Farmers painted their farmhouses and barns red because another paint was expensive
As you probably know, many farmhouses and barns are painted red because farmers found a cheap and natural alternative to red paint – thus, real paint was very expensive.
“Farmers didn’t have a lot of money to buy paint, and so they started to experiment with what they had on hand: skimmed milk, lime, and red iron oxide—also known as rust,” explains Jon Beer, a contractor specializing in historic restorations and owner of Jon Beer Contracting in Newburgh, New York.
These materials offered a protective red coating for wood, and today, many farmers choose to paint their farmhouses and brans red to honor this popular tradition. So, not only is this a tradition, but red paint looks really great on farmhouses.
Your Victorian home may have been built for dolls
According to home experts and designers, your stunning Victorian home that looks absolutely incredible and fascinating could have been built from a box, just like a regular dollhouse. That is totally insane! Can you believe it? “Many Victorian homes are actually ‘kit homes,'” says Beer. “[Between 1908 and 1940], Sears & Roebuck listed homes that could be bought and assembled for as little as $6,700.”
