. . . advertised real estate

A few years ago, my siblings and I purchased this house at an estate auction. We all had passed this place everyday for years on our way to school. It's a block or two from my mom's house. When we were kids, it was shrouded in mystery, as well as evergreen trees that hid the house from view. Of course we were intrigued. I personally never saw anyone that lived there, although I have since found out that two sisters and one of their husbands shared the home that had been in their family for years. They were old when I was a kid.



The auction price was reasonable, actually unheard of to me, who was used to big city prices. Oh, it needed a ton of work. But it was a gem in the rough. So work commenced, with my brothers and their wives doing most of the work. The above is an example of the woodwork, which has all been lovingly restored.



Try to look past the construction stuff sitting on the floor of the living room. The tops of all the windows on the first floor are leaded glass in intricate designs. There are colums between the hall entrance and the living room, and between the living room and dining room. There are pocket doors, french doors, bay windows, hardwood floors, and completely new infrastructure; there is a living room, dining room, family room, den, completely gutted and restored modern kitchen with custom cabinetry that echoes the period of the house. There is a front stairway and a back stairway. There is a wonderful peaked-roof attic (not finished) and a completely redone basement. There is a huge front porch and a circle drive on the side entrance of the house. The siding is almost all new, the cement siding that lasts forever and doesn't need to be painted but about every ten years or so. It sits on a huge corner lot on what used to be the "society street" in town. And it's almost done now, and we must sell it. I really thought one of my brothers would buy it. . . but that doesn't seem to be in the cards. And what a crappy time to be selling real estate. Oh, well. . . I would buy it but that would require us to move back to my home town. We are not prepared to do that.



But here is my favorite part of the whole thing. The old carriage house. Look at those sliding doors. And there's an upper level. Yeah, it's a wreck. But can't you just imagine the possibilities? What a great studio this would make. The brothers want to tear it down. They say it's too far gone to rescue. I remember that my mom and dad had a carriage house much like this on their property until I was about ten. We were not supposed to go in it, but of course, we found that to be impossible.

Wish us luck with the sale. Someone will get a wonderful house. I hope it is a family with little kids that will live there for the rest of their lives. and I hope the kids remember the carriage house.