• Home
  • about emily
  • before + after
  • HGTV + DIY Network
  • good press
  • contact
  • Let’s Organize These Posts:

    • Art Attack
    • Backyard
    • Barn
    • Basement
    • Bathroom
    • Beach
    • Bedrooms
    • Being Thrifty
    • Business-y
    • Buying and Renting and Selling
    • Casual Celebrations
    • Closets
    • Curb Appeal
    • Dainty Details
    • Deck
    • Decor
    • Dining Room
    • DIY
    • Dog-Related
    • Entryway
    • Flooring
    • For the Kids
    • Garage
    • Gardening
    • Helping The Economy
    • HGTV + DIY Network Projects
    • Holiday-Related Projects
    • Home Safety
    • Kitchen
    • Lighting
    • Living Room
    • Merry Travels
    • Office Space
    • Organized
    • Other Pads
    • Outdoor Living
    • Scooter Fun
    • Stairwell
    • Sunroom
    • Supporting Sponsors
    • The Art Room
    • Tools
    • Uncategorizable
    • Wedding
    • Windows
    • Work-pads
  • Search

  • Hi, I’m Emily

    Emily Fazio

    I'm a home improvement enthusiast, living a very merry DIY lifestyle.

    You can find me writing for HGTV and DIY Network, follow me on facebook and instagram, or drop me a note if you'd like. I love notes.

    Thanks for visiting!

  • BROWSE POSTS BY CATEGORY:

    • Art Attack (7)
    • Backyard (92)
    • Barn (8)
    • Basement (27)
    • Bathroom (43)
    • Beach (13)
    • Bedrooms (73)
    • Being Thrifty (53)
    • Business-y (12)
    • Buying and Renting and Selling (23)
    • Casual Celebrations (36)
    • Closets (17)
    • Curb Appeal (44)
    • Dainty Details (8)
    • Deck (23)
    • Decor (286)
    • Dining Room (37)
    • DIY (577)
    • Dog-Related (24)
    • Entryway (59)
    • Flooring (58)
    • For the Kids (32)
    • Garage (17)
    • Gardening (70)
    • Helping The Economy (30)
    • HGTV + DIY Network Projects (283)
    • Holiday-Related Projects (80)
    • Home Safety (12)
    • Kitchen (83)
    • Lighting (31)
    • Living Room (77)
    • Merry Travels (21)
    • Office Space (21)
    • Organized (41)
    • Other Pads (14)
    • Outdoor Living (12)
    • Scooter Fun (8)
    • Stairwell (20)
    • Sunroom (22)
    • Supporting Sponsors (43)
    • The Art Room (3)
    • Tools (43)
    • Uncategorizable (1)
    • Wedding (28)
    • Windows (14)
    • Work-pads (10)
  • Search

  • Pages

    • blog
    • Merrypad Features
    • Privacy Policy
    • about emily
    • before + after
      • before + after, our current home
      • before + after, our first house
    • contact me
    • choose a badge and share the merrypad.com love
  • Home
  • about emily
  • before + after
  • HGTV + DIY Network
  • good press
  • contact

Blues Clues

July 19, 2013

10 property blueprints were left for display on the day we first viewed the home in early April. It told us a few things immediately that we soon confirmed: The sellers were the ones who built the house, the home was very much a custom build, the sellers loved their house enough to preserve these mementos, and it was designed and constructed in 1951. We love them, one or two or more might actually get framed for architecture appreciation, and for the rich, rich blue.

Blueprint of our 1951 Ranch.

The prints stayed with the house, thankfully. Because what use would they have been to the sellers? They’re a bit tattered around the edges, natural wear and tear from the original construction process no doubt, and one of the most cherished little items that we could have ever received.

Rochester, NY architect, 1951.

During the various walk-throughs and our home inspection, the blueprints were helpful in a practical way; they told us things about the basement, about the architect, about the location of the septic tanks (yes, at one point there were two which informed us a lot about the plumbing!). Looking through them now tells us even more, because as we’ve explored and lived in every inch of the house, we’ve been able to identify nuances in the floorplan that have changed from the original design.

Blueprints mapping the septic tanks in the yard.

We poured over the details in these prints for hours one day (not the most productive use of a sunny afternoon) and discovered a lot. Decidedly, until we track down and see evidence of the final building plans–something we suspect we could get from the city in a historical file upon request–we’re left to make assumptions about when architectural changes took place. Coulda been during construction, or in remodels done over the decades.

It shows us the footprint of the old back porch, which was only about 2/3 the size of the current one and, from what we can tell, not screened in but featuring a flagstone wall surround. I already found in public records that the screened in porch addition was added in the early 60’s (roofline changes, added cement footings)

Changes in the 1951 floorplan.

For one thing, the closets in the bedrooms are different in the blueprint than they are in real life. At present, our master has two closets with doors, but in the blueprint, one large closet with sliding doors occupies a whole wall in the room. In Julia’s room, the closet spans a whole wall too. Many doors are shown opening in different directions.

The front foyer was designed originally to have a closet too; maybe they realized, like us, that they had no use for the front door storage if they always entered the house through the garage. The second closet in the entryway, currently the one with the double doors, was much smaller and a single door.

The original design also featured several rounded corner details which you can see in the next photo, how mid-century charming! I couldn’t begin to guess when the plan was nixed, or if the rounded corners was something they changed years down the line. How cool it would have been to have those in our bedrooms and living room? It might be fun to implement or bring back that aesthetic someday.

Blueprint of the rounded corners and closets in our original floorplan.

The blueprints tell us nothing about the reasoning of having two doors entering the kitchen from the dining room–one opening appears to be a swinging door and the other appears to be a straight walk-through–but it does allow us to see that they had once planned on there being a second front entryway, with a second flagstone landing that led into the house on the right side of the garage door. The plan, which details a 5’6″ wide foyer leading straight back into the kitchen that would have added about 200 extra sq. ft. of space would have given us two additional closets (a killer mud room!) by reducing our garage size (we are so happy to have our two-car garage!).

A detailed floor plan of our 1951 home.

On only one blueprint is it noted in red pencil “OMITTED, garage wall to butt against house.” You can’t read it so well in the below photo, but like that, it’s the house that we have now. No second front door, no extra space as a mudroom/foyer, and a wider garage.

Cancelled design in our 1951 ranch.

I noticed more and more looking through the photographs that I snapped. And If you stare at them yourselves for awhile (click them to make them larger) you’ll probably even notice things that we haven’t. Amazing stuff, right?

Share

Dainty Details

Emily
I'm a home improvement enthusiast, living a very merry DIY lifestyle. You can find me writing for HGTV and DIY Network, follow me on facebook and instagram, or drop me a note if you'd like. I love notes.

11 Comments


Cait @ Hernando House
July 19, 2013 at 10:29 am
Reply

Those are amazing! I was so glad to see you say you want to frame one of them! And those curved walls are so charming! I love the idea of adding them/adding them back one day. Do you read Manhattan Nest? Daniel recently ripped down a poorly constructed wall in his house (it was added to make the space into two units) and uncovered some more curved walls. And Growing Up Gillian has a curved turret room that they use as a nursery.

The second entrance/mudroom would have been epic, but I agree about the garage space.

We sadly haven’t found any blueprints of our house, but I have considered having the survey drawing from our inspections/etc enlarged to frame.



    Emily
    July 19, 2013 at 11:35 am

    I’m-a-gonna have to go look at Daniel’s latest posts! Curved walls are dreamy. It’s really impossible to determine whether or not they ever existed in the house… nothing looks patchy, which isn’t to say that it wasn’t something that they removed back in the 70’s or 80’s; maybe it will be more telling when we look at the subflooring beneath the carpet.

Katharine
July 19, 2013 at 11:27 am
Reply

These are great! And all that hand-lettering, especially in the info block with the architect’s name — is awesome!



    Emily
    July 19, 2013 at 11:36 am

    AMAZING, right? I love the handwritten details. Pre-computer love!

Cait @ Hernando House
July 19, 2013 at 4:11 pm
Reply

(it wouldn’t let me reply above, because I’m on a fickle work PC, shhhhh)

Daniel & Max’s house house is totally dreamy! It makes me all swoony, in a completely different way than your house, but similar to how your last house/rental makes me swoony. Does that make sense? I think I’m a real estate junkie.

Yes, definitely should be interesting to see if you can recreate/create them when the carpet comes up!



Sarah
July 19, 2013 at 6:42 pm
Reply

Those are great! It would be interesting to research the architect and see if he’s done any other houses in your area.

If you decide to frame and hang those, be careful where you place them. Direct sunlight will fade blue prints super fast!



    Emily
    July 19, 2013 at 9:49 pm

    Brillant idea to search the architect for other homes! And I hadn’t considered the fading – thank you for the tip!

Harper
July 22, 2013 at 2:38 pm
Reply

Ahh…what I wouldn’t give to have a set of blueprints from our new to us (just closed last Tuesday) house.



    Emily
    July 22, 2013 at 2:44 pm

    Congrats on closing!!

Karen
July 23, 2013 at 5:44 pm
Reply

When we bought our house, we were given an original plot plan from 1917. I framed it and I love love love the history of it. I’d totally recommend framing at least one page, what a great find!



    Emily
    July 23, 2013 at 8:13 pm

    Beautiful! No issues with fading? I’m nervous about framing and hanging now if fading is a concern.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

  • HI, I’m Emily

    Emily Fazio

    I'm a home improvement enthusiast, living a very merry DIY lifestyle. Follow me on facebook and instagram, or drop me a note if you'd like. I love notes.

    Thanks for visiting!

  • Instagram

    Can’t believe I ever bought dumpling wrappers. 🥟 Pulse a few cups of flour in the food processor drizzling in cold water until it forms dough. Roll smooth. Use a conveniently large cookie cutter, or just trim out squares. The end ❤️ #hny #dumplings
    Didn’t think I’d be making more masks, but her Didn’t think I’d be making more masks, but here we are (now feat. recycled t-shirt layer for added softness and bonus-layer protection). #diy #amateurseamstress #diymask
    Get out there ☀️ Get out there ☀️
    The gang finally showed up. 👻 The gang finally showed up. 👻
    A record 233 cloves + 10 shallots 🧛🏻‍♀️ 
#merrypadathome #garden2021 #garlic #gardennotes #whatisnormal
    ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
    Immeasurably tall, lanky tomatillos. #garden2020 # Immeasurably tall, lanky tomatillos. #garden2020 #tomatillos #nofilter
    32 oz., reserved for the brave 🌶🌶 😍#homeg 32 oz., reserved for the brave 🌶🌶 😍#homegrown #tomatillos #harvest2020
    Nothing says “let’s stay home all fall, too” Nothing says “let’s stay home all fall, too” like a badass custom fireplace on our patio. 🔥 #chiminea #merrypadathome
    Load More... follow emily: @merrypad



  • Like Us On Facebook

    Facebook Pagelike Widget



  • Popular Posts

    • How to fix an IKEA drawer. Cheap IKEA Drawers (And The Quick Fix) 40.1k views
    • DIY sideboard rehab. Our Refinished Midcentury Buffet 39.7k views
    • How to design and make a barn quilt. How to Make Your Own Barn Quilt 33.3k views
    • DIY driveway removal. The Driveway Rocks 24.7k views
    • How to hang art on brick surfaces using specialty clips. The Easy Way to Hang Art on Brick or Stone 24.4k views
    • Goodbye, gold fireplace covering. Less Is More: How to Remove a Fireplace Surround 22.2k views
    • Our DIY flagstone patio. Building a Patio in One Day 17.4k views
    • Bedroom paint, freshened up with Snowbound paint. Painting Everything White: We Chose Snowbound, By Sherwin Williams 16.5k views
    • Tips for dying pasta different colors, and a Halloween Recipe for the kids. Tips for Dying Pasta Different Colors (+ A Special Halloween Recipe) 15.3k views
    • Finished stained kitchen cabinets. Javalicious, A Gel Staining Reveal (Update #3) 14.2k views



  • BROWSE POSTS BY CATEGORY:

    • Art Attack (7)
    • Backyard (92)
    • Barn (8)
    • Basement (27)
    • Bathroom (43)
    • Beach (13)
    • Bedrooms (73)
    • Being Thrifty (53)
    • Business-y (12)
    • Buying and Renting and Selling (23)
    • Casual Celebrations (36)
    • Closets (17)
    • Curb Appeal (44)
    • Dainty Details (8)
    • Deck (23)
    • Decor (286)
    • Dining Room (37)
    • DIY (577)
    • Dog-Related (24)
    • Entryway (59)
    • Flooring (58)
    • For the Kids (32)
    • Garage (17)
    • Gardening (70)
    • Helping The Economy (30)
    • HGTV + DIY Network Projects (283)
    • Holiday-Related Projects (80)
    • Home Safety (12)
    • Kitchen (83)
    • Lighting (31)
    • Living Room (77)
    • Merry Travels (21)
    • Office Space (21)
    • Organized (41)
    • Other Pads (14)
    • Outdoor Living (12)
    • Scooter Fun (8)
    • Stairwell (20)
    • Sunroom (22)
    • Supporting Sponsors (43)
    • The Art Room (3)
    • Tools (43)
    • Uncategorizable (1)
    • Wedding (28)
    • Windows (14)
    • Work-pads (10)





  • a little bit of everything, friends, DIY, and inspiration

    • Dadand.com < My husband and his BFF
    • DIY Network
    • HGTV
  • Get Posts Via Email

  • Some Legal

    Merrypad incorporates the occasional affiliate link to Amazon.com and Minted; we link to many other websites and products, but if it is in context of a paid sponsorship, it is always noted as such. Please review the privacy policy and contact me if you have any additional questions.

    Theme customized by Pete Fazio Creative, the guy from dadand.com.


© Copyright Merrypad