House Hunters

We had a fun weekend looking at future home possibilities. We definitely plan to return our old neighborhood, Historic Highland Park. But we would also be happy to move to the next neighborhood over, Historic Ninth Street Hill. Both neighborhoods have mostly turn-of-the-century homes - Victorian, Queen Anne, Stick Style, Craftsman - with the occasional mid-century house thrown in. It is perfect for us - great architecture, great location, great friends.

Its feeling of community is something I have missed while living here in status symbol land. And, while the neighborhood is, for some people, very desirable, not everyone loves it. And the market is down. Which means houses for sale were relatively plentiful and the prices are good.

We looked at this house, an 1888 two-story stick style. Charming - lovely kitchen that looks old but is new, nice three-car garage (a find in an old neighborhood), and one of the cleanest basements I've ever seen. But it lacks a second bathroom upstairs (though there is one in the finished third floor). And the backyard is not very private.


This house is just two houses from where we used to live. While the interior is really lovely, it has no backyard - well, relatively speaking. So, while the inside is stunning, the lack of outdoor living space is - not to mention room for the dog - is a big negative. Plus, we're not sure about moving in just two doors down from our former address.

Then we looked at this house, which at first seemed like a real possibility: a duplex with amazing features - beautiful woodwork and built-ins, three-car garage, game room with a banquette circa 1960. We thought maybe we could restore it to single family ... exept that it was built as a duplex, and to change it would destroy much of the character. The very beautiful dining room (it is fabulous) is on the second floor - I don't want to dismantle these apartments. Better to let someone rent them out - we would have loved a place like this when we were renting.

Which brings us to the real contenders. We are thinking hard:

This house does not photograph well, but it is beautiful inside. Nice rooms, lots of space, fantastic backyard with a pool. Lots of parking, alley access. Great finished third floor ... and one of the girls would have to use part of it as a bedroom. Needs new kitchen and some bathroom updates, but it could be done. Great master bedroom with ensuite study and fireplace.

Wow. That's all you can say. This house sits right on the Highland Park triangle - it is a focal point. It is an amazing Queen Anne-style house, with nearly 5,000 sf, six bedrooms, and a stunning foyer with staircase (and musicians' balcony - !). The three main rooms downstairs (front and back parlors, DR) are just amazing. Tons of space. It could be the neighborhood showplace.

"Could be" being the operative words. The house needs a ton of work - and I am surprised, because we know who used to live there. The wallpaper and paint are about 15 years out of date (and, in addition to being, um, not our taste, are showing lots of wear); the kitchen needs a rehab. There is one full bath on each floor, which means the second floor needs another bathroom. But it's not as easy as it sounds - we know we'll have to sacrifice a bedroom, but two bedrooms have fireplaces and one is over the foyer - ie, no plumbing. The sunroom, which backs up to the obvious MBR, has the back stairs, so you can't close it off. We would also need closet space.

The third floor has two bedrooms and a huge open area that would be a great gameroom for the kids. Plus a full bath (with hideous wallpaper). But the entire area needs to be redone - new carpet, new paint, as what is there is so ugly it's sort of disconcerting. (Plus, the house still has lots of odds and ends in the closets - that sort of thing really creeps me out.)

But, I've saved the best for last: The house clearly needs a new roof and new gutters. As in, yesterday - there is water damage. It may need a new furnace, and the garage needs work. I'm seeing $$$ ... and the house is overpriced, with the word that the current owner may not be up for negotiating.

But the backyard is nice, and the location is prima. Such a dilemma.

The girls are OK with either of the last two - they love the last house, but they also understand that a) it needs a lot of expensive work and b) we may not be able to negotiate a deal, even if we want to.

We are thinking hard ... plus I heard a rumor about a house that may be available ... but as we have not seen it, I'm thinking I can't worry about it too much. We'll sleep on it again tonight and see if we get any sudden inspiration.

I'll be dreaming of roofs and gutters, stripping wallpaper and a newly remodeled kitchen. All in the most beautiful neighborhood I know.