Our Old House Philosophy

We, the owners of 2252 Albion St., are card-carrying Old House Fanatics. We love the softness of plaster walls, the creak of 80-year-old floors, and the endearing oddities of old house floor plans. In an era of generic tract houses, we decided to embrace the uniqueness of this one-of-a-kind beauty from 1918.

When we bought Albion House in 1991, we knew this house had great bones. We found them under the 1970's era kitchen. We could see them under the 1960's era living room. We felt them under the 1950's era dining room. But those bones were hidden under four or five attempts to "modernize" the house, attempts that created a jarring potpourri of styles and eras.

There was much to be done, and much to be undone. We viewed these projects as restoration, not remodeling. Our goal was to preserve our little piece of history, not to add another variation of "modern style" that would just look dated in another 20 years. We took great pains to create a house that was consistent throughout rather than one that looked old on the outside and "modern" on the inside. To that end, we researched period kitchens, period bathrooms, and period lighting as we made choices and attempted to undo years of "remuddling".

In being faithful to the house, we've consciously decided against some strange modern trends. We've never understood the modern obsession with dedicating more space for bodily functions than children, so we avoided installing a cavernous five-piece master bathroom. Like so many other bad ideas, redwood decks are a phenomena of the 1960's that we've shunned. And when our guests walk through the front door, it isn't immediately obvious that we own a television set. It is obvious that we both have a 100,000 word-per-day pleasure reading habit. But, we're weird.

Since we began, we've found ourselves part of a new trend -- recycling old houses is now the rage. Fortunately, many more resources are available now than when we began. We'll be happy to share what we've found.

Of course, not everything original had value in today's world. From evidence of the butler's bell wiring in the dining room, is unlikely that the original owners actually cooked in the kitchen. We're there all the time. In 1918, no one needed more than one electrical outlet per room. We fixed that problem, and others like it, by updating all the systems to exceed current standards.

Wanting more yard, less debt, and a shorter drive to the breadwinner's job in Boulder, we've now decided to pass the torch to someone else. We hope we’re leaving our campsite better than we found it 10 years ago. We also hope the new owners of what we fondly call "Albion House" will love it as we have.