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- Sunny Frimley
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Documentary Our villa
- Thread starter Matero
- Start date
-
- Tags
- documentary
- Location
- Helsinki, Finland
During winter 2019 destruction continued
Yes, this is going to be small toilet, but at that time it seamed to be in long future…
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Yes, this is going to be small toilet, but at that time it seamed to be in long future…
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- Location
- Helsinki, Finland
I was testing camera setup and Lightroom import settings and realized I haven't updated this thread 
I need to browse archives further and update this thread. I got a feeling that this was somewhat interesting project to FMs, as well.
I need to browse archives further and update this thread. I got a feeling that this was somewhat interesting project to FMs, as well.
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- Location
- Helsinki, Finland
Last of demolition
Last piece of the sauna in the cellar - electric stove
No fireplace in upper floor anymore - so the bed for stove needed to go
One day a huge vacuum cleaner drove onto the yard and all this was gone, for good
This was left over, obviously, from the vacuum cleaner
Last piece of the sauna in the cellar - electric stove
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No fireplace in upper floor anymore - so the bed for stove needed to go
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One day a huge vacuum cleaner drove onto the yard and all this was gone, for good
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This was left over, obviously, from the vacuum cleaner
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- Location
- Helsinki, Finland
DECISIONS
If some of you have gone through similar project, you already know that there will be endless amount of surprises. Bigger and smaller. Those will have their consequences for the budget. And there are millions of smaller and bigger decisions. How to organize the space, do you build inner walls, what to do with windows (in our house windows had been renovated in the 80's and at that time authenticity was not a word in popular vocabulary)
So this photo story is about the decisions.
ROOMS or NOT
What to do with the open space in upstairs, which should be occupied by two teenage daughters? And when they eventually leave the home, it need to service us parents. Do you build small rooms for them both or what?
And how to enable at least a bit natural light to the sleeping room when officials didn't let you open a windows to the wall.
(Luckily the other girl who got this sleeping room wanted it, because she suffers early light = wakes up too early on Summer time because of the light)
LIGHTNING
How to decide where the hanging lights need to be when the house is still as ruin.
WHERE TO PUT TOILETS AND BATHROOM?
And how to protect the house and its structures from moist when installing bathrooms. How to make sure bathroom/shower dry fast enough. And yes, it is a bit luxurious to have heated floor in the bathroom at winters
DO YOU PRESERVE OLD STRUCTURES OR BUILD JUST NEW
We wanted to maintain the feeling of 100 years old house. So we kept eg. the stairs to upstairs. The patina, the noise, you can't get that from new build.
100 years old floor (re-assembled) and brand new. Side by side. Unfortunately parts of the old floor was suffered from the time and use and couldn't be fully re-used. So needed new floor and the joint isn't in optimal place, but what can you do.
The upper floor fixing and building had been less than half the price if we hadn't saved the original roof on downstairs. But hey, now it's the original.
And when you've maid your decisions and start to see how it affects the budget, you need to start making compromises. Original plan was to order handmade, full tree, fit to measure closets to bedrooms as well as to kitchen. But that plan needed to go, as well as the plan to replace the windows
COLOURS AND MATERIALS
We selected breathable materials everywhere. No plastic and synthetic materials anywhere. To keep the old structure healthy and to last for another 100 years. So truly paper wallpapers, oil-based paints etc.
The color-palette was difficult but when one element was fixed, the rest was easy. We constructed numerous color-palettes and wallpaper combinations but it all started from this, master bedroom wallpaper.
Combining wood and brick, we decided to hide the brick and plaster over. Luckily our carpenter could do miracles hiding the joints
Fingerpanel was something I wanted because the house of my grandparents had it. Luckily we could agree on that with the spouse... Panel on the stairs.
This structure to replace the floating closet became my absolute favorite part of our house. And the stairs.
There happened two disastrous things, and this was the other. The color on the grout was wrong when seen in place. And we didn't have the time nor the budget to get it fixed. We just needed to accept. Luckily we have grown to it
I hope you enjoyed these, I did. This is a way to document this for ourselves as well. And now the blood pressure luckily stays low enough. It was too stressful earlier to remember this project, and it still is a bit for the wife
I will add more pics later.
If some of you have gone through similar project, you already know that there will be endless amount of surprises. Bigger and smaller. Those will have their consequences for the budget. And there are millions of smaller and bigger decisions. How to organize the space, do you build inner walls, what to do with windows (in our house windows had been renovated in the 80's and at that time authenticity was not a word in popular vocabulary
)
Join to see EXIF info for this image (if available)
So this photo story is about the decisions.
ROOMS or NOT
What to do with the open space in upstairs, which should be occupied by two teenage daughters? And when they eventually leave the home, it need to service us parents. Do you build small rooms for them both or what?
Join to see EXIF info for this image (if available)
Join to see EXIF info for this image (if available)
And how to enable at least a bit natural light to the sleeping room when officials didn't let you open a windows to the wall.
(Luckily the other girl who got this sleeping room wanted it, because she suffers early light = wakes up too early on Summer time because of the light)
Join to see EXIF info for this image (if available)
LIGHTNING
How to decide where the hanging lights need to be when the house is still as ruin.
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WHERE TO PUT TOILETS AND BATHROOM?
Join to see EXIF info for this image (if available)
And how to protect the house and its structures from moist when installing bathrooms. How to make sure bathroom/shower dry fast enough. And yes, it is a bit luxurious to have heated floor in the bathroom at winters
Join to see EXIF info for this image (if available)
DO YOU PRESERVE OLD STRUCTURES OR BUILD JUST NEW
We wanted to maintain the feeling of 100 years old house. So we kept eg. the stairs to upstairs. The patina, the noise, you can't get that from new build.
Join to see EXIF info for this image (if available)
100 years old floor (re-assembled) and brand new. Side by side. Unfortunately parts of the old floor was suffered from the time and use and couldn't be fully re-used. So needed new floor and the joint isn't in optimal place, but what can you do.
Join to see EXIF info for this image (if available)
The upper floor fixing and building had been less than half the price if we hadn't saved the original roof on downstairs. But hey, now it's the original.
Join to see EXIF info for this image (if available)
And when you've maid your decisions and start to see how it affects the budget, you need to start making compromises. Original plan was to order handmade, full tree, fit to measure closets to bedrooms as well as to kitchen. But that plan needed to go, as well as the plan to replace the windows
Join to see EXIF info for this image (if available)
COLOURS AND MATERIALS
We selected breathable materials everywhere. No plastic and synthetic materials anywhere. To keep the old structure healthy and to last for another 100 years. So truly paper wallpapers, oil-based paints etc.
Join to see EXIF info for this image (if available)
The color-palette was difficult but when one element was fixed, the rest was easy. We constructed numerous color-palettes and wallpaper combinations but it all started from this, master bedroom wallpaper.
Join to see EXIF info for this image (if available)
Combining wood and brick, we decided to hide the brick and plaster over. Luckily our carpenter could do miracles hiding the joints
Join to see EXIF info for this image (if available)
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Fingerpanel was something I wanted because the house of my grandparents had it. Luckily we could agree on that with the spouse... Panel on the stairs.
Join to see EXIF info for this image (if available)
This structure to replace the floating closet became my absolute favorite part of our house. And the stairs.
Join to see EXIF info for this image (if available)
There happened two disastrous things, and this was the other. The color on the grout was wrong when seen in place. And we didn't have the time nor the budget to get it fixed. We just needed to accept. Luckily we have grown to it
Join to see EXIF info for this image (if available)
I hope you enjoyed these, I did. This is a way to document this for ourselves as well. And now the blood pressure luckily stays low enough. It was too stressful earlier to remember this project, and it still is a bit for the wife
I will add more pics later.
Last edited:
- Location
- Helsinki, Finland
FIXING STRUCTURES and MOVING ROOMS AROUND
Moving showers from cellar sauna to the second floor was most tricky part with new plumbings, heated floor and cement (weight). The structures required quite a bit strengthening to keep second floor bathroom separated from the first floor kitchen underneath.
Electricity had been built in the three waves during the past times, 1920's 1950's a bit more and last round 1980's. We wanted to save in fire insurance and tore everything down. And this is the place where all the wiring should connect, some day, including 18 ethernet ports....
Flooring in the first floor was open, first we put a metal mesh to keep mice etc out (glad we did that, we found after winter dead rat in the garden
) then paper and insulation to keep us warm at -20 Celsius in the winter time (insulation worked well when properly tested during last winter 
). Heating was and still is with water circulated radiators. In Finland we have this centralized warming with hot water supplied from big power plants, condensing water is used for warming houses. It is easy, supply quite steady and secure, although we had cut off in our first winter, huge water pipe broke at the center of the city and whole warming network went down for couple of hours, mid-winter
Couple of walls re-build, remark the 90-degrees stencil
This was found inside of the walls, raw translation: "Losing hair is everyones own fault" says the title, well the ball head I am, read forward. "Americans, which usually get early silver hair, takes care of their hair so that they have one at the older days as well." Interesting
"When looking reasons to loose the hair, we usually find the reason to be that no other conditioning provided than cutting once a while and hasty combing." Oh, well
My father never saw our house and project. He tried to find it when visited last time in our city, but the navigation skills were not what they used to be, so he never found our house. (If it matters, we met at the downtown that time, a bit stubborn he was, he didn't want help finding our place)
My father was best friend of animals and kids. They all loved him. And one day during our project this dog popped in to the wall. No need to say, we preserved it....
This part of the house was totally uninsulated. We wanted the stairs to second floor be warm as well, so insulation it needed. Stairs were carefully tore down, and placed back after insulation was done. We wanted to preserve 100 years old marks in the stairs and original sound.
Old structures from 1920's where not made by the nowadays standards. And partly broke as well. The architect just said: "Well, it seems that these old houses last even a bit broke"
But the ceiling needed to fix and strengthen. Now it can handle the snow as it should. And it got tested last winter as well
Moving showers from cellar sauna to the second floor was most tricky part with new plumbings, heated floor and cement (weight). The structures required quite a bit strengthening to keep second floor bathroom separated from the first floor kitchen underneath.
Join to see EXIF info for this image (if available)
Electricity had been built in the three waves during the past times, 1920's 1950's a bit more and last round 1980's. We wanted to save in fire insurance
and tore everything down. And this is the place where all the wiring should connect, some day, including 18 ethernet ports....
Join to see EXIF info for this image (if available)
Flooring in the first floor was open, first we put a metal mesh to keep mice etc out (glad we did that, we found after winter dead rat in the garden
) then paper and insulation to keep us warm at -20 Celsius in the winter time (insulation worked well when properly tested during last winter ). Heating was and still is with water circulated radiators. In Finland we have this centralized warming with hot water supplied from big power plants, condensing water is used for warming houses. It is easy, supply quite steady and secure, although we had cut off in our first winter, huge water pipe broke at the center of the city and whole warming network went down for couple of hours, mid-winter
Join to see EXIF info for this image (if available)
Couple of walls re-build, remark the 90-degrees stencil
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This was found inside of the walls, raw translation: "Losing hair is everyones own fault" says the title, well the ball head I am, read forward. "Americans, which usually get early silver hair, takes care of their hair so that they have one at the older days as well." Interesting
"When looking reasons to loose the hair, we usually find the reason to be that no other conditioning provided than cutting once a while and hasty combing." Oh, well
Join to see EXIF info for this image (if available)
My father never saw our house and project. He tried to find it when visited last time in our city, but the navigation skills were not what they used to be, so he never found our house. (If it matters, we met at the downtown that time, a bit stubborn he was, he didn't want help finding our place
)My father was best friend of animals and kids. They all loved him. And one day during our project this dog popped in to the wall. No need to say, we preserved it....
Join to see EXIF info for this image (if available)
This part of the house was totally uninsulated. We wanted the stairs to second floor be warm as well, so insulation it needed. Stairs were carefully tore down, and placed back after insulation was done. We wanted to preserve 100 years old marks in the stairs and original sound.
Join to see EXIF info for this image (if available)
Old structures from 1920's where not made by the nowadays standards. And partly broke as well. The architect just said: "Well, it seems that these old houses last even a bit broke"
Join to see EXIF info for this image (if available)
But the ceiling needed to fix and strengthen. Now it can handle the snow as it should. And it got tested last winter as well
- Location
- Helsinki, Finland
GARDEN DEVELOPMENT
Best place to be in summer time is definitely, the garden. Or what say you?
However, in the beginning there were lots to do.
But thanks to covid19 lockdown we had plenty of time last spring to fix things
Best place to be in summer time is definitely, the garden. Or what say you?
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However, in the beginning there were lots to do.
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But thanks to covid19 lockdown we had plenty of time last spring to fix things
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- Location
- Helsinki, Finland
And the garden is our joy...
... in summer...
... and in winter
... in summer...
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... and in winter
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- Location
- Helsinki, Finland
ALMOST THERE
Approx. two years ago we were in the final round of our renovation, as we thought. It took then still the whole summer and long to the autumn until we could move in. But at this stage it felt like almost there...
Porch
Master bedroom
Kitchen
Kitchen
Living room
Hall
Stairs
Stairs
Upper hall
Upstairs living room
Approx. two years ago we were in the final round of our renovation, as we thought. It took then still the whole summer and long to the autumn until we could move in. But at this stage it felt like almost there...
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Porch
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Master bedroom
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Kitchen
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Kitchen
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Living room
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Hall
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Stairs
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Stairs
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Upper hall
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Upstairs living room
- Location
- Helsinki, Finland
Last set of pictures waiting to be published, at least from the renovation project. But just now we have other things to do 
- Location
- Helsinki, Finland
Details, ready or almost ready, as those were two years ago
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- Location
- Helsinki, Finland
And finally this summer, new layer of traditional boiled red paint for the house. Looks cleaner and nicer now
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- Location
- Helsinki, Finland
Re-incarnation of our house as gingerbread house - builders thought that this year result wasn't so glorious, and they started to review and prepare their plans already for Christmas 2022
Poor fellow, waiting for the Santa, perhaps
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Poor fellow, waiting for the Santa, perhaps
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- Location
- Helsinki, Finland
- Location
- Helsinki, Finland
As being a grandpa now, we needed to fix playhouse for the grandkids and kids on the neighbourhood
Starting point was already, ehh, a bit challenging.
We are already halfway but this was starting point + structures under the porch.
Starting point was already, ehh, a bit challenging.
We are already halfway but this was starting point + structures under the porch.
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- Location
- Cambridgeshire, UK.
- Name
- Charles
Matero, you and your wife are doing an absolutely splendid job. Please keep on posting your wonderful photos of work in progress.
- Location
- Helsinki, Finland
Garden is in the early stages still, but starting to show up what we've been planning. Flowers throughout the season, relatively easy maintaining (so the grass will go eventually and minimized). Some pictures from todays walk through
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- Location
- Helsinki, Finland
Pay jobs continued, and almost there with the summer project
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