We are about to embark on the next chapter with this little Cape Cod cottage of ours. But first let's go through a brief history of this old-ish house.
In November 2007, we bought this house from the original owner. That family had lived in this house for 61 years, purchasing it new as World War II was ending. It was a rare find in this part of the city where most houses have changed hands many times. This neighborhood is full of quaint little cottages, Cape Cods, farm houses and bungalows which often fall into the category of "starter homes." Newlywed couples move in, they paint the walls, replace some light fixtures, maybe switch out a counter top, have a few kids then move onto bigger and more spacious suburban homes. This house somehow missed that fate.
At the time we bought this house, we were living in a 2-bedroom apartment near a college campus. We were ready to move on to a more "grown-up" neighborhood but were still as broke as college kids. Our relative poverty put us into the bracket of looking at foreclosures and estate sale houses. This was also around the time of the mortgage crisis and we knew too many people stuck in their unsellable homes. So we decided that if we found a house we could afford, we would want one that we could live in forever. The affordable houses in our desired neighborhood were full of water damage, cracked foundations and sketchy wiring. But it was a safe, quiet, walkable neighborhood close to everything and was exactly where we wanted to live.
We ended up picking this house because it was literally one of two (solid) houses that we could afford. This one had the best lot, walking distance to groceries, a romantic Dickensian street light and had just enough architectural detail to please my aesthetic wants. At 1100 square feet, 2 bedrooms, a finished attic family room, a dining room and a full basement this place was a mansion to us. And it was the only house with a wall big enough to hold this 4' x 6' painting, a wedding gift from my sister.
We miraculously pulled this off. It was sold "as is" (AKA "you deal with whatever you find.") We took advantage of the City Living program that gave us a first-time homebuyer grant that covered the closing cost. There we were, mere kids about to dive into the craziest abyss.
Between putting in our offer and closing we noticed a few things that were relics of the past. This goes with the territory of having the same owner since 1946; nothing was updated. First, there was no shower, just a bathtub. Second, there was no electricity running to the garage. (We noticed this after we purchased a garage door opener.) And third, the chimney was stuffed with insulation. This was odd but gave us some insight into the meticulous nature of the previous owner. When we had the inspection done, we were amazed to find out that in 61 years, the fireplace had never been used. None of these were deal breakers, actually the last one was a bonus. So, we proceeding to closing and got to work.
We replaced windows, installed doors, updated insulation, refinished floors, replaced light fixtures, replaced the furnace and water heater, painted everything and on and on and on.
We have an 8-year-old and a 4-year-old sharing an 8' x 9' bedroom with a dresser and a coat closet. We have an extensive collection of guitars for Jeff's music career. We have four people sharing one toilet and a pedestal sink. We have snow pants, boots, backpacks, running shoes, skateboards, work bags, skis, grocery bags and guitar cases clogging the dining room. This cottage mansion is now feeling cramped and claustrophobic. We live relatively small, but have stretched the square footage about as far as we can go. So, that puts us in the position to either give up the home and neighborhood we love or build on. After a year of research and soul searching we decided to put on a second story addition and keep our home.
In November 2007, we bought this house from the original owner. That family had lived in this house for 61 years, purchasing it new as World War II was ending. It was a rare find in this part of the city where most houses have changed hands many times. This neighborhood is full of quaint little cottages, Cape Cods, farm houses and bungalows which often fall into the category of "starter homes." Newlywed couples move in, they paint the walls, replace some light fixtures, maybe switch out a counter top, have a few kids then move onto bigger and more spacious suburban homes. This house somehow missed that fate.
At the time we bought this house, we were living in a 2-bedroom apartment near a college campus. We were ready to move on to a more "grown-up" neighborhood but were still as broke as college kids. Our relative poverty put us into the bracket of looking at foreclosures and estate sale houses. This was also around the time of the mortgage crisis and we knew too many people stuck in their unsellable homes. So we decided that if we found a house we could afford, we would want one that we could live in forever. The affordable houses in our desired neighborhood were full of water damage, cracked foundations and sketchy wiring. But it was a safe, quiet, walkable neighborhood close to everything and was exactly where we wanted to live.
We ended up picking this house because it was literally one of two (solid) houses that we could afford. This one had the best lot, walking distance to groceries, a romantic Dickensian street light and had just enough architectural detail to please my aesthetic wants. At 1100 square feet, 2 bedrooms, a finished attic family room, a dining room and a full basement this place was a mansion to us. And it was the only house with a wall big enough to hold this 4' x 6' painting, a wedding gift from my sister.
We miraculously pulled this off. It was sold "as is" (AKA "you deal with whatever you find.") We took advantage of the City Living program that gave us a first-time homebuyer grant that covered the closing cost. There we were, mere kids about to dive into the craziest abyss.
Between putting in our offer and closing we noticed a few things that were relics of the past. This goes with the territory of having the same owner since 1946; nothing was updated. First, there was no shower, just a bathtub. Second, there was no electricity running to the garage. (We noticed this after we purchased a garage door opener.) And third, the chimney was stuffed with insulation. This was odd but gave us some insight into the meticulous nature of the previous owner. When we had the inspection done, we were amazed to find out that in 61 years, the fireplace had never been used. None of these were deal breakers, actually the last one was a bonus. So, we proceeding to closing and got to work.
We tore out all of the carpet (green shag on the stairs, pink shag in the bathroom and grey high traffic stuff in the kitchen that reminded me of a 1980's mall).
We plumbed in a shower, tore out the pink metallic pussy willow wallpaper, we found some mold, and subway tiled the walls and floor.
We put in bamboo floors in the kitchen, we painted the blue cabinets, we discovered a weird blood-red paint underneath everything, we installed cabinets to double the storage, we tiled a countertop, we installed a dishwasher, and we replaced the 1940's appliances.
We put in a patio in the backyard and planted a garden.
We had some kids.
We planted some trees, some trees died, we planted some more trees, then the emerald ash borer came to town and the city cut down all of our boulevard trees, the city planted some more trees, we planted some more trees....
This happened.
We replaced windows, installed doors, updated insulation, refinished floors, replaced light fixtures, replaced the furnace and water heater, painted everything and on and on and on.
The trees grew and so did the kids.
And now here we are.
We have an 8-year-old and a 4-year-old sharing an 8' x 9' bedroom with a dresser and a coat closet. We have an extensive collection of guitars for Jeff's music career. We have four people sharing one toilet and a pedestal sink. We have snow pants, boots, backpacks, running shoes, skateboards, work bags, skis, grocery bags and guitar cases clogging the dining room. This cottage mansion is now feeling cramped and claustrophobic. We live relatively small, but have stretched the square footage about as far as we can go. So, that puts us in the position to either give up the home and neighborhood we love or build on. After a year of research and soul searching we decided to put on a second story addition and keep our home.
This will be our house in a little more than 3 months from now.
Stay tuned...
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