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joker_girl

Might Buy This House, Looking For Opinions

Joker_Girl
10 years ago

We might buy this house and I don't know whether we should or not. I'm trying to not think with my heart which is in love with it.

It's an italianate Victorian. It was built in the 1880s. The inside is nice other than the sloppy paint job, including the stairs unfortunately, and the fact that almost every room has dropped ceiling tiles, which idk why because the ceilings are still really tall. Like probably 12 feet or more. Also it has a very unfortunate (IMO) kitchen remodel, that was supposed to be a plus as it is all new custom maple cabinets, but they are tiny, and there is about 4 feet from the top of them to the ceiling. They also, when doing this, covered over the Butler's pantry which I pray is all still there.

The home has 3-4 bedrooms, 3 baths, all new plumbing, wiring, roof, and central heat/air and each story has its own. It has a garage that will hold four cars plus a carriage house. It has a full basement that is concrete floors and brick. The house is brick. The carriage house has a heated/cooled workshop/studio that we can use for our business.

We already know one repair we need done. The porch was set on blocks instead of poured concrete, and it settled. This has made the porch very slightly askew. To lift it, pour footings and repair where it caused a couple pillers to rot out I had estimated and they said $3500-$5000 at most, a couple days work, and not an emergency so can be done this spring or summer.

We own our home 3 hours away but want to move. I hate this town. We have been here 20 years and are still "out of towners". Our town has a population of 800 and little to offer unfortunately. We just recently sold out our business which was a very painful thing to do after fifteen years.

This new town is like 8,000.

They started off at $185,000, over a year ago, and are down to $142,000. Because of the porch we offered $118,000 and this is accepted. However, they piddled around and didn't accept it til over a month after our offer expired, so we are under no real obligation. We have enough to buy it outright.

Is this a good deal? We will use the workspace to make furniture and paint, refinish antiques etc. I'm also an RN.

But I'm afraid I will move and what if it's horrible there. Everyone seems nice but you never know.

Comments (58)

  • Joker_Girl
    Original Author
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    This is the pretty bay window in the master bedroom.
    I forgot to add....all the piping is still there from when it had gas lighting! At least on the second floor it is. It's crazy! :-)

  • lascatx
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Dropped ceilings on the second floor with other signs of water leaks and a new roof do suggest the possibility that there were other leaks, so be sure the inspector does a good attic inspection. While he is doing the inspection, if he/she will not lift the dropped tiles to visually inspect from the room side (I would think that would be allowed as long as they can be easily lifted and dropped back into place), I would do it myself. If you can't see what's behind them, I'd be leary.

    It is unfortunate that the kitchen was redone to a more contemporary standard and doesn't seem to fit the house, but you may have a real gem with a butler's pantry and other space that may be recovered. The stairs can be reclaimed or the treads replaced (reclaimed if you go for historic status). It is possible that someone who considers the old features of the house the norm and outdated could have been more interested in having new and something smaller and more efficient to heat/cool and maintain. The out of character kitchen actually gives me some hope that the ceilings were dropped out of a desire to be more energy efficient or to meet someone's idea of "cozy" (I can see this with an older person who gets cold easily and watches every penny). To me, the taller ceilings, butler's pantry, the gas lighting (could you still use it on the exterior at least -- inspection question?) would all be tugging at my heart strings too.

    You don't seem to be afraid of the work to restore the house so much as the prospect of making a move to a place that you won't love. Is there a hotel, inn or B&B that you could stay at for a long weekend or even a week and spend some time in the town? Have you thought to ask around in neighboring towns to see what the reputation is? Do you know why the previous owners are leaving? Is it an estate sale?

  • rwiegand
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    You don't say where you are (or I missed it) but it looks like a great house at an incredible price. Around here if you could buy a house like that at that price assuming the neighborhood wasn't a disaster you could put $500K into fixing it and still have an incredible bargain.

    Assuming the leaks have been taken care of plaster is relatively cheap and easy to repair, so I wouldn't worry much about that. Lots of sweat equity opportunities there! I'd sell the new cabinets on Craigs list and do something more appropriate in the kitchen.

    How are the mechanicals? Are you looking at significant plumbing and re-wiring? That can get expensive if you're in a jurisdiction where you can't do it yourself. I'm guessing it needs insulation and sealing all around.

    Try chatting up the neighbors-- introduce yourself and ask about the neighborhood. You'll quickly get a sense of what kind of place it is.

    Looks like a wonderful house!

  • Joker_Girl
    Original Author
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Thanks!

    It actually has all new plumbing, wiring, and HVAC in it....hubs is rather good with some of that stuff and checked it all out. It actually has two separate central air units, one up and one down.

    There are stairs on the side of the house, made of concrete, and that is how you get into the basement now that the way from inside the house is blocked. In our present house, we finished the basement (complete with nasty dropped ceilings), but in this other house, it's pointless since the house itself is so big. We can use it for storage...we won't need the living space. The basement is, however, kind of cool....it is concrete floors, brick walls, and huge....and one of the rooms is semicircular and it's almost like it would be a cool place to just hang out. For some bizarre reason, there is an almost brand new toilet down there hooked up. I guess for those occasions you are in the basement and just can't take thirty seconds to go upstairs.

    The house is in Nebraska, actually, it is quite easy to find a house around here for as little as $20,000. Not a good house, but a livable one. In the town we live in now, the average house sells for about $50,000, and we will be lucky to get $65,000 out of ours. We have more than that invested due to remodeling it, finishing the basement, adding two decks, yadda yadda...but when we did that, we didn't intend to ever move. Our house is valued according to the internet at $80,000. This Victorian is valued at about $135,000.

    The lady who owned it got married and moved into her husband's house about a year and a half ago. So they are having to make two house payments. It's a massive thorn in her side for that reason, and she wants rid of it.

    The utilities are cheaper than in our present house, as impossible as it seems.

    Taxes here are rather high....the yearly property taxes on it are about $2300. On our present house they are like $1200.

  • jmc01
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Great house and I hope the inspection goes well. Absolutely use an inspector who inspects old homes. An inspector who inspects modern subdivision homes should be avoided!

    The windows above doors are called transom windows. They exists to facilitate air flow...from the days before air conditioning.

    good luck,

  • vjrnts
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Joker_Girl, for perspective: Homes in Rochester NY (where I live) are very affordable, but property taxes? My house has 2700 square feet and is worth about $240K and our taxes are about $10000 a year. $2300 for a house like you describe sounds... too good to be true!

  • camlan
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    From your description of the first floor, it's possible someone rearranged some of the rooms.

    The closet in the living room sounds like it might be a china closet, which might mean that was originally the dining room. Could you get to this room from the kitchen? Or go through the pantry from the kitchen into this room?

    My grandparents' house was from about 1820 and had two pantries. A small one for food storage at one end of the kitchen. And in between the kitchen and dining room was a room the size of a small bedroom that was the butler's pantry, with tons of cabinets and shelves and counter space.

    The smaller pantry was turned into a bathroom in the 1930's, because there was no main floor bath. I'm wondering if the oddly placed bathroom on the first floor was once another room and was converted later.

    The dining room having a large opening into another room with possibly pocket doors--sounds more like front and back parlors that could be opened to each other for large parties.

    It's possible that there's more crown molding lurking under the dropped ceilings.

    From the pictures, it looks like a wonderful house. If it is structurally sound and you are willing to put a bit of work into it, it could be a showpiece.

  • Joker_Girl
    Original Author
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Thanks for checking it out!

    I swear, I was in love with it almost immediately. You don't see a whole lot of Italianates around here....most of the older homes in the area are either the Gothic style farmhouse (which actually I think should predate italianates, but you do see them), the big boxy foursquare I think they are called, or the traditional Victorians with all the gingerbread trim and nooks and crannies (I am really fond of those, too....we looked at one, but it was considerably more expensive and needed way more work, unless this one turns out to have hidden problems). You rarely see Tudor styles here, nor do you see a lot of Greek Renaissance styles. Sometimes you see very odd combinations of styles. My favorite style has always been Dutch Colonial....I've wanted the Amityville horror house since I was a kid and saw it on late night TV. Eye windows and all.

    I had seen maybe a handful of houses like this one, and had never been in one, and I think the uniqueness of it really charmed me. I'm not too thrilled about the vines all over it, and one of the vines actually got into the carriage house somehow, and this is something I will have inspected as well, because I'm afraid they will damage it, getting in between the bricks.

    It is sorely in need of some windows, too...some are old, and may be really pricey too replace.

    I can't believe it doesn't have a fireplace. Surely it did at one time.

    The kids are NOT thrilled about the potential move, but they are 20 and 22 and out of the house, and it is really not their decision. Our son, tried to be the "voice of reason" and tell us we do not need such a large house for just us and the dog, we will be several hours away if they "need us" (aka want money or have some unpleasant task to be done that they want us to do), and we "have to think about all those stairs since we are getting older". I've tried to reassure him that 42 is not really what would normally be thought of as old age, but thanks for thinking of this. He remains unconvinced, probably because whatever money is spent on a house and starting a business again would be money that could be better spent on buying him new vehicles and beer. I actually do think that is why he is against it, and maybe it IS stupid to buy an old house just because I've always wanted one.

    I can't help it, though. I just love them. I love their woodwork, I love their stained glass, I love their class and character. They're never the same, and they're almost always wonderful. New houses just have no style, they're all the same a lot of times.

    I do KIND OF like a ranch style, when someone just absolutely embraces the style of it, and it is all mid century and pink and turquoise and black and gold. All that atomic looking stuff. But ours, because I like antiques and primitives, that's what I decorated with, so it is like a seventies house trying to be 1850 inside. I wanted rid of all the chrome and pink tile, and now I realize I should have embraced it. But even though I like that, I'll never like it the way I do primitives and Victorian antiques.

    And barns. God, do I love a barn.

    Holy wow, $10,000 a year for taxes!!! Compared to Kansas and Iowa, our taxes are high, but I can't even imagine. It almost makes you want to just rent.

  • Joker_Girl
    Original Author
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    This is the wallpaper in one of the bedrooms, I think it is to die for cool, unfortunately it is not all in pristine condition.

    The house really at least DOES need some paint, wallpaper, and cosmetic things.

    I thought that about the cupboards, too...find architecturally correct ones, by checking out the pantry (or save up for custom ones), and sell the ones in it on Craigslist. They're nice enough cupboards, they're just not me. We actually sanded and stained the cupboards in our present house, and they look pretty good for being cheap cupboards redone by non-carpenters. I found awesome red glass knobs on eBay and they look good.

    I hate that cook top in that island. Hate it. I do like the double ovens, maybe for the holidays, that's about it. What I love is those stoves that look like the old fashioned ones. They're so expensive, though. Boy are they pretty.

    The only thing I like about the cabinets not going all the way to the ceiling is it would be cool to decorate for Christmas. I love old houses at Christmas!!!

  • lazy_gardens
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    "The home has 3-4 bedrooms, 3 baths, all new plumbing, wiring, roof, and central heat/air and each story has its own. It has a garage that will hold four cars plus a carriage house. It has a full basement that is concrete floors and brick. The house is brick. The carriage house has a heated/cooled workshop/studio that we can use for our business. "

    I'd buy it in a flash!

    Tell the inspector to bring one of the LED/Fiberoptic inspection scopes for a peek up through the dropped ceilings and if possible into the "pantry".

    It's possible they just walled over the pantry rather than renovate. I know of two people who discovered basements that hadn't been seen in decades.

    It's also possible they did the dropped ceilings in a misguided modernization and the original stuff is still there.

  • liriodendron
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I have the identical staircase: bannister, balusters, gallery, newel post and everything. It is mahogany.

    My treads are pine have wearing-through old paint on them; the risers have been painted cream, and light grey at various times. The tread orginally had floor cloths tacked down. So don't regret the paint; the wood underneath was never meant to be seen.

    My stair hall appears to be be about 30" wider. I, too, have double doors on the first floor. But since this a Greek Revival-style house, I also have side lights and transom window above the doors.

    What part of the country are you located in? I'm in upstate NY.

    Liriodendron

  • eaga
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    If the inspection comes back clean enough, I'd buy it in a heartbeat. New electric and heating/AC? This is a huge advantage in an old house, a big big plus. And from your description it sounds amazing. It's clear from what you've written that you are an old house person - seems like the house will be in good hands if you and your husband buy it. It's great that you want to have an antique store there. When our old house was being renovated/restored this past year, one of the workers found a business card that showed that our house was an antique store at one time! Which leads me to the thought that if you want to meet new people, well I found that restoring and having work done on our house helped me meet a lot of nice neighbors. People would stop to comment and next thing I know I have a bunch of new friends. And if you have a business, even better.

    Our house is a Second Empire, similar style to Italianate, but we have a mansard roof. We have the same stairway, double door, etc. as shown in your photo and I will tell you that every morning when I come down and see it from above it makes me so happy to live here. I agree with Liriodendron that the stair treads might be ok painted. We tried to strip and stain ours but discovered that between the wear and the embedded paint and the nail and staple holes from carpeting, we were better off with paint. I love the paneling and scroll detail in your stair photo.

    Definitely have the ceiling situation checked out, but as was said, although sometimes dropped ceilings disguise substantial damage, some were installed to save on heating or just to establish a different design in the house. Our house had false ceilings that gave it a cottagey look inside. When we removed them the original ceilings weren't in such great shape, but they could either be repaired or in a couple of rooms we laminated over them with 1/4" drywall rather than try to repair them.

    Re wallpaper - there's another thread on this forum about old wallpaper. If you buy the house but can't keep the wallpaper, save some as a memento.

    Good luck, and please report back on what you decide!

    Cercis

  • eaga
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Oh, and more thing - the windows - you might want to read some of the window restoration threads on this forum. If the house still has its original windows, you should strongly consider restoring them rather than replacing them. When combined with storm windows in the winter, they are often just as energy efficient as new windows, and for those of us that respect old houses, they represent a tremendous part of the character of the house that should be kept if at all possible.

    Cercis141

  • sombreuil_mongrel
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    The only things to worry about are the things you cannot see, like the plumbing and wiring in the walls. It is not unheard of for electricians (or BIL-s posing as such) to leave the old knob & tube in the hard to reach areas and join new wire to it. If a real electrician did the work, their sticker will be on the new panel (hopefully 200 A) and you can call them and get confirmation on whet they did or did not do.
    The plumbing and other mechanicals the same way; was all of the galvanized pipe removed? Were the DWV pipes run correctly, especially venting? Is the HVAC up to snuff with the needs of the house. It probably had hot water or steam heat, I presume that's long gone and you have a forced air system, which is not ideal for an old house with tall ceilings, which may explain, partly, the upstairs goings on with ceiling hts.. Ask to see the utility bills for a cold and a hot month.
    Casey

  • concretenprimroses
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Only 42 yo!? You're young enough to take on a project still! What you said about the kids: hysterical.
    The house is fabulous. I'm jealous.
    Kathy in NH
    $210,000 home $6,000 taxes

  • lavender_lass
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Sometimes, you have to take a leap of faith.... :)
    {{gwi:1997680}}From TV kitchens

  • ks_toolgirl
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Not sure what the negatives are, here.. Have you read other members "should I buy this house" posts in this forum? They usually mention wiring, plumbing, roof, etc in the context of possibly having to replace them. All new, (& hopefully done appropriately, as mentioned). In my area, a house that large - that'd be a fast 60k to spend. Because of porch estimate of 5k max, 24k less accepted?
    Actually, starting to sound "too good to be true", now.. (Amazing, how typing out thoughts can alter them!).
    That said, you mention dropped ceilings, & individual HVAC systems per story. Where is the ductwork? Our PO's added lower ceilings on main floor, to cover/accommodate ducts. Could that be why? If I were the kind of person to cover costly water damage for selling purposes, (which I'm not!), it wouldn't be with pop-up ceiling tiles. It'd be covered in a way that'd cause cosmetic damage to view. (Which I wouldn't do, ever, my ethics don't roll that way..). I guess it just seems like a lot of trouble to go to, to hide something - when it can be so easily viewed, regardless?
    You clearly WANT this house. Heck, I want that house. (Who here doesn't want it??). The things you like, you adore. The things you mention that you don't like, are (so far) fixable & you sound like you are the type to revel in doing it. (And only a year older than I, without my 7 & 14 year-olds, you probably have the energy!).

  • Joker_Girl
    Original Author
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Holy cow, you are BRILLIANT! That's EXACTLY where the ductwork HAS to be!!!
    That didn't even occur to me! Til now! OF COURSE! Because that's one of the reason we used them in our basement!
    It was a good thing we did, too, because immediately after, the water line to our fridge sprung a leak and took out about 4 tiles.
    One really funny thing about these tiles in our house, in the basement....once in a while, in the winter, the kids would not get the door shut all the way going out into the garage, and we would get a mouse.
    I HATE mice....and I know we will get mice in an old house even worse, and I can deal with it, but I hate them. I hate when you go to get a box of pasta or biscuit mix, and every single one of them has a hole in it, and the cupboards are full of crumbs and mouse poop. I used to holler at the kids every time we got a mouse, it happened almost every time that door wasn't shut all the way, if it was under forty degrees or so.
    But we put our bedroom in the basement when we redid it, and if we got a mouse, they would run across the inside of the ceilings, and it literally sounded like a herd of elephants. It would wake you right up. And every night, they had a party at about 3 am.
    It's that obvious I love it, isn't it?
    I have to get someone in there to look at it. Soon. If we can get a decent report back on it, and it needs less than $15-$20,000 work done on it (excluding work we can do, like paint and wallpaper), I really think we ought to get it. And if we can get it zoned like we want. The carriage house and garage are zoned some kind of "limited commercial" or something, and when I talked to the zoning board guy, he said basically as long as we aren't having so many people parked all over that it is annoying and inconveniencing the neighbors, we should be fine....but I still want to be sure that is going to be okay. There are only two or three houses on that block, and I need to go up there and personally talk to the neighbors and stuff. I can't imagine we would ever have enough people there at one time that it'd be an issue.
    It's not particularly far from Lincoln, and we know a guy there who does landscaping, some of the yard and bushes are a little wild, maybe I can have him get it into shape to where we just have to maintain it. It has a concrete fountain (I assume this doesn't work) and two big concrete lions on each side of the sidewalk lol.
    So if that IS what is going on with the duct work, it's under that ceiling, I wonder hmmm....I could get some of those things that look like tin ceiling tiles to replace these. It would be expensive, though. I maybe could take them down and individually stencil them, or cover over each one with that wallpaper that looks like ceiling tiles. I wonder how that would work.
    Have you guys ever seen that Bradbury & Bradbury wallpaper? It's INSANELY beautiful (and expensive, and not pre pasted, so I can't possibly hang it myself, and it's probably out of my price range anyhow).
    The only thing that would be better would be if it was on an acreage, and had a barn, chicken coop, etc. I just love a big barn.
    I'm going to have to try to sell this house, too, or at least rent it. I've got WAY too much stuff. It's overwhelming. Our house is about 1600 square feet, I'm guessing, and I have way too many antiques, books, craft projects, art supplies, etc. Especially antique furniture. I am a furniture hoarder I think. But some of it was my grandma's. That doesn't excuse the fact. Such as the fact that I have four Hoosier cabinets. That's just wrong.
    I'm really enthusiastic about old houses and old furniture, there is really very little in this world that gives me more happiness. I will probably return to working as an RN in the not too distant future, but I'd love to spend several months lovingly restoring this home and getting the antique thing going.

  • concretenprimroses
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    My cats don't allow mice in our house, thank goodness. Particularly since we started letting them patrol the basement whenever they want. I meant to say before that an artistic friend of mine repaired beautiful wallpaper in her parents cottage by painting the design where it was missing and possibly some repairs with plain paper first. A labor of love clearly and a lovely result.
    Kathy

  • civ_IV_fan
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    that is an amazing house. i'd love to see more pictures.

  • party_music50
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I agree... it's an amazing beautiful house and terrific price! My first thought on the drop ceilings was that it was done either for acoustics or to help with the heating bills! lol! But I read all the posts and see that you now believe that duct-work is hidden there. I just wondered then why all the ceilings weren't dropped, but I guess that doesn't matter. :)

  • lavender_lass
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    You've posted pictures, told us the price, and I believe the location....if you want this house, I'd advise you do something about it. Remember, for every person who responds, I believe there are something like 100 estimated "lurkers" who don't say anything.

    If you hesitate, it may be gone....

  • mkroopy
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Note to self: time to move to Nebraska.

    OMG that house would be at least 350-400K where I live. My Victorian cost me nearly 300 and was not as ornate and in rougher shape. But then again I'm an hour from NYC...that sort of explains it. And my taxes are about 8K...with only .3 acres and 2300 sq ft.

    I love that place. I agree, don't wait too long...it might get scooped up from under your nose.

  • Joker_Girl
    Original Author
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I told them we would take it, pending the results of the inspection, and we are going up next week to have one final look ourselves and I am going to check out every window to see what needs repaired/replaced, and look up in that ceiling, as well as take some measurements. But I told her yes, consider our offer active once more, we will be up next week to have a final look, and go talk to the chamber and the neighbors, and pay for it. Then, we can put our house up for sale or at least rent, and start moving and working on things. So we are back "on"! :-)
    The first order of business will be making the ceilings so they don't make me want to kill myself, and paint/wallpaper. I decided the best way to deal with the ceilings (maybe) is to take them down one by one, and individually cover them with that white textured wallpaper so it looks like a tin ceiling. Maybe it's not the best way, but it would be relatively easy and cheap. That way, I can at least live with them. I know it's horrible, but I'm going to have to install some ceiling fans, too....I can't live without them. We have really nice ceiling fans, maybe I'll take them with and just put up some cheapies here.

  • tibbrix
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Seems like an amazing deal. Gorgeous house. It would be over a million where I live (Mass./Cape Cod).

    But…get a very good inspector in there.

    Check out the public school ratings. That's one way to get a sense of how "nice" a town is. If they're good schools, that is a good sign. Family/child centric towns tend to be good ones.

    I bought an amazing house at an amazing price on Cape Cod last year, only t move in and find out that a LOT of the people in this village are unfriendly, unneighborly…a lot of "white trash" here. That has been a major disappointment (especially being single and one who believes strongly in community and the importance of being a good neighbor). I'll have to go find my community.

    The kitchen in "your" house, though, needs to be brought back to reflect the richness of the rest of that house. Who ever did that reno needs to be noodle-whipped.

  • kompy
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Buy this house instead!!! 1885 Italianate in Nebraska for $99,000 and it's completely redone. The kitchen fits the house. Gorgeous!!! Is this town close to you at all? Auburn, NE?

    Here is a link that might be useful: 1885 Italianate ��

  • trailrunner
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    We live in an 1890 home that was in very good condition in AL. We have 12 foot ceilings . We did remove the drop ceiling in the kitchen when we remodeled that room in 2006. We made it the same as the rest of the ceilings in the house...smooth sheetrock and white paint.

    I would not rush on the ceilings. If they are 14 ft...which is what they look like given your DH's size in that doorway then I would really suggest that you do something smooth and plain...either redo the plaster as you are able if it is cracked or else sheetrock and paint over. I think the "wallpaper tin" is way to distracting and would be over the top in room after room. Also if you are going to have ceiling fans you will need very long extension rods to bring them down to a usable height. We have 3 foot extensions of very plain white Hunter fans from Lowes. They blend in well with the white ceilings and give lots of comfort and are unobtrusive to the eye. Just my 2 cents. We have had our home since 2002. It takes time to make it yours but it is best to take it slow and make good lasting choices rather than having to go back and re-work things...like the ceilings. Good Luck. c

  • Joker_Girl
    Original Author
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Oh I know....I've seen that house in Auburn before, and drooled over it, if I thought we could make the antique thing work there, I'd love that one. The wallpaper in it is over the top. It's obviously been a great labor of love. I prefer the red brick, too. It's smaller (though a God's plenty big enough), less well located, and doesn't have much for garage space. But it looks like a museum.
    I love the metal railing on the 2nd story porch thing, and I want to do that to this porch after we get it fixed.
    That, too, is a crazy nice house.
    I'll have to show you a link of this other one on that site I love, it's a second empire.

    Here is a link that might be useful: old house dreams second empire house

  • Joker_Girl
    Original Author
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    This is a place we looked at in Iowa that is like two blocks off the main street and was used as an antique store up until here recently.

    It is FANTABULOUS but far enough from family and friends that we were getting some static about it.

    It is considerably larger than the one we are liking on. I thought it was pretty cool, but really, really big, and kind of fancy looking. Super warm and inviting, though, on the inside.

  • lavender_lass
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Looks like a bed and breakfast! Could you combine that with an antique shop? Maybe sell consignment pieces to guests and visitors? :)

  • mjlb
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I LOVE that Second Empire house! Except perhaps the one bath.

  • Acadiafun
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    How exciting Joker_Girl! You will have the house that many of us dream of because where we live they don't come at that price. What a bargain and opportunity for you.

    I know this has been a tough decision for you because you think you may be making the wrong one. But like I tell my kids we all have to make decisions based on what we know. Some will be right and some will be wrong. We don't know until later and we can't predict if there are unknown facts. So keep positive and post often because we want to live vicariously through you. lol

  • tim45z10
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I skipped alot before posting.
    I would ask to see a copy of the utility bills.

  • Joker_Girl
    Original Author
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I will I asked about it, and she said altogether electric, gas, water/sewer, and trash ran an average of low $200s each month. That seems insanely low to me, as our house is about half as big and runs more than that. I am going to request actual copies so I can see this.
    We are planning if the inspection goes well, on actually signing everything and writing out a check, if we can go that far. If we have to wait several days,i will leave a check with the realtor and as soon as it has a clear title, she can cash it.
    We aren't going to find anything much better that will be much cheaper. I DO want to have everything ready for the annual festival held there each April.
    It will be sad leaving the first home we shared together, the first one we owned, and did work on, and the place we raised our family. But we terribly need a fresh start.

  • Joker_Girl
    Original Author
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Here is some of the gas lighting piping on one of the walls.

  • Joker_Girl
    Original Author
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Looking toward the maid's staircase.

  • Joker_Girl
    Original Author
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    The very beautiful and inviting maid's bath

  • Joker_Girl
    Original Author
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    All the walls in the main floor bath are brick.....mmmmmm

  • Joker_Girl
    Original Author
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I hope and pray this isn't too bad of a fix. It's cracked where the upstairs bannister attaches to the wall. Someone thought putting contact paper on halfway was the best fix.

  • vjrnts
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Joker_Girl, regarding that fresh start: I bought my last house when my first husband and I divorced. It represented freedom, safety, and life to me. Seven years later, I remarried and my new husband moved in with my daughters and me, and seven years after that an inheritance made it possible to look for a house that was ours. My husband said that he always felt that he was living in my house. Both of my children were in college, so we were free to go where ever we wanted. We found this house, and, while it was awfully hard to leave my little house where I had raised my girls for 14 years, I love this house and they'll have to carry me out horizontal to get me to leave it. What you say about a fresh start? I agree. There just comes a time. I hope that you'll be as happy in your new home as we are in ours. And please, post a LOT of pictures as you spruce up the place!

  • calliope
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I can't tell by the photograph.......is the house wood exterior, stucco, brick? I live in a much older stucco over original brick, and all my walls are plaster over brick. Eighteen inch thick, the interior between rooms as well as those on the exterior walls..

  • Joker_Girl
    Original Author
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    It is brick, painted white. We went up today to sign all the papers and leave an earnest money deposit. It will be inspected Monday or before. We tried to get behind the door under the stairs again but gave up before we broke it. We did figure out how to see in, though....to put new pipes to the remodeled kitchen, someone just knocked out some plaster from the wall in the back stairs.
    We looked at three other places, too, but really there's never been any others for me.

  • louislinus
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    This is soo exciting!!! I love love love it and am also a little (make that a lot) jealous. :)

  • rqhome
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Just bumping this....Any news? How did the inspection go?

  • jswell32
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    This is the exact home I lived in while attending the University of Ky... it was known as Hamilton House built in the 1860'S...some of my happiest days were spent living there!!! UK decided to tear it down and not even the BBT could save the house.. Last week I went to say goodbye take and some pics....It was still a beautiful house you are very lucky to have found her sister!

  • Joker_Girl
    Original Author
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Oh my, I forgot to update.

    We bought it in March and are having a great time redoing it!

    I tried to start stripping the stairs, but it was horrible, so I'm painting the risers white and the treads a very dark black/brown.

    We did carpet the living room, which had very ugly carpet in it, most of the floors we are removing carpet, though, because there are nice floors, that someone painted...ugh.

    We have hired someone to lift the porch up, pour footings, and replace the parts that are damaged and showing rot. Otherwise, no major issues. Pretty solid, crazy 12" thick brick walls, even the interior walls, most of them.

  • Kippy
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    What a gem! You are one lucky girl!

  • lazy_gardens
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    PICS!!!! I want pictures!

  • Joker_Girl
    Original Author
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Living room bay window

  • Joker_Girl
    Original Author
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Front door...more to come! :-)

    And to the University of Kentucky Hamilton House lady....oh my GOD! I looked it up! Shame on them for tearing that poor baby down! How can they do that?!? If it was trashed out, that's one thing....but it's not!
    If they are just going to destroy it, my GOD...I wonder if I could buy the corbels and those beautiful little windows?

    I just HATE to see them ruin that. :(