Late 1800 Farmhouse internal fittings?

[pdg87]

Please excuse my lack of knowledge - I'm new to all of this.

I have planning in on a grade II listed stone built farmhouse/cottage (3 bed, quite modest) Probably originally used by farm workers. I was hoping for now all of the Internal fittings (Doors, Skirting, Architrave and Coving) Could go down as conditions and be approved at a later date. However I've been informed I need to give a description of these now, which has caught me off guard a bit and hasn't given me much time to research. I met with a planning officer last week and he suggested using doors with the thumb latch like these:

Does anyone have any suggestions to what style of skirting would be in keeping/sympathetic and coving (if any?)

Many thanks

 

[agbagb]

Welcome pdg,
Hopefully others might be able to chip in on this, but I think there won't have been any original skirting or architrave. After all its only there for decoration and to cover gaps between different materials , quite a luxury really.
Having said that if the building was habited at some stage it might have been done up. We've dug back through various layers in our cottage and found what we think is geogian skirting, 6" deep with a rounded corner moulding and a 45 degree return quirk. I've moulded 50m to match that I'll be using.
The door in your sample is unpainted which would have been very crude (modern taste says different) if it was origianal then the latch would be would as well, black smithing wasn't cheap!
My advice would be to keep it simple (maybe even planed square edge) if that's what the CO is looking for, unless you find evidence of a more recent refurb.
I'm sure others will be along shortly with more informed opions. The ultimate choice will be yours, CO permitting.

PS for the blue section. skirting production, Trend router, Modified Axmister Bits + 45degree bit, Record table not enough so freehand. Eventually painted (see pink section)

 

[JoceAndChris]

Blue and pink - aw! For our new member, that's because I recently grumbled that our forum ought to be divided into pink and blue topics ( but I'm sure our wonderful DIY-ing ladies wouldn't agree!)

Anyway, a big welcome to pdg. What's the date of the cottage? A photo of the exterior would really help in determining what kind of fittings are going to be appropriate. Did you meet with the CO or a planning officer?

I don't have a problem in installing architrave, skirting and cornice where there was none but of course you must be guided by the CO. Keep it very simple. Our 1800 cottage (for the gamekeeper or estate manager: a fancy cottage) has very simple shapes in those items - will put up some piccies if yours is a similar date. It also has painted panelled doors with brass knobs, which are original. I think the door type you've put a piccy of is better for an earlier building.

Bear in mind that installing cornice which is off the peg is ever so tricky if your walls are wonky. I'd really be tempted not to bother if there's no budget to have a plaster cornice run in situ, which will be significantly more expensive, but will follow the contours of the wall. We put up a fairly simple plaster cornice from Bonds plaster mouldings: never again!

 

[angrybird]

Hello pdg87 and a very warm welcome to PPUK I have posted a couple of photos I took the day I bought my house dated 1840's it was previously a grocers,blacksmiths and wheelwrite.
the first pic is the landing leading from the upstairs lounge, original doors. there are some architraves but not on all doorways
the second is the door leading from the house to the Blacksmiths , original door and latch but the hinge fronts much later
I hope this helps
good luck with your project

Jacqueline x
(pink ladies, the colour scheme and dirty doors was the previous owners choice not mine ps. I think they liked white :lol: )

 

[angrybird]

this is an image of style skirting board I have, typical Victorian .

 

[Woody3]

We are in a 1700's farmhouse and have gone the no skirting route. In my opinion anything other would look out of place, unless you have carpet everywhere.

We have the same doors as the ones in your post; solid oak. I can provide you details of the supplier (who I highly recommend on both price and quality; I'm a QS, so I'm pretty tight with my money :lol: ) if you wish. They make them to custom sizes. Typically 5 boards wide.

 

[MatthewC]

Hi pdg

For your application, the door in your picture is usually referred to as a ledged and braced door (NB as opposed to "FLB" which is framed, ledged and braced) which you can get cheap-ish from most popular merchants. The "thumb latch" is called a Suffolk latch here (and I'm not in Suffolk!). You can get these blacksmith-made from Old House Store (I won't mention the price!).

If you've got thick walls, you might plaster round the corners and so have no architrave. I wouldn't think you want any coving at all, and probably no skirting from what it sounds like.

In case you've not realized, if they give you conditions on your approval, these usually have to be discharged BEFORE you can start work even though they are irrelevant until later, and discharging takes as long as the original application. Well, that's what happened to me - it even said "before the property is first occupied" ignoring the fact that it had been occupied for 170 years! I just ignored that.

This is all a learning experience, isn't it? Don't be afraid to ask lots of questions here - just include lots of photos!

Matthew

 

[Woody3]

Also, farmhouses in the 1800's would just be ledged and not braced. Forgot to mention that earlier. Bracing was used later, when inferior timber was used.

 

[steveb]

we have a very similar sounding place, originally a farmworkers 2 up 2 down. No idea what was there originally as that is all lost in the mists of time / modernisation however what we put back was doors very similar to the pic, made by a local carpenter from left-over reclaimed floorboards. We even managed to get them coated in intumescent finish to satisfy building control that they were adequate for fire doors.

Ceiling heights are very low so the architrave round the door is a very simple small square edge, painted in white linseed which seems to be turning a mellow yellow. For skirting we again used a small plain board with the sharp corner taken off with a single swipe of a plane. Wood again was reclaimed to give an aged look - in this case it was planks made from old (whisky or beer - not sure which) barrels which look great, and give off a wonderful yeasty aroma when you work them!

Personally I wouldn't use coving unless ceilings were very high, not sure they would suit a farm cottage anyhow.

Will try and upload a couple of pics later

-Steve

 

[JohnB]

I'm assuming this is one of the original ledged doors from my probably mid 19th century house. I found two of them dumped in sheds. They have a painted wood grain finish, which is a pain when the hinges are on the wrong side! It's in a new wall, that I haven't finished yet, so don't take lack of architrave as an historic guide!

 

[steveb]

pics as promised - this is the square architrave


and the skirting in context


not authentic, but suits our place

 

[pdg87]

Bumping this thread as I finally own the house in question Took me over a year in total to secure it with mortgage/planning/ usual rubbish!

Thankyou for the suggestions in here especially the photos!

I will get some photos up, possibly in a new thread.

The ceilings are quite low, so maybe coving is not the way to go.

If anyone has any other suggestions that would be great.

All original features have been removed from the property. I am keen to keep the fittings I add tasteful and in keeping (plus being grade 2 listed they have to be to and extent).

 

[pdg87]

HPO is busting my balls with this, doors decided and going with no coving but I have still not chosen skirting/architrave to go for. HPO has specified something simple and not ornate. I'm thinking square edge planks as mentinoed above are going to be the way to go. Does anyone have a similar period property that had skirting in?

 

[Zebra]

Blue and pink - aw! For our new member, that's because I recently grumbled that our forum ought to be divided into pink and blue topics ( but I'm sure our wonderful DIY-ing ladies wouldn't agree!)

Bah!

 

[dans]

We've recently renovated (in fact still in progress) a 17th C farmhouse and ditched all tge skirting and arcatrave. Not particularly in keeping in my opinion.

If you're going to have any skirting in an old farmhouse, then keep it simple; no fancy mouldings.

When we removed tge arcatrave from our doorways, in most cases, it revealed the original oak door frame!

As for doors, a simple oak ledged door looks in keeping with some nice iron latches...

Good luck!

 

[discobarry]

We have just had Oak doors fitted with traditional ironmongery from Kirk Patrick, thumb handles too as below. (suffolk latch?)

http://www.kirkpatrick.co.uk/product/6778/thumbsuffolk-latch-3619

And these Hinges http://www.kirkpatrick.co.uk/product/6648/hinge-814

 

[Keithj]

Those look terribly familiar! From our hideaway in Norfolk, not this Tudor place, with much simpler Suffolk latches.

 

[pdg87]

When people say nothing fancy/decorative.. would square edge/round edge/chamfered options be suitable?

 

[dans]

Simples...

 

[pdg87]

Thanks dans.

Does anyone have a photos of a room without skirting? I had always wanted to add skiritng board, but maybe having none is an option I should think about..