HOUSE: Newburgh + Life + Health

Door(less) 16.

When we bought our house, we took off all of the doors inside to make it easier to refinish them and strip the paint off of the hardware. Two years later, we are still without 90% of our doors.

Yesterday I started in on the refurbishing process of the door pictured above, which belongs on the closet in the bedroom. Yes, the bottom two panels are missing, and were replaced with window screening. A couple of our other doors (one other closet, as well as the bedroom door leading to the hallway) have this same “feature”. I will, of course, be getting rid of the screening and repairing the doors with new panels of wood.

Can anyone explain this to me? WHY would someone put screening on an interior door? For ventilation? What on Earth would they be keeping in a closet that would need to breathe?!

As a side note, today is St. Patrick’s Day, which translates to a morning train full of drunken college students with shamrocks painted on their faces, and, because I work in midtown, the constant sound of the stupid parade going past my office building. I hate parades. I also loathe public drunkenness. And, you know, green bagels.

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20 Comments

  • Reply katie March 17, 2008 at 12:30 pm

    Oh that is just bizarre about the screens on the interior doors. BIZARRO!

    And I’m with you on the public drunkenness of St. Patrick’s day. The drunk frat yahoos of Chicago were out in full force this weekend. No matter where I turned, there was some drunk idiot yelling WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO. And I’m sorry, but green beer is just WRONG!

    Man, I’m just ranting and raving today! Ha! I should go out on a street corner and just start spouting off like some of the other crazy people.

  • Reply Julie March 17, 2008 at 2:01 pm

    That whole screen thing is freaking me out. What WOULD you have in there that would need good air circulation?…I hope we never know.

    Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

  • Reply Jennifer March 17, 2008 at 2:05 pm

    I could see if it was a furnace closet or something… odd.

  • Reply Janelle March 17, 2008 at 2:14 pm

    I didnt even know it was St. Patricks Day until my coworker came in wearing green.

    (Maybe they wanted the monsters in the closets to be able to breathe easier.)

  • Reply priscilla March 17, 2008 at 2:26 pm

    very stinky shoes in the closet?

  • Reply jana March 17, 2008 at 2:33 pm

    I don´t know, maybe I can´t tell from the photo, but I like those screens… 🙂 (a shy smile) But I think it would be more reasonable if they were on the top of the door.
    And I really like that this post is in the “health” category :-).

  • Reply mrslimestone March 17, 2008 at 3:07 pm

    We really should have stripped all our doors too but I couldn’t stand the thought of spending more time stripping after trying my hand at it. But now I have a lot of paint gobs that annoy me. So good for you for doing it the right way.

    I dont really get the whole closet ventilation thing but its pretty popular if you consider the style of those slats/louvered closet doors. I think the idea is that clothes get musty if left in closets. Ive never had that problem though.

    Who eats green bagels? They are just gross!!

  • Reply alicia March 17, 2008 at 3:10 pm

    ha yes- parades, public drunkenness, and green bagels are no good.

  • Reply tara. March 17, 2008 at 5:41 pm

    i forgot it was st. patrick’s day, as well, until i had to go to midtown akar hell in shades of green! ugh.

    i’m a new commenter but frequent reader. your house is beautiful, and is inspiring me to think about relocating to newburgh. thanks for that.

    i also have a new blog and have listed your blog on my faves list. hope that’s ok! if not, please let me know :).

  • Reply Vicki March 17, 2008 at 7:05 pm

    Hey, this isn’t a response to this blog, but your Flicker pictures of Green Street in Philly… When were you in Philly? We rented in Fairmount (Art Museum area) for five years before we bought our house in Northwood. Green Street has always been one of my favorite streets – and I’ve always loved the house with the green patina bay window!

  • Reply Anna at D16 March 17, 2008 at 8:22 pm

    Jana: I suspect this is a case of the screens looking more charming in the photo than they do in reality! They are gross…dented, rusty, splattered with three different shades of paint…

    Priscilla/MrsLimestone: That’s what I thought, too, but then I noticed that the door leading to the hallway has those screens, too! Of course, a couple of our doors were hanging upside down, so who knows what was going on here. One of the closet doors had a sliding lock on the INSIDE!! Weird.

    Tara: Of course that’s OK, link away. 🙂 And GO NEWBURGH! I love it here. I feel like a pioneer a lot of the time, but that’s part of what makes it worth it to make the move. Good luck!!

    Vicki: I was in Philly on Saturday! My sister-in-law and her family live there, within walking distance to the museum — we went to the Frida Kahlo exhibit (which was too crowded to enjoy). I was in absolute awe of the house I posted the photos of. I love Philadelphia bricks!! So different from New York — I love seeing regional brickwork styles.

  • Reply Adam March 17, 2008 at 9:44 pm

    Hmmmmm, I wonder what was in there that needed to breeeeaaaathe? I hope whatever it was left. And Frida Kahlo exhibit? I’m sooo jealous! What are your plans in April? I have a week off!

  • Reply Anna at D16 March 18, 2008 at 9:13 am

    My plans during April = hanging out with you?! I hope so!! xox

  • Reply Smasher March 18, 2008 at 9:13 am

    Uh, kitty litter box?

    BTW–very nice blog. My GF and I are fans.

  • Reply sulu-design March 18, 2008 at 9:48 am

    I love your St. Patrick’s Day venom. I always hated the day when I lived in NYC. Such tastelessness rears its ugly head.

  • Reply Adam March 18, 2008 at 12:59 pm

    I will send you e-mail in the next week or so. I would like to head down your way, it’s been way too long!

  • Reply Adam March 18, 2008 at 1:00 pm

    I can help you refinish doors!

  • Reply jennifer in sf March 18, 2008 at 8:40 pm

    Locks on the insides? Screens? Creepy.
    I assume that since your house is old you have approximately 5,000 doors, so I wish you luck with them!

  • Reply Anna at D16 March 18, 2008 at 9:50 pm

    Jennifer: Seriously!!! I just did a quick count, and there are TWENTY-TWO (22!) doors in this house. OMG.

    Adam: See comment to Jennifer — you can totally help with the doors! 😛

  • Reply jennifer in sf March 19, 2008 at 9:36 pm

    Anna: Jesus. I live in a studio from the 20s and have 6 doors, AND that’s not including the french doors that were removed before I moved in. What was the deal with people in the old days?

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