So much has happened at the Willetta house restoration.  To read the first post on this historical renovation click here.  Perhaps the most noticeable change is to the front of the house.  When I purchased it in August, the entire house was covered in aluminum siding.  Here is the front of the house with the aluminum siding still on…well, some it anyway.  Notice the big piece hanging down from the underside of the front terrace!!

We tested a small part of the back of the house and took off a few strips of the aluminum.  Underneath was the original 3″ clapboard siding. I held my breath as we tore off the aluminum siding. I had no idea if the clapboard was still under the entire house, nor did I know the condition of the clapboard, which I assume has been covered for decades.  Albeit dirty, the clapboard siding is in relatively good shape.

Yes, every window had security bars.  We removed them and recycled all the aluminum siding and the metal bars.

We also removed all the original shutters on the front of the house. I have never seen this particular cut-out design on any shutter to date – not sure of its origin.

The pigeons over the last 20 years, have enjoyed roosting on the shutters.  It will take a big effort to change that behavior! If anyone has any suggestions on how we can rid ourselves of these birds, please let me know. The shutters were painted black on one side and dark green on the other.  An interesting way to change the look of your home!

The shutters on the first level cover the French doors that lead out to the terrace. Since the front of the house is south facing, the shutters are a brilliant way to keep the sun off the windows in the afternoon. The louvered door below was removed from inside and is resting on the exterior….and eventually ended up going home with one of the workers.

Most of the shutters were in relatively good condition and only a few needed to be completely replaced.

When we removed the aluminum siding from the underside of the porch ceiling, we found a great deal of water damage.

We needed to remove the blue ceiling and found even more damage to the structure underneath….cha-ching.  After all that was removed and replaced, what a big improvement!

Here’s what it looks like today.  I used a Sherwin Williams paint called Atmospheric for the blue and stayed with white for the house. Shutters have been painted black and re-hung. All 6 columns have been repaired.

Notice the beautiful craftsmanship in the detail at the roof line that is hard to find today.  There are two different sizes of crown molding-some of it missing, some of it rotted. Fixing it was challenging.  This nearly 100 year old structure is no longer square plus we needed to rent a lift in order to have the carpenter work at this height.

So as of today, here is the front of the house (with a new roof).  We are waiting to paint the front doors/entrance when all the construction traffic dies down.  As you can see by the piles of insulation,  the rough-in of the plumbing, electrical, and HVAC are complete.  Drywall starts at the end of the week.  More to come!!!!

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Through my business, Picket Fences, Inc. (see story here) I try to remodel, restore or rejuvenate a local house every 18 months or so.  Typically, the goal is to find gems in our immediate neighborhood, but this latest find was one I couldn’t resist.  A sweet friend of mine, Madison Hallock contacted me when she knew this particular house was going to be available.

This 1922 beauty is located in the F.Q. Story historical district. The Story neighborhood is one of Phoenix’s first historic districts. Its 602 homes date from the 1920s and span a variety of architectural styles, including Spanish Colonial Revival, English Tudor, Craftsman bungalows and transitional ranch. Homes are listed on both the federal and state registers of historic places. The neighborhood is bounded by McDowell Road, Roosevelt Street, Seventh Avenue and Grand Avenue.

This Southern style home has been vacant for 20 years and the architecture is atypical for Arizona.  The backyard was a conglomeration of 3 guest houses/apartments, in extremely close proximity to one another.  Apparently the homeowner rented these out as additional income.  We have since demolished all but one, which we will retain as a guest house.

The house needs ALOT of work, love and attention.  It has a stunning grand entry, however the pink and gold accents needed to go! Surprisingly, the entry, living room and dining room lathe and plaster walls are in relatively good condition and will only need crack repair and a new coat(s) of paint.

The gold flocked wallpaper in the living room has been removed, and the original chandeliers and the plaster rosettes are in great condition.  The previous owner left a few antique pieces but also left enough junk to fill a dumpster.  Hardwood floors are in tact and hopefully will only require polishing.

One of the bedrooms upstairs had an odd configuration of a bathroom in one corner-no walls for privacy and we are still trying to figure out the French tub and its close proximity to the toilet (with the fuzzy pink seat cover).  Hmmmm.  We have removed the vanity and behind the mirror was an original 10 over 1 (10 small panes on the top/one large pane on the bottom) rope and pulley window.

The house will obviously need all new bathrooms and a new kitchen/family room.   There is a wonderful brick fireplace in the kitchen which we will keep.

The entire house was covered with aluminum siding-perhaps practical but ugly.  When we removed it, we found the original clapboard, but also revealed new structural problems. Cha-ching! Under the siding we found the original blue porch ceiling, albeit in rather poor condition.

I’ve been researching why porch ceilings are painted blue.  Many Southerners suggest that blue porch ceilings originated out of the fear of haints.  Haints are restless spirits of the dead who, for whatever reason, have not moved on from their physical world.  Southerners, especially in the area of South Carolina, have a name for the ceiling paint used on porches – the soft blue-green is referred to as Haint Blue.  Haint blue, which can also be found on door and window frames as well as porch ceilings, is intended to protect the homeowner from being “taken” or influenced by haints.  It is said to protect the house and the occupants of the house from evil.

Blue porch ceilings are also quite prevalent along the east coast, from Boston to Philadelphia and other historic cities, where Victorian and Colonial homes abound. Sky blue ceilings were a popular color scheme for the Victorians, who preferred the colors of nature when painting their homes.

Some people swear that blue paint repels insects, leaving a porch bug-free and pleasant during those long summer evenings and afternoons.  And yes, I will be finding the perfect blue to paint the newly replaced porch ceiling.

We are awaiting finalized plans from the City of Phoenix so we can start the fun stuff! This is such a charming neighborhood and everyone we have met is thrilled that this grand old dame will be a gorgeous home in the very near future.

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