Welcome to the 851st Metamorphosis Monday! When I moved into this adorable cottage last June (aka, the Dollhouse) I noticed a lot of deferred maintenance. The couple from whom I purchased the home worked in a job where they knew they would only be here for 2-3 years, and I’m guessing they didn’t want to spend $$$ on a house they would only be living in for a short time. In the photo below, a bit of dark staining is visible around and below the front dormer windows. Also, I see staining on the brick where a crabapple tree used to be right up against the house in front of the windows on the right.
Having had the roof of the Georgia house cleaned a few years back, I could see that the Dollhouse roof was in need of the same.
Here’s how the roof on the Dollhouse looked before its cleaning. You’ll notice some light staining on portions of the roof, with heavier staining on the section of the roof that is over the garage, especially the section that is right up near the house. Please ignore the dirty driveway pavers; they are getting cleaned next, as soon as the company I used for the roof cleaning can fit me into their schedule.
You can see the darker staining on the roof just to the right of the ladder that’s leaning on the garage part of the house. If you’ve been reading BNOTP for a bit, you may remember that the room over the garage was added in 1951, 13 years after the home was built. So when this home was built in 1938, those two little wing sections sticking out over the garage roof didn’t exist. The two “wings” contain the windows that are on both sides of my office, the same windows that I added interior shutters to a few months back.
As mentioned earlier, the house needed a good cleaning, too. Here’s a view of one end of the house, including the chimney at this end. Okay, let’s take a look at some “After” photos!
Here’s how the roof looks now, after its cleaning. So much better! The darker spots on the right side are shadows from the trees nearby. Not sure why the wing on the left looks so dark in this photo; it looks much lighter in other photos. Maybe that side hadn’t been cleaned yet when this aerial photo was taken, or it could be shadows.
Here’s a close-up of the area over the garage that was the dirtiest section of the roof. There had even been a bit of moss growing on the section closest to the house. Love seeing it all clean! From the many articles I’ve read online, keeping your roof clean extends the life of the roof. My roof in Georgia didn’t start showing stains until the roof was around 12 years old, so it normally takes a while before you see stains on a new roof. Once they appear, they usually get progressively worse until the roof is cleaned. If you would like to know more about the roof cleaning process, please check out this previous post from when I had the roof of the Georgia house cleaned: Finally Did It—Had The Roof Cleaned.
How did the soft washing of the house turn out? Here’s how the house and Chimney looked on this end before the cleaning.
And here’s how it looks now…So much better!
Note: If you have your roof cleaned, be sure to use a reputable company with a lot of experience and great reviews. Don’t ever have your roof pressure-washed because that could damage the shingles. Also, the two times I’ve had my roof cleaned, the workmen never actually got on the roof. They did all the cleaning while standing on ladders.
I’ll be sure to share how the driveway and patio pavers turn out once those are cleaned. I’m eager to get that done soon! Next up, I’m having the gutters cleaned out for the third time since buying this house. Argh! I hope that will hold them until fall when they will need it again.
Nottoway
Do you love old homes? Back in May 2014, I spent a week in Louisiana and Mississippi touring 13+ historic, antebellum homes with my friend, Linda. It was one of the best vacations I’ve ever taken! We both love old homes, so we visited as many homes as we could during our week-long visit. Sadly, Nottoway, one of the beautiful homes we toured, just suffered a catastrophic fire. An article I read about it online indicated it was a complete loss. The photos of the home after the fire are devastating.
The owner has said that he wants to rebuild. It will be a monumental task, but I hope he does. If you would like to see the interior of the home and its beautiful antique furnishings before the fire, you’ll find the tour I posted from my visit here: Nottoway Antebellum Home.
Looking forward to all the wonderful Before and Afters linked for this week’s Met Monday! Like to know when a new blog post is up? Subscribe for email updates (it’s free), and your email will never be shared. Subscribe for free email post updates here: Subscribe.
Metamorphosis Monday: Metamorphosis Monday is a party that’s all about Before and Afters. Please link up your Before and After projects like DIY projects, room makeovers, craft projects even recipes. Please do not link up Table Settings, save those for our Tablescape Thursday party on Thursday. If you are participating in Met Monday, you’ll need to link your post to the party using the “permalink” to your MM post and not your general blog address. To get your permalink, click on the name of your post, then copy and paste the address that shows in the address bar at the top of your blog, into the “url” box for InLinkz when prompted.
What is the procedure for “soft washing” technique as opposed to regular power washing?
I’m not sure exactly how they do that, it may be just a drastic reduction in the pressure. I know for the roof in Georgia, that apply some type of organic chemical that activates when it rains and eats away any of the mold/mildew that causes the staining. You can read more about that in the post I linked to about the Georgia roof cleaning. I’m not sure what they did here, but it worked great. When you look for someone to clean your roof, make sure that’s a normal service that they do regularly and asked for the details. Just don’t let them walk on your roof or use pressure.
Oh my gosh, Susan – first thing is about that house that burned. Oh my word, isn’t that the most terrible thing? It brings tears to my eyes. WOW.
As for your cleaning of brick and room – looks great! Well done.
Thanks, Michele! I know, it makes me so sad to see such a beautiful historic home and its furnishings all gone.
XXX
I just revisited your wonderful old post about Nottoway and I am just devastated that all those incredible antiques and that stunning home has been completely burned away. What a terrible loss to the world. I can imagine Mr. Randall is rolling in his grave at this terrible news. Do we know what caused the fire?
I’m not sure, but in one article I read, I think it said that smoke was coming for the top, so it may have started on an upper level. I would to know what they discover. Hopefully, it wasn’t arson.
The house and roof look GREAT! I saw the article on the antebellum house fire, but didnt connect it to one you toured. That’s sad.
I know, it really is so sad.
I think your cleaning job looks fantastic. Houses you live in are lucky to have you.
Wendy in Suwanee
Thanks so much, Wendy!
XXX
I agree with Wendy – you take great care of your houses! I’m so sorry to hear about the fire at Notttoway though – it looked like a gorgeous place! I hope they can rebuild too. Thanks so much for hosting the party – Happy Monday!
Thanks so much Barbara! It really is heartbreaking.
My niece was married at Nottoway. It was absolutely beautiful. I am glad I took so many photos. I know the plantation has a horrible history, but what I appreciated was the architecture and beauty that remained. I was so sad that this happened.
Wow, that must have been so beautiful!
House looks great! It’s such a good feeling getting things refreshed. I’m sure your Dollhouse is so happy you’re it’s new owner. Very sad about Nottoway, or any beautiful historic structure that meets their demise, and so devastating to lose all your belongings, especially cherished family mementos that can never be replaced. Spending a week touring gorgeous old homes sounds dreamy. I’ve always loved doing that, especially when they’re all decked out at Christmas. Hugs!
I would love to see the homes in that area decorated for Christmas…must be amazing!
I saw a book at the library years ago called’”Ghosts Along the Mississippi”. It had many pictures of all the plantation houses that had burnt or fallen into ruins due to the high cost of maintaining them. Houmas House outside of New Orleans on the river road has a large museum with a map of all the plantations that were once on the river road on both sides of the river. It surprised me how many there once were. They are part of our history, like it or not, and need to be remembered.
That would be such a difficult read, I don’t think I could read it.
Susan, the roof and Chimney look great. Do you have a working fireplace ? My roof is dark from trees. How did you get the roof photos ?
So sad about the Nottaway home. I realize the thing I don’t like about mass production slammed together overpriced new homes is they don’t have rooms or walls on the first floor. Not a fan of the open concept.
I still don’t like the gum drop bushes by the front door. It would open up the space so much and make the front door more visible. Not that you ask for our opinion. LOL
We all wish for your energy Susan.
Thanks, Myrna. Yes, I have two working fireplaces but I haven’t used them yet. The company that did the cleaning took those photos using a drone. I didn’t know they did that type of thing, but I was glad they did since it was a good way to see how the roof looked before they cleaned and how it looked afterward. I love topiary shaped shrubs but those have gotten bigger than I would like. They were trimmed a small amount after I purchased the home, but they need a more drastic trimming.
Your house has really gone up in value since you took over it! The cleaning looks great!
Thanks, Sheri! That would be nice, I’ve tried to make some good improvements to bring it back into really good shape.
Your cleaning looks great! Yes, LOVE old houses and also visited Nottaway many years ago. So sad to see the fire. In your love of old houses – do you see abandoned houses and long to rescue them? I see homes that are in decay and think of all the happy times someone spent there and my mind goes to what I would do to fix it up again. There was a beautiful old home near here and the last time I drove by it was demolished – gone! Feel the same about old buildings in downtown…
Thanks, Ann! I do! I can’t stand to see a beautiful old home fall into ruin. I always think about the family that built it and how sad they would be to see it torn down and in terrible condition. Oh, that’s the worst…when they are torn down.
Why don’t you have gutter guards installed? No more having to have guttters cleaned so frequently
I got a quote for Leaf Guard gutters like I have in GA, and it was $17,000. The only reason they were cleaned twice last year is when I bought the house, they needed it right then, then they needed it again a few weeks later. I have a company that will be doing it twice a year for me, a lot cheaper than the insane quote I got from Leaf Guard. I’ve thought about the devices/guards that you can put over the gutters to keep leaves out, but the guy who recommended those said they still require cleaning because the leaves (and other stuff that falls from the trees) pile up on the gutter guards. So if that’s the case, I’d rather just have them cleaned twice a year since they will need it even with the gutter guards. Grace, what do you use on your gutters? I love Leaf Guard gutters, but they are insanely priced now as compared to when I got them for the GA house many years ago.
We used a product called Waterloov on our home ….nothing every got caught in it because it was completely enclosed. Never had an issue.
Getting your roof and brick cleaned made a huge difference. Looks wonderful! Good investment. I’m still upset over Nottoway. So sad. I think Ben and I are going to spend a week in Charleston sometime this year. I have been once before but just drove up from Savannah for just one full day then returned to Savannah. We want more time to explore. There are great plantation houses around Charleston.
I’ve never visited the homes in Charleston…that sounds amazing! They have some beautiful homes (and gardens) there!
Wow! The house was already beautiful, but the clean-up really took it up a notch. Thanks for the update. I’m glad you’re pleased with the results.
Thanks, Pam! Now I just need for it stop raining so the company I’ve hired to clean the gutters can get caught up and out here for my appointment. All the companies that work outdoors are way behind right now due to the constant rain. So tried of rain!
Susan, I had to write and thank you and the many others who commented about the loss of Nottoway. I live only about 9 miles from that historic property and attended many wonderful events there. It was such a treasure to our state and to Iberville Parish. Since Covid the mansion and restaurant have basically been closed due to the difficulty of finding necessary employees. We were thrilled in October when a couple purchased the property and were very interested and committed to restoring the mansion and property to its former grandeur. They had just hired a chef the week before the fire so they could reopen the restaurant. It’s so very sad to see that historic old mansion burned to ashes. About 8 fire departments were working the fire, but it was too massive. There was really no way to save it once the roof collapsed and the fire began to spread everywhere. People here are very sad at the loss of this grand old mansion that was 166 years old. The cause of the fire is still under investigation at this time. I appreciate the comments and that you mentioned this in your comments today. Sheryl
Thanks, Sheryl. The new owners y must be in shock that this has happened. So sad when they had such great plans for it. 166 years old and such a beautiful home.
Looks great and do I see a solar panel and a cricket roof next to your chimney Yes leaf guard is very expensive so I use a 6 inch Gutter Foam that works great I don’t have pine just leaves and blow them off 2 x a year so no build up in the gutters. However I don’t have a high roof . Again looks beautiful and thank you for your links as I have purchased many.
Thanks, Carol! I don’t think there are any solar panels on the roof, but it does appear that it was designed with a cricket near the chimney. Interesting! This house keeps surprising me—seems like every day I learn something new about it. Yeah, a one-story roof would be a lot easier to keep the leaves off, for sure.
I had to research cricket regarding a roof; it was a new term to me. Love that one illustration called it a “chimney cricket”
Ha, that is cute!