Wanna Meet The TIN HOUSE?
As part of my year-long plan, I am focused on getting a small house I own in a tiny town (Matfield Green, pop 49) ready for sale. I have owned the house since the late 1990s, after encountering it on my very first day in Chase County (July 5, 1996). On that first day I began sweeping it, putting the front door (lying on the floor) back on its hinges, and generally cleaning it up.
People (all new to me) kept saying: “Ross. This isn’t your house. Leave it alone.”
I ignored everybody and continued my emergency care over the ensuing months.
This upset the owner, but as I ignored him, too, he decided after several years that his only recourse was to sell the house to me. This was agreeable. The price was $1800 but it might as well been $180,0000 as I had no money. A local, Jane, eventually gave me the money saying: “You love this house so much. And you’ve done wonders with it. You need to own it.”
During this early period, and with no money, I managed to get the house in much better condition. The south porch had collapsed and I carefully removed it. Almost every pane of glass in the house was smashed and I eventually reglazed every window and door. The roof was leaking, badly, and I installed tarpaper all over, held in place with strips of lath. I renewed this every other year. Then, during one Thanksgiving weekend, my friend Suzi and I installed a corrugated metal roof over the one-story section of the house. Suzi donated the metal. We could not reach the second-story roof so that had to wait.
After all the window sashes were restored, I hung thrift-store drapes to make the house less desolate- and abandoned-looking.
I replaced the rotted sill of the house with new pressure -treated boards.
Annually, from spring till late fall, I drove to the house every Sunday to mow and manicure with a string trimmer. By 2005 the house was still a gutted shell but it looked cared for and was protected from the elements.
Then, in 2006, I started selling restored vintage lighting online. Suddenly, I had money. One would think this would have been a Godsend to the Tin House but, when I was poor, I had time. Now I had money but zero time. I worked on lights 24/7, from morning till bedtime. And the Tin House stopped getting ever better.
I hired a local to mow the yard for a few seasons but then he died. And the lawn stopped getting mowed and manicured.
In 2012, I hired Justin to install a metal roof on the two-story section, and historically correct 1/2-round gutters.
In 2014, I purchased the Cross House, and this consumed ALL my attention for the next 11 years. The poor Tin House suffered grievously. As did my house in Strong City.
In 2025, with the Cross House now on hiatus, and sales slow due to a poor economy, I have something I have not had since 2005: time.
So, wanna meet the Tin House?
This is the oldest image of the house I ever found. The image was given to me by Crystal Deering, who lived in the house as a child. When I met her she was very elderly (and has since passed on). This is the only known image of the long-lost front and north side (left) porches. Just to the left of center, down low, are two children.
I was told that the columns on this house in Matfield were from the Tin House, and from its West and north porches.
In the garage, I recently discovered a pilaster (a half column) in the garage. This would have been on the north porch.
I think this is Crystal’s father, standing on the cistern, looking west. The cistern is extant; all the buildings behind Mr. Deering (on Matfield’s main street) are long gone. The Tin House was later extended to the north and now ends about where Mr. Deering is standing.
The top of the cistern today. Mr. Deering stood at the lower left corner. You can see how the house is now atop the cistern. The opening is covered by boards adjacent to the downspout.
This is the east addition, built in, I think, the 1920s. It is by far the best built part of the house and was, I think, a kitchen. If I remember correctly, that is Crystal, center.
South. You can see the 2-story section. This was moved from somewhere else and grafted onto the 1-story structure. You can see my tarpaper and lath strips. This image is from the late 1990s. I think.
About 6 weeks ago the property was wildly overgrown. You can see the 2012 metal roof.
Ditto.
The main facade, or west, today, and after all the overgrowth was removed. The house is well-known for the upper door leading to nowhere. I do not plan to reinstate the lost porch but will install a railing to stop people from falling to their death. The thrift-store drapes had shredded in the sunlight after so many years and I have now replaced them. The glass sparkles again after a decade+ of grime.
My plan for the house. At top is north. The wing to the east (right) is, I think, a 1920s addition and was likely built as a kitchen, as stated. It is now a bedroom. The living room (left) is the 1st-floor of the 2-story section. In the middle will be a dining area. The kitchen is to the north. I show a peninsula here but I actually built an island. The dining area and kitchen are wholly open to each other. To the south is (not fully drawn in) will be a powder room (right), hall, laundry room (left), and full bath (bottom). These three rooms are not built yet. The dark curve upper left is the tail of NewKitty2.
The house, thus, will be 2 bedrooms, and a bath and a half. The new owner may have other ideas though. There is also a storage shed, a 1-car garage, and a historic WPA outhouse (I’m not joking). The house has 4 lots.
As mentioned, the house is a gutted shell but has a new electrical panel, partial new wiring, a buried electrical line, a working septic system (which I discovered), and partial new plumbing (but no hot water heater).
Last month, I hired a local man, James to cut down all the wild overgrowth and haul it away.
But why is it called the Tin House, you ask? That was the name I gave it in 1996 because much of the interior was covered in stamped tin, the kind normally used on ceilings.
The upper walls of the living room paneled with tin sheets.
Tin wainscotting.
And tin top trim.
I sold the house in 2000 to a woman who promised to restore it but the first thing she did was hire two guys to remove most of the tin in living room. She then sold this on eBay, I was told. Later, I learned that she had wanted to tear down the house to create parking for the small restaurant across the street which she hoped to buy. When that fell though she lost interest in the Tin House and sold it to Suzi and me in 2002. Whew!
Luckily, enough tin remains that the look can be closely recreated. I do not know what company create the original panels but it was not the well-known WF Norman, which I visited in 2016. They have nothing matching the lost panels but have some good approximations. I hope the new owners restore this lost aspect.
The dining/kitchen room also has a tin ceiling and matching tin walls. This is largely intact. I hope the new owner keeps this.
The east addition is all beadboard, ceiling and walls, as is the bathroom. The second-floor bedroom is gutted to the studs.
The living room. Six weeks ago the floor was covered with dead leaves and live ivy. I plan to wash the floors and then Mop & Glo them. Astute readers will recall the sofa from my living room in Strong City. I got a new sofa in 2007 and stored the curvy sofa in the Tin House.
Long-term readers will recall these Walmart drapes that a lot of you donated to the Cross House. I finally have a place for them!
‘
In 2003, I got the East Bedroom done. I scraped all the peeling paint on all the beadboard, and then gently wire brushed. I built two closets in the corners, and electrified the room. Note the clever built-in night table nooks. The bed fits into this niche. But, bare bulbs danged from pigtails for years and years and years.
New chenille spread!
You can imagine my great excitement in at last, at last, installing fixtures I purchased for the room decades ago. I had the bulbs in a box for decades, and they were orange and from around 1920. I was astonished to discover that they all worked!
The fixtures are way cool. I installed a pair of 1-arm sconces, and a single 2-arm sconce, plus…
….the only ceiling fixture I ever found, sadly overpainted. Curiously, I never found a 4-or 5-bulb ceiling fixture.
During its long slumber, wind ripped off siding. Twenty years ago the paint on the doors was fresh, as with the window sashes. I love the pointy tops of the window and door trim, and how narrow and long the sashes are.
I have now repaired the siding.
For many years I lighted the house for the holiday season but this, too, stopped. I will resume the tradition in December.
A way cool feature is on all four corners of the tall section…
….which I hope hope hope the new owner keeps and repairs. Architectural distinction!!!!!!!
Just behind the house is a shed. It was watertight in 2000. Soooooooo not anymore! I will be installing a tin roof.
There is also a 1-car garage in reasonable condition. It had new shingles in 1995. I will let the new owner install new roofing.
As mentioned, there is also…zounds…a historic WPA outhouse!
WPA outhouses all features a one-piece concrete floor and ‘bowl.
My plan is to make the house look as inviting as possible for sale while leaving it a gutted shell. While I would love love love to finish the house based on my dreams for it since 1996, a lack of funds and age precludes this. I assume the new owner will want the house to AirBnB it, as this has proven successful in the area. While the town is just a speck, it has become kinda sorta like Marfa, Texas, in attracting artists, musicians, writers, and other creative types. This way cool AirBnB is just north of the Tin House.
I will do some work to make the kitchen island look a bit more done, and will frame out the powder room, laundry, and bathroom. There is a bed in the East Room and I will get some sheets and pillows for it. I will also bring in a dining table and four chairs. I will be putting a tin roof on the storage shed, and cleaning the garage. Do I have enough courage to step into the outhouse and do anything with it?
As bad as I let the house get these past 11 years, I have reminded many people that the house was still WAY better than it was in 1996. And, if not for me, it would have likely been torn down decades ago.
The ask price will be $22,500. Firm.
Oh, and I sold my Toyota! Squee!!!!!!!!! Now I am looking for another car and have been focused on a Kia Soul. In the meantime Scott graciously loaned me a 2015 Buick. And for two weeks I was officially a grandma! Until I purchased…
…the new car!!!!!!!! Now I am a total hipster.
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Your progress in cleaning up the property is great!
Could those tin panels installed on the walls actually be tin ceilings from another house in the area?
I’m not surprised that parts of the house have ended up at other houses.
I am so heartened that you sold the Toyota and are looking for something g less expensive.
You are so funny! Driving a 2015 Buick or as you say a “grandma car.” Hahaha!
Thank you for getting the grandma joke, Sandra!
I have a friend who drives a Buick. She’ll be 71 next week.
She’s not a Grandma and I won’t tell her the joke. But it is so true.
Congrats on selling the Toyota, that’s one item down to check off the list
The Tin house is a lovely old house, I’m sure the right buyers will come along soon
Are you going to paint it?
No, MaryCarol. That will be up to the new owner.
I hope you find the right buyer and pass on those photos so that they may restore it. Would love the new owner to go so far as to restore both of those porches. I think in this case a gutted house is better than a completely restored one. This is a blank canvas someone can lovingly restore to their own preferences. When people buy houses they tend to redo the kitchen and bathroom anyway. This way they don’t have to do any demolition.
Thank you so much for introducing us to the Tin House! I’m so happy you rescued it and preserved its history. When I drive through the Flint Hills, I see so many of the old stone homes falling into ruin, and it makes me sad to see them lost to time and neglect. And like others, I’ m hoping the new owners will appreciate the history and restore the house with love and respect.
Congratulations on selling the car! And good luck on your car hunt. Until you find your Soul, enjoy driving the granny mobile.
Tiny typo alert: “Tine” should be “Tin”: “I think this is Crystal’s father, standing on the cistern, looking west. The cistern is extant; all the buildings behind Mr. Deering (on Matfield’s main street) are long gone. The Tine House was later extended to the north and now ends about where Mr. Deering is standing.
And I think “headboard” should be “beadboard”: In 2003, I got the East Bedroom done. I scraped all the peeling paint on all the headboard,and then gently wire brushed. I built two closets in the corners, and electrified the room. Note the clever built-in night table nooks. The bed fits into this niche. But, bare bulbs danged from pigtails for all these years.
As always, feel free to delete this note after you check out the typos. And have a lovely day!
After fixing the typos, I’m leaving your note, Barb, so everybody can appreciate the lovely service you provide.
Aww. Thanks! Looks like I missed this one: “was” should be “were”: After all the window sashes was restored, I hung thrift-store drapes to make the house less desolate- and abandoned-looking.”
Hi Ross – Can you post photos of the WPA outhouse? I want to see if it’s just like the one we had when I was a kid. My grandpa sure was proud of his “gov’ment outhouse.” It had a concrete floor and was built very sturdy. Far nicer than the average outhouses of the time.
Good luck on the house sale!
I always love those double arch-top window doors. Thank you for picking it up and putting it back.
Great house! Glad you and the Tin House found one another. I hope the new owners restore it as fastidiously as you would. I love the old tin ceiling panels. It would be fun to install some in this old mining house I currently live in – perhaps as an under the porch or patio roofs. The house itself has the original copper roof that was installed on all company houses by Phelps Dodge corporation when they created a large township area for their employees in Ajo, Arizona. The 1940s homes are beyond the tin ceiling era but it would definitely fit in with the copper roof, old chain link fencing, and the corrugated metal panels often used as fencing or yard dividers in this part of the Sonoran Desert.
There’s a lot of story here Ross! I tried to imagine having the strength to pull myself back from nothing the way that you did, and I don’t know that I would be able to do it. You are one heck of a survivor.
You also seem drawn to adopting strange houses that no one else will tackle. I think, based on what you share of your personality on this blog, it will be a challenge for you to do only what is needed to sell the house versus save it… but you must know where that line is so you can direct as much of your energy and resources as you can to the things that you want more.
…but also, wouldn’t it be incredible to know the detailed history of this house and who built and lived in it over the past century plus??
Keep on keeping on, Ross!
Reading this story of the tin house has made my day. I wish I needed a vacation home in Kansas! I’m confident someone out there will snap this up. Good luck with this and all your future plans.
Rats, if I won even a small lottery, I’d snap up this sweet house immediately! Ross, I like that you are leaving most of the cosmetic work to the new owners. So many possibilities with such a charming house.
💜 I truly adore the door to nowhere.
Hey grandma! 😉 Thanks so much for the update on the tin house. So happy you sold your car and praying this little abode will sell quickly too. I want to see you living in the Cross House!!!! Or even the Carriage house! It will save you so much time not driving back and forth from your present full time residence once that is sold too. As I say to MY grandkids,” You got this!”
I hope they appreciate the vintage light fixtures and the new chenille bedspread.
My Mom used to have chenille bedspreads on her bed when we first moved into our family home in 1960. I recently bought a new chenille bedspread and a matching shower curtain with which to make pillow shams.
I would have loved to have the vintage light fixtures that were in my house but there was only one, a chandelier with custard glass globes, from the 20s. It was pristine when I did the walk through and I wanted to take it with me for safekeeping but the realtor told me to leave it where I found it, the workbench in the garage. When I finally closed, got the keys and went through the house, the light fixture had one broken arm and one broken shade. I spent the next 10 years buying vintage light fixtures on eBay. Then another 10 years buying vintage furniture in the local shops which are now all gone. I’m so glad I hit the sweet spot for buying 20s furniture before it became desirable. When I was doing my shopping everyone wanted Victorian and MCM. No one wanted veneer or waterfall so I got it cheap.
While Tin House is a project it is an easy one as it has water, electricity, sewer, the roof doesn’t leak and will be easy to insulate and drywall (or plaster). It is a blank slate but a clean and easy one. I hope you find the perfect buyer to restore it it’s original style as much as possible and then maybe furnish it the same. If it’s going to be a quaint B&B restoring it and furnishing it period would be a good draw for the seasonal artists.
I think I would paint just the front door. Prep it, prime it and then paint it hot pink or lime green or a bright Caribbean blue or maybe a lavender. Something eye catching. A hint of what it could be. They can then repaint it if they like or use it as inspiration for the rest of the house. It would also show how easy it would be to restore the wood and repaint the house to look fresh and inviting.
When are you going to put a creative, eye catching, home made “For Sale by Owner” sign in the front yard?
SO MANY revisions!
<3
BH
It sounds as though you are likely not all that far away from being able to get the house on the market.
Some framing, some fussing with the kitchen island, a metal roof on the shed, some general cleaning and tidying up, light staging with basic furniture? Are we missing anything?
That sounds like a few weekends worth of minimally labor intensive prep. You could have it for sale by the end of the year and sold shortly thereafter.
Another weight lifted, and a lifeline cash-influx to jumpstart projects on the house in Strong City so that it too can be sold off.
Oh no, it’s so gorgeous! I see exactly why you fell in love with the Tin House, and I very much hope you can sell it quickly. And hooray for getting a more affordable vehicle! I’ve had Kias for years and have generally been quite satisfied with them 🙂
Ross,
My friend and her husband and I are planning to take a drive tomorrow through parts of Chase County. We plan to visit Clements, Elmdale and Cedar Point, and may also make it to Matfield Green.
Would you mind if we peeked in the windows of the Tin House?
Its so lovely!
Peek away!
Thank you!!
We made it out to Matfield Green and saw the Tin House. It looks so sweet! You’ve obviously done a lot to make it marketable. I hope the next owners will continue the trend…it is a very special house.
Just getting caught up!!!! I love this!