've seen too many listings for Victorian or Arts & Crafts homes that look as though their vintage character had been surgically removed and bandaged in "neutrals". Grr!
Totally with you on this one.
It's a real shame! I HATE replacement windows when there isn't even an attempt to put in grids to make them look at least like panes. There are like socketless eyes. Even though white trim is very shabby chic, painting over wood devalues the looks. Too bad!
They took a house with character and turned it into a generic reproduction. Ugh.
That just breaks my heart! I rememebr that gorgeous house post, and I LOVED & coveted that red paper by the stairs.
Don't you hate bland, tasteless people who go around ruining things?
I pains me to hear why on earth do people do this. I refuse to ever buy a new house. I love everything about old homes. I live in a 1927 bungalow and I love it to bits and pieces.The history the stories of the families who lived there. There is nothing I like about new homes. They don't feel homey or comforting. UGH why would they do this I don't get it Im as angry as you are. This is just awful. I cant believe they put carpet on the stairs UGH that wood was just gorgeous.
I just can't stand the way people are doing this. I agree 100% with you. WHAT is so wrong with old. We purchased a house in the fall and it had not been touched in over 60 years. We have not done much and plan on keeping the integrity of the house. So there are some of us out there who don't do this. I live in the northeast close to NYC and in a town filled with second homers...we surely saved this house from a similar demise.
This is what I did with wallpaper that was beyond repair.
http://sassylassiesvintagelife.blogspot.com/2011/02/it-is-cherry-blossom-time.html
unfortunately, they have to do what will sell the fastest and make the most money. My bff (who is a relator) and I have this debate often. I, of course, am on the side of history. She says, if one wants to preserve history, buy the house and preserve it. If I only had the money to do so. Around here they are buying up houses that look just fine to me and have been considered quiet large and in a very nice area of town. These houses are torn down and McMansions are being built...looking like everyother house on the street. And they have no yard because it is all house. YUCK!!!!
Oh no that's so sad, there goes another little piece of history.
I feel your pain! Everyday I have to see beautiful Victorian and period homes in England stripped of their original fireplaces, doors and sash windows and 'renovated' with new Ikea and Homebase tat. I cannot think of the number of arguments I have had with friends and family about this and agree with you - if you want you're house to look open plan and modern, then buy a new build!!!
It is so sad, tragic. Such a loss. I'm so glad you care about old houses and history and beauty. So few people do.
I have never agreed more with someone about something more than I agree with you on this. This is the story of my grandmother's house...
Completely heartbreaking
This kind of stuff makes me sick to my stomach!I'm one of those people that watches HGTV and screams at the tv the whole time I'm watching a show on there.I'm convinced that 20 years from now our children will look at all the granite counter tops and stainless steel as our generations version of the avocado green 70's stuff so many people are repulsed by.I wonder if the person who listed that can tell how many views that house has had?Because if they can and they find this story I hope they will realize it was viewed so much as a JOKE and not because anyone LIKED what they did to that poor house!Total shame!
Yuck. Yuck. Yuck.
I have always loved the idea of buying an older home. Whether one that has preserved some semblance of the original charm or a real fixer-upper that needs a little lovin'. I remember with Solanah posted about this house and was utterly enchanted by the possibilities! So, so sad that the house has had all it's charm and character stripped away. It looks so dull and boring now. :(
♥ Casey
Vintage and antique never looks dated because it has lasted and stood the test of time. I hate most modern up-to-date furniture and fixtures because you will be able to look at it in 10 years and date exactly when it was put in. Think of all the houses built in the 80's with the oak veneer vanity sinks. They look dated and crummy. But a pink or green pedestal sink that has survived since the 30's or even 50's looks vintage and has charm.
Our house was built in 1940. I admit that I have to be the voice of reason in our house to prevent my hubby from big-box-storing all the neat old fixtures. I've made him find the exact trim and doors that are original to the house if they needed to be replaced. Windows are modern, but exactly the same as what was there to begin with.
The people who destroyed that cool old house have no soul.
what a sin
IT DRIVES ME UP THE WALL WHEN PEOPLE DO THIS!!!
awful.. :(
I went to school for historic restoration and own a 100 year old house in Indiana myself, so as you can imagine, this sort of thing turns my stomach. I know from experience that it's hard to find vintage replacement pieces or that they are horridly expensive when you can find them, but youd think they could have done SOMETHING other than white trim and taupe walls!
Oh Twila..that makes me sad. I actually saw this house online the other day cause I really want to find a house in dwntwn Vanc that I can restore to its original so if you see another, let me know. We built our house about 5 years ago. I tried to stick with making it look as vintage farmhouse as I could. Refusing to have stainless steel. I even wanted one of those old toilets that you pull the chain to flush! With those old houses there has to be certain updates just because pipes get worn and mold grows and the windows aren't energy efficient, but it is so possible to restore it to what it was originally. I thought the same thing when I saw that house. Beautiful on the outside, then when I saw the pix of the sink and the dang kitchen I was upset and had to move on to another listing...the search goes on. :-(
I live in a Victorian house that's mostly new on the inside, and it always makes me sad :(
I've not commented before,despite following for ages.I hate this kind of thing.Happens a lot here in Christchurch,or worse,they bloody bowl the house and build some kind of hideous town house(not sure what you would call them there)Pisses me off endlessly.There is just no respect, and little taste.
Nothing like a good vent,love.
:)
I absolutely agree with you! I so much hate that shades of beige vanilla on the walls, how can you do something like that to a house with a history!...
Rant full deserved, what morons! Why would you do that? Like you say, buy a new house if you want new. Makes me so mad, they have just ruined that place.
Oh boy do I agree with you on this one, makes me livid!
Years ago we bought a glorious old house that had been 'modernised' we put it right back to what it should be including the serving hatch from the kitchen to the dining room, the neighbours all came to look and said the old lady who'd live here for years before the people who modernised it would be proud!
Sadly we left that house, we didn't like where it was and if we could have transported that beautiful old house we would!
how utterly shameful :( That beautiful wallpaper, all those wonderful features...
xx Charlotte
Tuppence Ha'penny Vintage
*shudder*
*sob*
Luckily our last home was newer so when we had to neutralize to sell we could do so without having to destroy anything. Even so, I had to fight the realtor to not paint natural wood banisters and window trims. Just say no to granite and those horrible sinks. We are now happily in an older home again and back to being ourselves. I wish they hadn't ruined that stairwell in the home you saw. The Asian wallpaper was cut, could have been left as an accent wall, and the stairs/wood were neat.
oh no!! so sad
that sink pisses me off
:(
My daughter came in wondering what I was Eek-ing about....even an 11 year old knows that what was done to this poor house was a travesty.
Poor poor house!
Oh my goodness. This makes me so sad.
This makes me mad as hell! My husband and I went to an estate sale in an early 1960s house that still had original everything--wallpaper, carpeting, paneling, kitchen. Several weeks later, we drove by and the new owners had a HUGE dumpster out front and were taking everything out. Grrr!
Unbelieveable!!!!!!! I cant bear it when people do that. The original wallpaper on the stairs was gorgeous X
I could not agree with you more! When the time (eventually, hopefully) comes for my hubs and I to buy a house, I will definitely make it clear that I do NOT want a house that has had all the charm and personality updated out of it. I want a sweet little mid-century time capsule house. I want my pink tiled bathroom! I want my transom windows and flagstone fireplace and built in planters! I want my cement screen outdoor walls! Argh!!! Unfortunately most of the ones back home either get sterilized (updated) or completely torn down with a crappy track home or mc mansion built in it's place. It's heartbreaking.
They painted that beautiful wood! Omg! What a waste of a beautiful home. So sad :( . I would love to have an old house like that. At least I would respect it's heritage, not ruin it like these people have done :(
Oh. This sort of thing shatters my heart into tiny pieces. Especially the painted wood. WTF?
Oh, that's just too depressing. =[ I was in an old building last night, turned into a venue, that was recently derelict. I hope the same sort of thing doesn't happy to it. Sigh.
-Andi x
What an abomination! The flippers should be thrashed with an IKEA curtain rod. I have been granite countered to death. Gah!
Gross! This pains me to look at...
~Syd
those sinks are the worst, even if you like 'modern' they are already soooo dated. I feel your pain.
...just throwing my hat in the ring to express my h8 and nausea.
I would burn that ugly white paint off the bannister with my laser eyeballs, it makes me so mad!! Carpet on the stairs??? They were crying out for a runner, if anything at all!! And I feel myself turning green, ready to RIP OUT that disgusting sink like the Incredible Vintage Hulk!! ! h8 h8
h8 h8 to you, ya no-soul f&#king flipper!! !!!!!
I defiantly see your point! What a sad thing... wish it had been mine;)
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