Wall Plaster in a 19th Century Log Cabin

When we think about the American frontier, images of isolation, privation and strenuous labor can come to mind.  Life on the frontier certainly was difficult and dangerous.  A homesteader’s first year was often a frantic race to establish his family before the winter’s first snow began to fall.  His first job was to cut timber which cleared land for planting crops and provided logs for building a cabin.  The wife and children might stay with a neighbor or even remain back east while their new house was being built and crops and garden planted.  Conditions in their new log home were primitive as most cabins had only dirt floors, almost no furniture and only a small, cast iron stove for heat and cooking.  However, once established in their new home pioneer families were eager to improve their cabins with siding, wooden floors, paint and plaster.  Even on the frontier people did their best to follow the latest fashions and keep up with the Joneses.

German immigrants Wilhelm and Sophia Ney homesteaded along the Minnesota River just east of Henderson, MN in the 1850s.  Wilhelm built a large 22’x 32’ cabin from maple and basswood logs in 1855 which served as the family's home until he built a larger house out of the local, cream colored Chaska brick.  The old cabin had been cocooned in board and batten siding and converted into a horse barn. However, despite being used to stable horses for many decades, remnants of the original daubing and lath and lime plaster have survived on the rear wall.

Exterior of the Ney cabin showing half dovetail notching and board and batten siding.

The cabin's  interior showing the hewn logs and rafters and plaster remnants.

19^th century plaster was made from lime, sand and sometimes animal hair and applied in up to three coats over wooden lath.  The plaster was mixed on site (the lime often coming from local deposits of limestone) and lath split or riven from trees felled in the area.  Wilhelm Ney split his lath from small branches of willow trees which were abundant along the nearby Minnesota River. The lath was nailed directly to the log walls with a straw backing which allowed the lime plaster to adhere more easily. 

Plaster remnants, lath and wooden pegs used to hold tack for the Neys' horses.

Close-up of the lath, plaster and straw.

Once the newly plastered walls had cured they could be white washed, painted with brightly tinted oil or kalsomine paint or even covered with fashionable wallpaper bought at the local dry goods store.   Indeed, some plaster, paint, siding and a new frame-and-panel door could make a log cabin look as refined as a frame house built in town.   Only its thick, log walls might betray its humble beginnings.

The Ney log cabin can be visited at the Ney Nature Center located just a few miles east of Henderson, MN along State Highway 19. 

An Artist's Look at The Landing's Cabinet Shop

Every year The Landing, a living history museum in Shakopee, MN, celebrates the holidays by holding the Folkways of the Holidays. This event is held on weekends in December and shows visitors how Christmas and Hanukkah were celebrated on the Minnesota frontier during the 19th century.  My friends Kevin Alto, Dave Winter and I are always on hand to man the cabinet shop and demonstrate how woodcraft used to be done during the good ol' days. Dave, the shop's Scandinavian flat carver/instrument repairman/fiddler/bowl turner and general entertainer, has developed yet another trade: watercolors.  This weekend he captured the essence of yours truly as I busily worked away on a small hanging cupboard.  

Here I am at the bench cutting some dovetails on the cupboard's carcass.

Here I am "repairing" a 19th century glide rocking chair with
what appears to be a medieval battle axe.

I think it looks just like me, though I usually only use my battle axe on larger projects.


Thanks Dave!  I've never looked better!

New Bern Home Inventory down

The inventory of homes for sale in the New Bern area MLS is down substantially. Currently there are 1291 homes for sale. Throughout most of the year that number has been over 1500 homes. Percentage wise this is a decrease of 13%.

Although inventory typically decreases in December, this is more than we normally see. My take is folks are staying put with hopes of selling when the market improves. Whatever the reason, I hope that with less inventory, home prices will start to level off. If this happens we will all be better of in the long run.

Real Estate Update.

Steve Tyson’s Real Estate Update


For selected subdivisions

Neuse Harbour

Active homes for sale by price range

Current number of homes on the market=13

Pending sales=1

Active homes for sale by price range

$182,000-$200,000=1

$209,000-$250,000=6

$254,900-$300,000=2

$$300,000-$1,225,000=4

There was 1 home that sold and closed in Neuse Harbour in the last 12 months. The sales price was $232,800



Stately Pines

Current homes on the market=6

Pending sales=1

Active homes for sale by price range

$164,000-$200,000=3

$202,000=1

$669,500=1

$769,000=1

There were 10 homes that sold and closed in Stately Pines in the last 12 months. The most expensive house sold was $214,250.

Carolina Pines

Current homes on the market=22

Pending sales=2

Active homes for sale by price range

$107,500-$150,000=5

$157,900-$200,000=2

$229,000=1



There were 18 homes that sold and closed in Carolina Pines in the last 12 months. The highest priced home sold was $265,000.

Tucker Creek

Current homes on the market=4

Pending sales=3

Active homes for sale by price range

$110,000-$150,000=1

$165,000-$200,000=3

$245,000-$289,000=2

There were 15 homes that sold and closed in Tucker Creek in the last 12 months. The highest priced home sold was $275,000.

Total homes sold January 1-Nov. 29 2009=1118

Total homes sold January 1-Nov. 29 2010=1108

During the same time frame in 2011=1107 homes have been sold.

There are currently 1312 homes listed for sale in our multiple listing service. This number is down from about 1550 In prior months. We are selling homes at a rate of about 100 a month so there is still a large inventory on hand. A buyers market is defined as more than 6 months of home inventory. It is definitely a buyer’s market as we currently have 13 months worth of inventory.

On the plus side, interest rates are still incredibly low, prices have become more reasonable, and we have a nice selection of homes to choose from.

Feel free to call or email me if you would like to have a customized absorption rate or a Comparable Market Analysis for your property. Home sales in each neighborhood can vary greatly.




Realtor Steve Tyson

The Tyson Group Realtors

Tin Cans and House Paint in the 19th Century

Once in a while a seemingly simple invention or discovery ends up having significant and wide-ranging consequences.  One example is the tin can.  Today tin cans are so common that we give them little thought, but after the Civil War they were a novelty that truly revolutionized commerce, diet and help bring about a consumer society.  Among the many industries that cans changed was the production and marketing of  house paint, as they made it possible for the owners of Victorian homes and professionals alike to buy ready-mixed and colored paints.

At the beginning of the 19th century house paint had to be prepared by mixing ingredients such linseed oil, white lead, turpentine, driers and pigments.  Some of these ingredients were often only available in bulk containers such as wooden casks or barrels while the coloring pigments had to be ground by hand. This made it difficult for homeowners to mix small batches of paint for jobs around the house.  However, during the Victorian era tin cans not only made it possible for professional painters and homeowners to buy smaller amounts of paint, the paint was of better quality.  Since canned paints were mixed in factories in bulk, the quality was more consistent.  Whereas the color and consistency of hand mixed paints always varied slightly depending on the amounts and quality of the ingredients, commercial, ready-mixed paints were uniform.  Commercial manufacturers used  pigments that were finely ground by mills so the colors were even.  National brands such as Sherwin-Williams and John Lucas & Co. tested their different ingredients so they could avoid adulterated pigments and additives that were common on the consumer market.    

The John Lucas & Co. of Gibbsboro, NJ was one of the innovators during the last half of the 19th century and was among the first to package house paint in tin cans.  Founded in 1852 by the Englishman John Lucas, the company developed new pigments, improved the production process of white lead and was a pioneer in prepared and ready-mixed paints. 

This can of Indian red paint from around 1880 is an early example of John Lucas's ready-to-use paint.  The soldered lid was removed with a can opener and the contents poured into a bucket.  After additional boiled linseed oil was added to thin the paint, the professional painter or homeowner could brush it on the walls, ceilings and millwork.  Since the top was soldered, the can could not be resealed (Henry Sherwin patented the first resealable can in 1877) and all the paint had either to be used or the remainder stored in an airtight container.

A ca 1880 paint can (still full of paint).

Top of the paint can showing its soldered lid.

Although this little can might not look like much, it represents a revolution in the way house paint and hundreds of other products were marketed and used during the last half of the 19th century.  Small innovations certainly can have large and lasting consequences.

Steve Tyson’s Real Estate Update





Neuse Harbour

Active homes for sale by price range

Current number of homes on the market=5

Pending sales=1

Active homes for sale by price range

$279,000=1

$,334,000-$385,000=2

$ 775,000=1

$1,225,000=1

There was 1 home that sold and closed in Neuse Harbour in the last 12 months. The sales price was $232,000



Stately Pines

Current homes on the market=6

Pending sales=0

Active homes for sale by price range

$160,000-$200,000=2

$205,000-$210,900=2

$669,500=1

$769,000=1

There were 11 homes that sold and closed in Stately Pines in the last 12 months. The most expensive house sold was $214,25s0.

Carolina Pines

Current homes on the market=18

Pending sales=1

Active homes for sale by price range

$137,500-$$150,000=5

$157,000-$200,000=6

$215,000-250,000=6

$259,000=1

There were 18 homes that sold and closed in Carolina Pines in the last 12 months. The highest priced home sold was $265,000.

Tucker Creek

Current homes on the market=7

Pending sales=3

Active homes for sale by price range

$110,000-$150,000=2

$165,000-$200,000=3

$245,000-$289,000=2

There were 14 homes that sold and closed in Tucker Creek in the last 12 months. The highest priced home sold was $275,000.

Total homes sold January 1-Oct. 24 2009=982

Total homes sold January 1-Oct. 23 2010=1021

During the same time frame in 2011=981 homes have been sold.

There are currently 1387 homes listed for sale in our multiple listing service. This number is down from about 1550 In prior months. We are selling homes at a rate of about 104 a month so there is still a large inventory on hand. A buyers market is defined as more than 6 months of home inventory. It is definitely a buyer’s market as we currently have 13 months worth of inventory.

On the plus side, interest rates are still incredibly low. I have a customer that got a 3.75% rate in mid October. In the early 1980’s I remember rates went as high as 18% so it is a great time to buy and lock in a great rate.

Feel free to call or email me if you would like to have a customized absorption rate or a Comparable Market Analysis for your property. Home sales in each neighborhood can vary greatly.

 I can be reached at SteveTyson@NCmove.com And remember you can always visit me online at www.NewBern-NC.Info



Realtor Steve Tyson

The Tyson Group Realtors

U.S. house prices have plunged by nearly a third since 2006, and homeownership rates are falling at the fastest pace since the Great Depression.




The good news? Two key measures now suggest it's an excellent time to buy a house, either to live in for the long term or for investment income (but not for a quick flip). First, the nation's ratio of house prices to yearly rents is nearly restored to its prebubble average. Second, when mortgage rates are taken into consideration, houses are the most affordable they have been in decades.



Two of the silliest mantras during the real-estate bubble were that a house is the best investment you will ever make and that a renter "throws money down the drain." Whether buying is a better deal than renting isn't a stagnant fact but a changing condition that depends on the relationship between prices and rents, the cost of financing and other factors.



.But the math is turning in buyers' favor. Stock-oriented folks can think of a house's price/rent ratio as akin to a stock's price/earnings ratio, in that it compares the cost of an asset with the money the asset is capable of generating. For investors, a lower ratio suggests more income for the price. For prospective homeowners, a lower ratio makes owning more attractive than renting, all else equal.



Nationwide, the ratio of home prices to yearly rents is 11.3, down from 18.5 at the peak of the bubble, according to Moody's Analytics. The average from 1989 to 2003 was about 10, so valuations aren't quite back to normal.



But for most home buyers, mortgage rates are a key determinant of their total costs. Rates are so low now that houses in many markets look like bargains, even if price/rent ratios aren't hitting new lows. The 30-year mortgage rate rose to 4.12% this week from a record low of 3.94% last week, Freddie Mac said Thursday. (The rates assume 0.8% in prepaid interest, or "points.") The latest rate is still less than half the average since 1971.



Real Estate Tools at SmartMoney

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Should You Refinance?

How Much Can You Afford

.As a result, house payments are more affordable than they have been in decades. The National Association of Realtors Housing Affordability Index hit 183.7 in August, near its record high in data going back to 1970. The index's historic average is roughly 120. A reading of 100 would mean that a median-income family with a 20% down payment can afford a mortgage on a median-price home. So today's buyers can afford handsome houses—but prudent ones might opt for moderate houses with skimpy payments.



For example, the median home in the greater Phoenix market, including houses, condos and co-ops, costs $121,700, according to Zillow.com. With a 20% down payment and a 4.12% mortgage rate, a buyer's monthly payment would be about $470. Rent for a comparable house would be more than $1,100 a month, according to data provided by Zillow.com.



Of course, all of this assumes mortgages are available—no given now that lending standards have tightened. But long-term data on down payments and credit scores suggest conditions are more normal than many buyers think, according to Stan Humphries, chief economist at Zillow. "If you have good credit, a job and a down payment, you can get a mortgage," Mr. Humphries says. "There's more paperwork and scrutiny than five years ago, but things are pretty much like they were in the '80s and '90s."



Not all housing markets are bargains. Mr. Humphries says Zillow has developed a new price/rent ratio that uses estimates for each individual property rather than city medians, to better reflect the choices facing typical buyers. A fresh look at the numbers suggests Detroit and Miami are plenty cheap for buyers, with price/rent ratios of 5.6 and 7.7, respectively. New York and San Francisco are more expensive, with ratios of 17.6 and 17.2, respectively. The median ratio for 169 markets is 10.7.



For investors seeking income, one back-of-the-envelope way of seeing how these numbers stack up against yields for other assets is to divide 1 by the price/rent ratio, resulting in a rent "yield." The median market's rent yield is 9.3% and Detroit's is 17.9%.



Investors would then subtract for taxes, insurance, upkeep and other expenses—costs that vary widely. But suppose total costs were 4% of the purchase price. That would still leave a 5.3% rent yield in the typical market. With the 10-year Treasury yield at 2.2% and the Standard & Poor's 500-stock index carrying a dividend yield of 2.1%, rents for residential housing in many markets look attractive.



A few caveats are in order. First, not all transactions are average ones. Even in low-priced markets, buyers should shop carefully. Second, prices could fall further. Celia Chen, a senior director at Moody's Analytics, expects prices to drop 3% before bottoming early next year and rising slowly thereafter. "If the economy slips back into recession, however, we could easily see a 10% drop," Ms. Chen says.