This old-style opthalometer sits on a plant stand above an optometrist’s sign. It’s decorative, but the wall phone next to it works. The phone was salvaged from a World War II battleship.
RESTORATION PROJECT
While Steampunk touches can be successfully added to any home, they’re a near seamless fit with the Rosenbaum’s restored 1901 Victorian/Craftsman house.
That might not have been the case before the restoration. The exterior facade had been covered with vinyl siding and flat asphalt shingles.
They wanted a more architecturally correct look, so they re-did the roof with architectural shingles and copper valleys. Gutters were replaced, chimneys re-pointed, and the vinyl switched out for cedar clapboards.
A restoration doesn’t need to make the home look exactly like it was when new. Indeed, the Rosenbaums added a lot of exterior detail; Melanie designed decorative corbels for the corners, diamonds to place below the windows, and a sunrise detail for the front gable. These were new to the home but fit with its architectural style.
Inside, the goal was to save as much of the architecture as possible. The walnut doors and hardware were restored to their original look. Carpeting was removed from on top of the oak floors, which were then refinished. (That is after the Rosenbaums pulled thousands of staples that had held the carpet pad in place.)
Systems were of course updated: The home got new wiring and HVAC, for instance. Cellulose had been blown into the walls before they bought the home so the envelope was already fairly efficient for an old home. The couple had considered replacing the older windows, but energy-efficient models that fit the house’s Victorian style would be prohibitively expensive and wouldn’t perform much better than the existing storm windows.
The completed home has a lot in common with the Steampunk items it houses. It retains its original beauty but easily serves a 21st Century lifestyle.
05.2011
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