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Our new old house!

Posted: Sat Jun 20, 2015 4:16 pm
by CrestwoodCottage
This spring we decided to sell our 1916ish Bungalow and traded in for a newer model :) 1930s Cottage about 3.5 miles away. There were things I wanted so badly to do with the bungalow that I couldn't justify putting the money into fearing that I'd never get it back. It was on a busy street and zoning around us was changing. I found a sweet little cottage FSBO on a quiet street that had just underwent renovations(not all my taste but the hard parts were done so it was an advantage.) We put the bungalow on the market in late February trying to get ahead of listings coming on the market in early March and little did we know that less than 30 days later we'd be moving! We had 9 showings within 24 hrs of listing and received 7 offers over asking price which turned into a bidding war! It felt so good to be selling to a buyer who REALLY wanted the house! We couldn't believe it, we woke up the next morning after all the madness and both looked at each other like "did that really happen?!?" Although I was extremely sad to be leaving that house, that was justifying we were doing the right thing. Here is our new home :P

Re: Our new old house!

Posted: Sat Jun 20, 2015 4:35 pm
by CrestwoodCottage
Here are a few pictures of the interior. The guy who did the renovation had put tons of cheap Home Depot lights so I didn't feel bad making it my style. I'm slowly but surely getting rid of the "boob" lights..one by one!

Re: Our new old house!

Posted: Sat Jun 20, 2015 6:58 pm
by Neighmond
Pretty! Death to the boob lights!

Re: Our new old house!

Posted: Sun Jun 21, 2015 12:37 am
by Nicholas
Love the interior arches, that seems common for the 30's era homes. What is Telstar doing hovering over your dining room table?

Re: Our new old house!

Posted: Sun Jun 21, 2015 2:47 am
by heartwood
sounds like you made out well with your bungalow even though it's bittersweet...your new house has lots of character, very sweet...gonna change your name?

best of luck with everything!
...jade
breast-tech lamp, ugh..........

Re: Our new old house!

Posted: Sun Jun 21, 2015 3:12 pm
by CrestwoodCottage
Amen, Neighmond!

Nicolas, this is what I was working with(see picture below)...the guy who was working on the house said that the original dining room fixture, which matched the small light in the picture, was hanging in the dining room when he bought the house but his electrician 'tried' to rewire it but kept getting shocked so they gave it away to a previous renter...I felt my blood boiling when he told me that! I figured it was an opportunity to do something funky because coming from a bungalow with tons of detail this house felt a very vanilla to me.

The house was owned by the same family from 1963-2014 until both husband and wife passed away and the court started liquidating their properties. It had been a rental from probably around the 1970s. The stories my neighbors have about the house are pretty horrific, I'm amazed it's in as good of shape as it is. All original plaster walls/ceilings, hardwoods(had been covered with carpet for years), arches, all original doors(except front door but replacing that is on the top of our list) and most original glass knobs, garage door, etc. Some of the wood siding was replaced and my neighbor owns a specialty lumber company so he milled it to match the existing.

One of the stories my neighbor told me is that there were some less intelligent adults who lived in the house and were moving but couldn't figure out how to drain their waterbed so they just cut a slit in it and let it drain in the floor(carpet over original hardwoods.) They moved and the house sat vacant for a while and he said when he would walk to our side of the street to check his mail he could smell the stench coming from the house!

Re: Our new old house!

Posted: Sun Jun 21, 2015 6:18 pm
by Nicholas
I'm sorry Cedar, I was confused about the modern chandelier, funky looks good in that room after another look at how you decorated it.

Re: Our new old house!

Posted: Sun Jun 21, 2015 9:54 pm
by clover
I was a little confused about the dining room chandelier, as I thought it was one that had been left behind - and wondered why they'd do a bunch of cheap Home Depot lights and then one really cool chandelier. It definitely livens up that room!

Re: Our new old house!

Posted: Thu Jun 25, 2015 5:16 pm
by Don M
Looks like a very nice home; have fun & please post more pictures!

Re: Our new old house!

Posted: Sun Jun 28, 2015 1:53 pm
by Sow's Ear Mal
Beautiful! I was about to accuse you of having no pets because of the serenely light coloured upholstery, but then I saw the dog. Clearly he's a good one. I bought a natural linen to reupholster my couch and chair, and then I looked at my two dogs, and eight muddy feet (not to mention bellies) and I thought, "snap out of it!" Their bad habits are well ingrained now, and we have a pond beside the house. Hopeless. Enjoy your new home. I will live vicariously through you. ;) Mal