In August 2005 I bought my first house. Built in 1910, it's located in St. Charles, Missouri, in a historic district of the city known as The Commons.

Being largely accustomed to living with generic beige carpet and drywall, inhabiting a structure as old as this one certainly has been an adventure so far. My affinity for patina far outweighs my appreciation for modern tract housing, though, so it's an adventure I've embarked on with some enthusiasm.

Below are some photos taken less than a month after I moved in...the 'before' images of what will surely be a long process of restoration and repair.

The front of the house -- it still has its original wood clapboard siding and shutters. There's a gingerbread pattern and some original moulding in the gable as well. Nowadays, builders typically forego these types of details.
The backyard and front porch -- the hanging ivy and open porch were some of the things that initially attracted me to the house. It'll be a perfect place to sit in a rocking chair when I'm a senile old lady with 44 cats, brandishing a shotgun each time one of the neighbors' kids ventures onto my lawn.
The backyard and garage -- off to the right of the grill is a brick pattern patio grown over with grass, and I think there may be a tribe of Amazonian headhunters living in my garage. I'm an experienced houseplant assassin, though, so I figure I won't have much trouble eliminating the surplus greenery here.
The living room and dining room -- I really dig the exposed brick, but both rooms are in need of new paint jobs and window treatments. With the help of my father and brother, I've just finished repairing one wall in the living room where the plaster was essentially being held up by paint. The dining room is a bit of a disaster area, serving as temporary storage space for tools.
Kitchen -- more brick and a wonky, hand-made mosaic countertop. I appreciate the artistic effort, but I'm not sure amorphous-blob is really my decorating style.
The sink -- a vintage Sears 'Homart' cast iron monster dating from 1930-something according to my research. It's ugly as hell, but it has started to grow on me. I'm not sure yet what will come of it when I renovate the kitchen.
The cellar -- there's a latch door in the floor openening into the old-fashioned creepy dirt floor cellar. I pile up paint cans and other heavy things on the door so Henrietta can't get out and swallow my soul.
The bathrooms -- Even Grimace would be offended by the amount of purple in the first bathroom. I'll have some painting to do in there, but I'm plotting a love affair with that old claw foot tub. The pile of muck on the floor in the yellow bathroom is the 876721 layers of paint I've stripped off the wainscoting.
The Foyer - Old pine-wood painted all in white. In the day time, it's quite cheery (the mottled pattern on the wall is just a weird effect created by the light fixture). The back wall has been freshly stripped of the ugly corrugated tin previously there and is in need of some paint.
The Bedrooms -- On the left, my boudior. I couldn't find a good angle to snap a picture from, unfortunately. The other room...well, I'm not sure there's a French term for a sort of computer-room-art studio-library-guest-room. The window behind the ginormous computer desk has a stained glass pattern on it and I'm a horrible, horrible person for covering it up. I need to get some more appropriate furniture.

My New Old House....