Monday, November 12, 2012

Malm

Welcome to my basement.



As you might have gathered from the piles of crap strewn haphazardly about, this isn't exactly my favorite space.  In a word, it's creepy.  The room is barely lit, casting strange shadows and leaving corners darkened.  Then there's the creaking ductwork, dangling wires, and groaning pipes.  Spend a few minutes down there alone at night and your imagination really starts going into overdrive.



The cobwebs are a nice touch too, don't you think?


Also, I'm fairly certain that at some point a deformed, masked maniac is going to burst from this coal room door and axe/chainsaw murder the hell out of me while I'm folding my undies.  That's why I carry a mini souvenir baseball bat in my laundry basket (Yes, I actually do this.), though I have serious doubts as to whether that will be enough firepower to put down any murderous, coal room dwelling monsters should they decide to make their move on me.



Imaginary axe murdering lunatics aside, there is some pretty cool stuff down here...


 ... like this Malm or Preway-style fireplace that I picked up a while back.


I'm not too familiar with these things.  How does one determine its maker?  There's no flu lever or label on the collar, which I've seen on many Preways, and the base as well as the screen handles look different than the Malm version.  Looks like we have ourselves another mystery piece, folks.


What I do know is that it came in great condition with an electric heater and set of fake logs for an unbelievably price.


One we get things wired up, I'll have to pluck up the courage to move it back up to its new home in the sunroom.  Until then, I'm just getting my laundry done and getting out of here.



14 comments:

  1. "Also, I'm fairly certain that at some point a deformed, masked maniac is going to burst from this coal room door and axe/chainsaw murder the hell out of me while I'm folding my undies. That's why I carry a mini souvenir baseball bat in my laundry basket (Yes, I actually do this.), though I have serious doubts as to whether that will be enough firepower to put down any murderous, coal room dwelling monsters should they decide to make their move on me."... I just lol'd till my tummy hurt.

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  2. Holy cow... I'd carry the bat too! Knowing me i'd baracade the coal room door! The Casablanca doesnt have a basement, but you have to sleep with knowledge the only thing that REALLY sperates you from the our side world is 2 little kitchen latches and an attack Corgi... BTW I freaking love your basement floor! I might steal the pattern for the new livingroom floor, im trying to picture that basket weave patter with one big 16 point star in the middle. Hmmm yes, yes indeed.

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    1. Thanks Mick. The floor tiles aren't in the best of shape, but they do look nice. I'd take them up and just have concrete, but the adhesive that they used seeps through just about everything.

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  3. What a great post! I laughed too, picturing you with your mini bat and a basketful of undies. We've sold two or three Preways, but I don't remember how they were marked. I'll have to ask Joe.

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    1. I think that the Preways, at least the ones that I've seen, have a brand mark on the chimney collar. I'm no expert though. I think that there was one more manufacturer that I'm forgetting. Might start with an "M".

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  4. The coal room door is reminiscent of Amityville Horror, if your overrun by swarms of flies you better be saying to yourself "feets don't fail me now" and hot foot it outta there.. All that aside you failed to highlight the awesome linoleum tile floor. A dark home not so scary, black as coal wilderness and a dead flash light very SCARY.

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    1. What was REALLY scary was when sewage backed up out of the floor drain! Man, that was an experience. I agree though, the linoleum floors look pretty cool.

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  5. Dude, your basement is killer! The first thing i noticed was the floor tiles, they are so cool! All I envision when I look at those pictures is a super cool party basement with a bar and matching booth. Also, it is nice of you to leave the weight bench for the coal room dwelling monster to bulk up everyday while your at work.

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    1. That's the plan! I want to do a tiki bar/man cave down there. Nothing fancy, as it's a kinda musty, dirty old room. Just somewhere I can hang out and not worry about messing up.

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  6. I want a Preway for outside really bad. I am stalking them on Craigslist. Don't know what yours is. Did you see American Horror Story? Yep, your basement.

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    1. Nope, but I'll have to check it out. Keep an eye out on Craigslist for the fireplaces. They actually come up pretty often here.

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  7. I'm pretty sure it was made by dyna manufacturing company in California and the model number is DFCA-36

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  8. My dad has a fireplace that looks just about exactly like yours and I found a small lable opposite side of the opening towars the bottom & it says "Malm Fireplace Inc" hopefully you are able to use it for years to come. I love the way they look!

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