Beyond the Stairs: Our 1900 Farmhouse Upstairs Renovation Progress & Vintage Restoration Details
Our slow but incredibly rewarding journey through the renovation of our 1900 farmhouse continues, and we’re thrilled to share the latest transformation unfolding on the upstairs level. This isn’t just a remodel; it’s a careful restoration, a labor of love dedicated to breathing new life into every beam and board while preserving its inherent charm. In this comprehensive update, we’ll dive into the significant progress made on our farmhouse upstairs remodel, showcasing detailed pictures, sharing our vintage inspiration, and highlighting the authentic details we’ve meticulously incorporated to revive its original character. Prepare to see how patience and persistence are steadily shaping our historic home!
It feels like a lifetime – or at least a full year – since we last provided a substantial update on the extensive remodeling progress of our beloved old farmhouse. Specifically, our focus today is on the upstairs landing and its surrounding areas, a space that has undergone a remarkable metamorphosis.
To be completely honest, I initially hesitated to share a “progress report” rather than a full “reveal.” My naive assumption was that redoing a few doors and a landing area couldn’t possibly be as challenging as, say, a full kitchen overhaul or a complex bathroom renovation, right? I mean, it’s just a hallway!
As it turns out, renovating a small landing and its adjacent rooms in a house built over a century ago is precisely as challenging, if not more so, when you’re tackling the majority of the work yourselves. This vintage gem, with its charming history, also comes with its fair share of “quirks galore” – uneven floors, surprising wall compositions, and structural eccentricities that consistently keep us on our toes.
So, after a year of chipping away at this upstairs space – often finding it at the bottom of a seemingly endless list of other household projects – we are finally ready to present this much-anticipated progress report. Join us as we share “before” photos from when we first acquired this character-filled farmhouse, the stunning transformation to its current state, and a transparent look at what exciting tasks still remain on our journey to complete this historic upstairs renovation.
Revitalizing The Upstairs Landing: A Glimpse into Our Farmhouse Journey
The first photograph above vividly illustrates the welcoming and bright landing area as you ascend our newly revamped staircase. To truly appreciate the extent of this transformation, let’s take a moment to recall its original appearance:
No, your eyes are not deceiving you – we hadn’t even begun any demolition in this “before” shot. This image represents the unaltered state of the landing when we first became the proud, albeit slightly overwhelmed, owners of this farmhouse. For a deeper dive into the initial condition of our entire home, you can explore the full house tour from our purchase date here.
Key Accomplishments on the Landing
Our commitment to restoring this space has led to several significant improvements, each carefully considered to enhance both aesthetics and functionality while honoring the home’s heritage:
- Widened Stairs: A crucial upgrade, the original stairs felt somewhat cramped. We meticulously widened them, not only improving safety and ease of use but also creating a more grand and inviting approach to the upstairs. This involved structural work and careful integration to maintain the home’s historical integrity.
- Replaced Wobbly Railing: The old railing was not only aesthetically lacking but also quite unstable, posing a safety concern. We installed a robust, historically appropriate railing that provides essential security and significantly elevates the visual appeal of the stairwell, echoing classic farmhouse design.
- Revealed Original Tongue-and-Groove Walls: In a thrilling discovery, we removed layers of modern wallboard to uncover beautifully preserved original tongue-and-groove wood walls on one side of the landing. These boards are impressively wide, measuring between 10 and 12 inches, showcasing the craftsmanship of a bygone era.
- Restored and Primed Wood Wall: Preserving the exposed wood wall was paramount, despite its many imperfections accumulated over a century. We painstakingly filled and patched countless holes, dings, and blemishes. This labor-intensive process, followed by a coat of primer, has allowed us to retain this unique historical feature, preparing it for its final paint finish.
- Refinished Original Fir Floors: The old vinyl flooring, haphazardly installed, was promptly removed. Beneath it, we were delighted to find original fir floors. We dedicated considerable effort to refinish these gorgeous hardwood floors, bringing back their warm luster throughout the entire upstairs, with the exception of the newly renovated bathroom. The rich grain of the fir now contributes significantly to the farmhouse aesthetic.
- Enhanced Lighting with a New Fixture: A strategically chosen new light fixture now illuminates the landing, providing ample brightness and adding another layer of period-appropriate style, transforming what was once a dim space into a welcoming threshold.
- Installed New Doors and Door Trim: This was a major undertaking, as detailed further below. We replaced all the upstairs doors with salvaged vintage alternatives and meticulously installed new trim work that complements the home’s original architectural style.
Remaining Tasks for the Landing
While the transformation is considerable, a few vital steps remain to fully complete the landing and elevate it to its intended beauty:
- Paint the Walls: The current dirty beige color is truly starting to grate on our nerves! We’re eager to apply a fresh, clean coat of paint that will brighten the space and perfectly complement the vintage details we’ve carefully integrated.
- Paint the Door Trim: Once the walls are painted, the door trim will receive its final coat, tying together the entire aesthetic and providing a crisp, finished look.
- Install Baseboards: The addition of baseboards will complete the transition between the beautifully refinished floors and the walls, adding a polished and refined touch characteristic of a well-maintained farmhouse.
- Finish Stairwell Wall Trim: The lower left section of the stairwell wall still requires its final trim work, which will seamlessly connect the landing to the descending staircase and ensure a cohesive design.
The Bedrooms: Expanding Openings and Embracing Vintage Doors
Bedroom doors before. If these doors appear unusually short to you, you’re absolutely right – they were! My husband, Brian, who stands at 6 feet tall, literally had to duck every time he entered these rooms. This wasn’t a simple matter of swapping out doors; we faced the significant task of enlarging the door openings themselves, a challenge that demanded careful planning and execution.
Bedroom doors after. We are completely smitten with the character of these unfinished vintage doors, which we thoughtfully salvaged from another old house. They underwent a professional stripping process at the same time as the downstairs doors, revealing their beautiful natural wood grain. While the door on the right shows a little more wear and tear, it perfectly embodies the authentic, lived-in feel we cherish – right down to the original vintage hardware we meticulously salvaged and reinstalled.
The first of these charming new doors opens into my dual-purpose office and craft room, which also cleverly functions as a second guest room. The transformation of this versatile space was a significant milestone, and I detailed its journey and unique features in a previous post here.
The second door leads to our main guest room. Both of these bedrooms are surprisingly spacious for an old farmhouse, offering comfortable retreats, though they feature the characteristic lower ceilings often found in homes of this era, adding to their cozy, intimate feel.
Undoubtedly, the most significant undertaking for these two rooms involved adjusting the door heights to a standard size. This was far from a simple task, requiring structural modifications to the original openings. We had to carefully remove sections of the existing framing and install new headers to accommodate taller doors. Then came the intricate challenge of fitting the new door trim, especially around the areas where we had enlarged the openings. It’s an exercise in balancing modern comfort with historical elements.
Ultimately, we are just thrilled to have successfully brought the door heights to a functional and comfortable standard. We’ve come to view the slight imperfections in the door trim, a direct result of these structural adjustments, not as flaws, but as charming “old-house quirks” that tell a part of our renovation story, rather than trying to achieve a pristine, modern look.
Thankfully, apart from the final touches on the door trim from the hallway side, these two bedrooms are largely complete! (Well, we do still need to devise a solution for closet doors in the main guest room, but that’s a project comfortably filed away for much later on our extensive to-do list!)
The Bath & Office: Reclaiming Dormer Spaces
Bath and office doors before. The prior state of these entrances was a stark reminder of mid-century updates that stripped away all the farmhouse’s inherent charm. We were greeted by flimsy, hollow-core doors, a complete absence of proper molding, poorly installed plank flooring, and dated 1960s vinyl, all contributing to a complete lack of original character. It felt disconnected from the home’s true spirit.
Bath and office after. What a difference! We were incredibly fortunate to find salvaged vintage doors and matching hardware that fit these openings perfectly, as if they were always meant to be there. The new trim work around these doors was carefully crafted to replicate the only original trim left in the house – the window casings found in these very upstairs rooms – ensuring a cohesive and authentic historical feel. This attention to detail has fundamentally transformed the hallway’s aesthetic.
I continue to be utterly enamored with the incredible transformation of this bathroom. It evolved from an awkwardly oversized half-bath into a fully functional and beautifully appointed full bath, brimming with old-house character that now feels completely natural to the space. The design choices, from the fixtures to the tiling, were all made to enhance its vintage appeal.
The fourth room on this floor is dedicated to Brian’s office. Both this room and the adjacent bathroom are nestled within the dormer portions of the upstairs. Consequently, they are fairly compact in their footprint but benefit from surprisingly high ceilings, which creates a wonderful sense of spaciousness – a delightful contrast to the lower ceilings found in the bedrooms.
Of all the upstairs rooms, Brian’s office is currently the one that still demands the most attention. Key tasks remaining include adding new trim where needed, carefully fixing the existing, original window trim which shows its age, and meticulously painting all the trim for a cohesive finish. You might even catch a glimpse behind the door where Brian expertly removed wallboard to reveal beautiful old-growth shiplap, a true hidden gem that will also require custom trim work to fully showcase its rustic beauty.
The Stairwell: Uncovering Hidden History
Stairwell before. Did you happen to notice the enormous, school-sized fire bell prominently featured in the “before” photos of the stairwell? It’s quite a mystery to us; we still have absolutely no idea what its original purpose or function was in this old farmhouse. It’s one of those delightful enigmas that come with owning a historic property!
Stairwell progress. This section of the stairwell has been a fascinating archaeological dig! Initially, we removed all the wallboard on this expansive wall with the intention of matching the beautiful original kitchen beadboard that we knew was hidden beneath. However, to our complete surprise and delight, as we peeled back the layers, we uncovered an even older, massive old-growth wood wall beneath the beadboard. The moment I saw those incredible, wide planks, I knew we had to find a way to preserve and showcase them.
Saving this magnificent feature meant embarking on a meticulous and time-consuming process of filling many, many holes, some quite large, and addressing countless imperfections that had accumulated over its long history. It required a delicate balance of patching and sanding to prepare the surface without erasing its authentic patina. I am confident that once it receives a couple of fresh coats of paint, the filled areas will blend seamlessly, allowing the unique texture and history of the old-growth wood to truly shine through, becoming a standout feature of our farmhouse upstairs renovation.
The Biggest To-Do Left: Navigating Heights and Planning Ahead
This particular challenge is, without a doubt, the primary reason why completing our upstairs renovation has stretched out over such an extended period: we absolutely must find a safe and effective way to reach those exceptionally high ceilings and precarious corners situated directly above the main staircase! I have diligently painted and caulked every square inch I can safely access from the top stair, but any attempt to use a leaning ladder in this oddly shaped, multi-angled space feels incredibly unsafe and frankly, quite terrifying. The unique dimensions and open drop of the stairwell mean that standard ladders simply won’t suffice for the detailed finish work required. It’s an architectural anomaly that I believe calls for a custom-made painting platform or a highly specialized scaffolding solution. If any of you skilled renovators or creative problem-solvers out there have brilliant ideas or experience with similar challenges, please don’t hesitate to share your suggestions!
So, that’s precisely where we stand with our upstairs farmhouse renovation progress right now – a space that is perfectly functional and livable, but not yet the fully polished, character-rich haven we envision. And as May rolls in with its warmer weather and longer days, our focus naturally shifts to essential outdoor projects around the property. Considering we also just wrapped up the very last detail in our laundry room this winter (finally installing a much-anticipated sink for washing veggies – hurray!), it’s probable that it will be a little while longer before we can dedicate the necessary time and resources to conquer those challenging stairwell heights and bring this beautiful upstairs area to its truly finished state. The journey of renovating a historic farmhouse is always a marathon, not a sprint, and we embrace every step along the way!
Discover More Farmhouse Before and After Transformations
Our journey through this 1900 farmhouse renovation has involved countless hours of dedication and many thrilling transformations. If you’re inspired by our upstairs progress, be sure to explore these other dramatic before-and-after reveals from around our home:
- 1900 Farmhouse Renovation: Kitchen Before and After
- 1900 Farmhouse Renovation: Primary Bedroom Before and After
- 1900 Farmhouse Renovation: Main Bathroom Before and After