One block from 276 Grove St.
Nearby Houses:
None yet photographed. Please take a picture if you see one.
33 Helme St
- May 17th, 2009
- Photog: Stump Blankenship
- Category: residential
One block from 276 Grove St.
Nearby Houses:
None yet photographed. Please take a picture if you see one.
When I saw the Grove St. entry I was a bit perplexed. I live on Knight between Broadway and Grove and I know of no such street as Helme. Then I gmap’d it – RI 6/10 really cut Olneyville off from the rest of the city didn’t it.
Can’t say I care much for the view across the street. But my thoughts when I look at something like this. It is a “four square” house, these usually have more reasonable room layouts than a 3 decker. The staircase seems to be off to a side, so it doesn’t take up a lot of interior space. It also doesn’t intrude on an idea of removing walls to increase room size. The porch seems level. Since the columns support only a porch roof and relatively little weight, repair/replacement of columns and rotted members is simplified. It is new enough that the original design probably contemplated indoor plumbing and electrical wiring. This greatly simplifies modernization. For instance, in buildings prior to 1900, it not unusual that the original layout placed the tub in the kitchen where it doubled as a table base.
Just a note for anyone considering repair/restoration of one of these houses. I passed by Home Depot over the weekend and noticed that they are once again selling 3/8″ sheetrock “blue board”. When cost factors are pressing, this can be of some aid while still allowing skim coat plaster walls. It is still necessary to remove the old plaster, but because of the 3/8th thickness can be applied over the old wood lath and obviates removal. Where space is required for electricity or plumbing runs, the lath can be removed and renailed more or less haphazardly. With the usual 5/8′s used on walls the lath has to go and the baseboards need to be removed, meaning adjustment of the size of the baseboard to fit the new wall surface. Even the 1/2″ variety causes that problem. Where speed and cost are really pressing, the old baseboard and other moldings are usually tossed and replaced with modern “ranch” moldings. Even cheaper for interior use is “ranch” molding made up of “joined stock” (small pieces of wood finger jointed and glued togther. For .05 a foot more, some people prefer “colonial” molding.