About My House
Our house in Brookline, Massachusetts is a 1857 Mansard Queen Anne Edwardian*, I believe. We renovated a sad 1960s dropped ceiling kitchen.
What I Did
We raised the ceiling and put in wooden trap doors to gain a little space. We put in a period door to match the existing door in the kitchen. The house has a maple wood floor and a simple kitchen with open shelves, butcher block counter tops that we cut on, a hanging pot rack, and the original (1880s) radiator.
Tips and Tricks
- We would get an expert to make and install trap doors.
- We would put one drawer somewhere in kitchen.
- I would pay to level the old wooden floor.
- Do what you need to to gain a few inches everywhere. Five people spend a lot of time in this 12x15 foot home comfortably.
Jackie Craven, Architecture Guide, says:
*What a delightful and unusual house! The big bay window does hint at the Queen Anne style, but that wonderful mansard roof is a common feature of the Second Empire style. Of course, those exuberant Victorian architects combined features from many styles.Here some more houses with mansard roofs: The Mansard Roof and the Second Empire Style
