Re: Can Anyone Tell Me About My Home?
OMG someone actually answered this! It's months later and I haven't checked this site in so long I forgot I posted this!
There is a convex curve to the columns. You are seeing that right. There is a slight "pyramid" shape to them. And, there is that half moon window at the bottom of the home, hidden by the large evergreens at basement level (which would be at the top of the ceiling at the front of the basement area) which is where the "construction" we can't figure out is. There is a coal shoot down there too. It's a shame it's so hidden as it's a wonderful feature however, we're not about to remove those bushes at the moment as they are in good health and it would cost a fortune to put in something else (and, I'm a big believer in saving what is there if it works - we're about to have them trimmed up and the bed widened to make room for some lower flowering items in front of them).
We've tried dating the house further, I found the 1915 Sanborn Maps online but, the house isn't listed on it - nor is it on the 1928 map either. However, this doesn't concern me too much since a lot of the homes in the area weren't on it. I found out that many smaller towns were not updated regularly; the map people only came out periodically so it's possible that the came in 1915 (which is when the town has it dated from) and didn't come back for many years.
The interior does seem to have a slight Victorian feel to it in some respects - almost as if the builder couldn't figure out which style they wanted. There are many inconsistencies; things which seem to have been hodge-podged together later on; like a door that was added in the living room to access port cochere. It makes no sense where it is, literally butting up against the fire place; and on the other side of the fireplace there is an old a/c unit where a window once had been. I suspect there was a matching window on the other side (which would have made sense) and one of the owners put in the door to the side (the door, is very old and the hardware is vaguely Victorian as is much of the hardware in the home). The walls are all plaster, stuccoed over downstairs completely. I have no idea when that was done or if it's original - I think not.
Someone added a small addition to the back; enclosed the little porch to make the kitchen larger and add a powder room, and add a closet off the dining room which now houses that and a our relocated powder room.
I'll try to remember to post some more pictures. I've never seen anything like it anywhere in NJ. It's quite unique and what made me fall in love with it. Of course, it's killing me financially also