katyelliott.com

A daily design journal about new england life, home decorating resources, and renovating a 257-year-old house in Marblehead, MA.

House Tour

Postcard of the House

A postcard we found of the house.


We bought our house in July 2008. Currently we live on the top two floors of the house while we renovate the bottom. Don’t expect any big overnight changes or big construction crews on this house renovation. We plan to do majority of the renovation ourselves. Take a peek into our house above and below or follow all the fun by clicking here.

Front of House

Side Of House

The front and side of the house when we bought it in July 2008. We’ve added gardens and replaced parts of the foundation. We need a new roof, gutters, window sashes replaced, rotten clapboards fixed, and the house painted.

Front Entry with Stairs

Stairs as you enter the front door. The door goes down to a dirt basement. A door to the right brings you to the first floor red living room (below).

First Floor: Living Room

Second Floor Living Room: Windows Facing Street

First floor living room the windows look out onto Mugford Street. The fireplace is non-working. The mantel is original to the house and typical of the period. A floating floor was added by the previous owners. It will be removed.

First Floor Dining Room

First Floor Dining

First floor dining room that leads to the bathroom and kitchen. Floor is not original. A corner cabinet, beaboard, and tin ceiling were added in the last 100 years. Next to the bathroom door is an original window frame. The window was removed when plumbing was added.

Bathroom first floor

First floor bathroom. We gutted the bathroom and flipped the orientation of the shower. We had some major water damage that forced us to gut the entire space, see here. The new bathroom should be completed Fall 2009 with a marble hexagon tiled floor and shower stall. All three bathrooms in the house are this basic rectangular shape.

First Floor: Kitchen

When we bought the house it was 2 apartments. We have two of everything including kitchens. The first floor kitchen is tight and in need of some major updating. The back door leads out to backyard.

First Floor hallway/bedroom

We don’t have any real hallways in the house. Rooms lead from larger rooms into smaller nooks. A long nook on the first floor connects the kitchen to the living room.

Back Stairs to Second Floor

A back stairway that leads to the second floor. The walls and stairs need to replaced. A squirrel lived in the wall to the left last winter. Awesome, right?

Second Floor: View of 2 exits

Detail of Moulding Stripped

The second floor living room is highly decorated and has original wide plank wood floors. The room has detailed moulding around the room and on the fireplace. We have been slowly removing the paint trying to more of the detail. See more of the living room’s renovation here.

Floral Wallpaper

Floral Wallpaper

A small room where we found adorable floral wallpaper. I would love to keep the wallpaper but the paper is sparse. Also, the risk of lead paint on the wallpaper would be a risk. See more photos of the wallpaper here. I love to replace the wallpaper with something similar.

Second Floor: Back Room

Mantel In Second Floor Dining Room

The floor plan on the first and second floors match exactly. This is the dining room on the second floor. The room has wide plank floors and a fireplace. The walls, floor, and mantel need to be restored. Someday the room will become a bedroom. Currently, we use the space as a dining room.

Second Floor: Small Room On Right/Guest Room

Guest Room: New Bed and Sheets

Another small nook room on the second floor which has become a guest room. Find out more about the guest room and bedding over here.

Second Floor Kitchen

Second floor kitchen. This is the kitchen I use. The space is pretty bare bones but I deal. Eventually I hope the space will turn into an art studio and the kitchen will be moved to the first floor. Find out more about cooking in this kitchen over here.

Third Floor Front Room

Third Floor Back Room

The top floor is two room connected by a hallway. We use the front room as our office and the back as a bedroom. We’ve ripped out the carpet because it smelled like cat piss. Eventually we plan to gut the whole floor and bump up the ceiling to create a master suite.

Related Posts:
House Renovation: Buying and Installing a Granite Step
House Renovation: Field Stone Foundation Rebuild
House Renovation: Mulch, Sprinkler System, Basement Window, and a Rock Path
House Renovation: Granite Pavers For Garden Border
House Renovation: Cleaning Dirt Basements
House Renovation: Tackling Floors and Clogged Drain
House Renovation: Stripping Paint From Wood
House Renovation: Gutting Bathroom and Fixing Roof

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