Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire 10 Old Home Features… That Have Faded Into History

Attic fans. Depending on what doors were closed off, you could make the curtains stand out nearly horizontal in the windows of my folks' old house. No A/C growing up.

I once heard that some taxes were based on "rooms" in the house, a closet was considered another room, so it was taxed.

But that could be a rewriting of history.

Mom and dad built their forever home in the late 70's and we had an intercom, picture rails (but just for style points) and a laundry shoot for my dad's uniforms. He was a mechanic.

Grand parents did not have AC until 1989.
Grandma had Sweet Olive planted around the house, so when the windows were opened and the attic fan was on, you would have that sweet smell coming through the house in late afternoon.

I have sweet olive planted on my place just for the memories.

My current house (built around 1960) has an attic fan. It's amazing when you open the windows and turn it on. It's like a blast of wind going through the house.

Our house still has a coal chute, picture rails, and a bit of knob and tube wiring in the ceiling of two rooms on the first floor. 1918 vintage. Luckily, the previous owners did not do much damage to the plaster and woodwork, other than "remodeling" the kitchen are in the 70's, which we had to re-do
Looking back at pictures of the work we did makes me very tired...

The small kitchen area was actually two rooms originally, which we noticed when we had the floor ripped up! A few pics of the kitchen and picture rail:

We had a clothes chute in a house when I was a kid, used to drop the cat down it. Lotsa fun!

When I was a kid our house had a coal chute. Some of my jobs were to transport coal to the furnace, cut blocks of wood into kindling (for starting fires), shovel and remove the burnt coal from the furnace. When I was doing the kindling I was probably only 8 or 10 years old and was left in the cellar alone while I was doing it. I have been in many homes that were designed with knob and tube wiring. One of my grandparents had pitchers and basins for water in the second floor of their home. Our home also had a combination electric and wood stove in the kitchen. A lot of memories here.

Jim

those were useful in the war against the neighborhood "get off my lawn" old men an women, and those nosey neighbors down the street who would tell your folks they saw you smoking...........you know the type.


We had a creek down the middle of our street, easy enough to gather up a couple dozen hopfrogs to slide in the mail slot after they went to bed.

Cherry bombs and run like hell for the real azzhats.

once, i heard about a garden hose being run in one and turned on by some kids,

I've re-wired several old houses with knob and tube wiring.
Those ceramic tubes make pretty good sharpening hones.

In fact, there's one in a cubby hole in my roll-top desk as I'm typing this.

Glass door knobs and skeleton keys. Both of my grandparents’ homes had them.

My maternal grandparents’ house had some monstrous attic fans that let you know where they came on…

Front porches.

Grew up in a house built in 1813. Parents bought it in 1947. Wood central heating
Had a huge Butler’s Pantry……mom loved that.
Post and tube wiring….. still legal last I heard.
And a lil slot against one kitchen wall……place to sweep into. Went to a bucket in the basement…….metal trimmed……

Way too small doorways, halls and interior stairways. As to whole house fans I’d like to see them return. Tempting to explore the add on cost of one. Paternal grandparents had one in a 2 story with attic. Air conditioning? Hwee don’t need no stinkin’ air conditioning…..

The whole house attic fans were pretty popular in Florida right up into the 60s.

Not so great when the humidity soars but very worth while during the lower humidity seasons.

Monster energy saver so no ones going to promote them these days when they want you to burn as much power they can possibly sell you.

What has mostly faded into history is quality materials . I install a vanity. There is more product in the cardboard box and the vanity is made of cardboard too. Floor now days is mostly plastic " luxury vynle plank. It is not too bad, most replaced vynle flooring . I hardly ever put in real hardwood floor anymore and is a shame some of these people with money just want cheap. In 20 yrs. it will be junk, maybe 10 yrs. I saw a maple floor a few weeks ago , that was just beautiful and has been there since 1935 . I seen old maple floor 102 yrs . old and sanded down to some of the nails that would still last longer than the " luxury plank". I see casing made of MDF and is only good for painting and if it goes in a bathroom , it's junk in 5 yrs. I see studs that is called premiium that would have sold for crate lumber grade 40 yrs. ago. I see Cedar siding being replaced after 20 yrs. that is junk cause the back was not primed and painted and osb that is black with mold under the siding cause the roofer don't know how to install the bottom tin shingle. I see huge houses with beautiful granite tops home owners so bent on a big house but fiberglass insulation installed that is so cheap rots the OSB cause they wanted to save money on what can be seen instead of quality inside the walls. I see junk box cabinets that used to be one piece custom made 40 yrs. ago.. I see houses that had concrete driveways put in before they even moved in cause association says those are the rules and the concrete sinks 4" going into the garage. They can't even frame a house with a decent over hang anymore. Why , to save a square of shingles? I see fireplaces that are not even stone or brick , but tile 4' up and then cardboard shiplap. Most everything is junk now days. We went with quality and to afford it , our house is half the size of the new ones going up all over. A 2,200 sq. ft. ranch 9' walls, and windows that are 8' high to go with the higher walls. Trim and doors are stained and varnished that is real wood and 3/4" thick. Wood doors,are 4 panel pine however. I'm mad that I went cheap but maple doors would have been another $2,000. We have 4" foam in the walls, R 60 in the attic. We just went with quality I spent 80 hrs. on my real stone fireplace ( however it's nat. gas)

The majority do not want to pay for quality plain and simple. Hence, the garbage being built.

Box stores and Youtube DIY videos.

I saw some pics of your house in Idaho , And you went with quality . You will get all your money back and more if you ever sell.

All the rafters in my 1950s house are stamped "#1 Douglas Fir".

Yup still got one in the main bathroom medicine cabinet.