Les Posted August 25, 2014 Report Share Posted August 25, 2014 This house just sticks in my mind. Looked at it last week for a bank and really had a hard time pulling away and leaving it alone again. it is on a couple acres, at the outskirts of a very small town near Lansing. Listed for less than a 2012 Chevy Truck and likely could be bought for even less. Sad but very beautiful. Click to Enlarge 66.51 KB Click to Enlarge 84.08 KB Click to Enlarge 68.64 KB Click to Enlarge 57.19 KB Click to Enlarge 34 KB Click to Enlarge 34.09 KB Click to Enlarge 45.2 KB Click to Enlarge 65.69 KB I apologize to the people that think this sort of building should be razed. If I were a tad younger and so inclined to labor, I'd buy this in a minute! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
inspector57 Posted August 25, 2014 Report Share Posted August 25, 2014 I like it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marc Posted August 25, 2014 Report Share Posted August 25, 2014 I'm a gonna git me one o' those for my retirement. I'll just work it and let the rest of the world go by. Marc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AHI in AR Posted August 25, 2014 Report Share Posted August 25, 2014 The old girl has a quiet dignity that still shows despite the neglect and remuddling. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Raymond Posted August 25, 2014 Report Share Posted August 25, 2014 The exterior is in about the same shape as mine when I bought it. The interior is actually quite a bit nicer. $25000 in 1999. I'm $70 K into it now, about 3/4 finished. Its worth about $55K. If the market recovery and my completion date align I just might break even. I would be in much better shape if I had put $25 into a $75K house, but that wouldn't have been nearly as much fun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Welmoed Posted August 26, 2014 Report Share Posted August 26, 2014 Oh my gosh, that pocket door... Drool!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kurt Posted August 26, 2014 Report Share Posted August 26, 2014 How old? What town is it in? Probably built out of perfectly clear old growth from northern MI. Might even be some old "cork pine" if it's old enough. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Kogel Posted August 26, 2014 Report Share Posted August 26, 2014 Buy it for a summer place. Go South for the winter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Baird Posted August 26, 2014 Report Share Posted August 26, 2014 ...don't make 'em like they used to... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Les Posted August 26, 2014 Author Report Share Posted August 26, 2014 This was in the attic. Click to Enlarge 54.45 KB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phases Posted August 26, 2014 Report Share Posted August 26, 2014 If that were in my area you wouldn't have a chance to get it now that I've seen it. Incredible. What age? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chad Fabry Posted August 26, 2014 Report Share Posted August 26, 2014 I guess 1883 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Les Posted August 26, 2014 Author Report Share Posted August 26, 2014 I'd agree with Chad. the records in this part of Michigan usually show a house built prior to 1900 as 1900 and not the actual date. The reason was tax reform occurred and the age was only important from 1900 onward. The kitchen was split as is often the case here into a "wash room" and a preparation room. Also the bathroom was accessible from the exterior and the interior. The bath had a primitive stool, but usually that sort of work was done outside in an adjacent building. The bathroom had a sink, tub and stool with running water added circa 1900+-. I have added a photo of the stone foundation because it is quite unusual; stone, cement and painted lines. Click to Enlarge 75.38 KB Click to Enlarge 45.58 KB Town location is Bancroft. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kurt Posted August 26, 2014 Report Share Posted August 26, 2014 Is that paint, or is it a "tuck", as in tuckpointing? If it's an actual tuck point, I might fall in love. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjr6550 Posted August 28, 2014 Report Share Posted August 28, 2014 Is that paint, or is it a "tuck", as in tuckpointing? If it's an actual tuck point, I might fall in love. Looks like tuck pointing. I see foundations like that several times most weeks. Many people use the term tuck pointing for repointing brick. I'm not sure why they use it. Of course, many Realtors call any window with a half round top a Palladian window (or Palladium). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kurt Posted August 28, 2014 Report Share Posted August 28, 2014 Yep, the terms are completely bastardized. Interestingly, there is a PhD dissertation by a guy out in Oregon getting his doctorate in historic architecture (or something like that) that traced the bastardization of the term to Chicago; the mopes in my city started using the term interchangeably with just about any smearing of cement on masonry. There's very little actual tuckpointing in Chicago; a few places, but that's about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Les Posted August 28, 2014 Author Report Share Posted August 28, 2014 Here is a better shot of the stonework. the paint was almost like a paste (thick). Was not applied with a brush or if it was applied with a brush then it had to be a stencil brush or a true sash brush and some sort of template. Chicago has the greatest rules for all trades - they are all unique. I learned about their tuckpointing when I tried to have some caulking done on a brick building on the west side. Had to interview with the local alderman before I could talk to his couisin, that referred me to his nephew that knew a woman that had a son that was a fireman that did that work on his Kelley days. Click to Enlarge 31.67 KB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kurt Posted August 28, 2014 Report Share Posted August 28, 2014 I'd call that quasi tuckpointing. It doesn't look like there is an actual tuck; it's just smeared on cementitious glop to make it look like those old fieldstones are fit tight with uniform joints. It's still a pretty cool house, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Kogel Posted August 29, 2014 Report Share Posted August 29, 2014 I'd call that quasi tuckpointing. It doesn't look like there is an actual tuck; it's just smeared on cementitious glop to make it look like those old fieldstones are fit tight with uniform joints. It's still a pretty cool house, though. That is very cool to think that the stones are laid up like brick with not much mortar between. It's funny they were embarassed about the stone and tried to hide it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kurt Posted August 29, 2014 Report Share Posted August 29, 2014 It wasn't so much trying to hide as it was a way to make it look like uniform joints. Tuckpointing was originally used on non uniform sized brick as a means to camouflage the somewhat uneven joints. Then the design became a style, and then the term got bastardized into all sorts of meanings. Or something like that. I've read and heard a lot of variations on that general line of thought. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hausdok Posted November 5, 2015 Report Share Posted November 5, 2015 Nice old Italianate. I'm surprised Chad didn't buy it by now. [] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erby Posted November 6, 2015 Report Share Posted November 6, 2015 Looked at one with similar foundation today. One little crack at the left front corner with a little bit of moisture in the basement. Click to Enlarge 48.52 KB Click to Enlarge 64.61 KB Click to Enlarge 73.27 KB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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