Quoted:
Congrats! [beer]
I bought an 1886 colonial 2 years ago and I'm still renovating....[banghead]
I love old houses, but I wish I had the money to buy one that needed less work. It's my first house so I guess I had to start somewhere.....
View Quote
No such thing as an 1886 Colonial. Colonials ceased to be in around 1783, at which point it transitions to the Federal period which quickly transitioned to the neo-classical period (Monticello and most of D.C.) The Romantic period follows. You get Colonial Revival in the 19th century, roughly co-existant with the Victorian and Edwardian periods. That's where your 1886 house would fall.
In modern usage, "Colonial" has been attached by realtors to just about anything that is not a "ranch," "Cape," "Victorian" or "Contemporary." However, the two to two and a half storied box-type house (typically eight rooms (4 per floor) with 1 or two internal chimneys is an incredibly efficient house style and easy to build, so it has survived.
My wife and I are buying a 1790 federal period "Colonial" style house. 13 acres. I can't put up a phot YET.