Before we start our tour, let me remind you that we are specifically looking for a house that needs some cosmetic work. That's our speciality. We buy crappy looking houses, that have good foundations and "bones" and then we give 'em a makeover :) I'm sure you remember all the before and after shots from our Hburg house... So keep that in mind when you look at the following pics. J says I have an "orphaned puppy fixation" when it comes to houses :) The worse it looks up front, the more likely I am to want to buy it and "take it home to love on".
I didn't get a whole lot of pics... it's hard for me to remember to take shots when I'm concentrating so hard on taking it all in, you know? But I'll include the url to the listing for each house and y'all can go there and see better/more pics. How 'bout that?
Initially this one was our favorite:
878 Jericho Drive
It was in the nicest shape-- basically move-in ready. J and I both loved the great room,
(view of the g-r from the kitchen window)
the fireplace and beadboard in the dining room,
and the pool area.
My brain started buzzing right away with plans for the terraced area behind the pool-- ummm, yummy :)
Cons: I really don't like so much carpeting (although J does) and the bdrs were the smallest we saw. Really small. Really too small for two boys sharing a room. But it was at the top of the list for a while. And it's still high-ish :)
At first my favorite was this one:
1017 Bradford Dr
The kids called it The Yellow House :) I lovelovelove the front yard-- especially the big old magnolia out front.
(entryway-- so blurry, but you can make out the cute wainscoting)
The neighborhood is beautiful-- lots of lovely front yards along the block for inspiration. I liked the layout better than Jericho Dr, and the house just felt more spacious in general. The yard is also bigger, with a beautiful fountain beside the pool and more space for swings and general running around.
But, after getting home and doing some research on "terrazzo floors", and pouring over photos and notes, I think both J and I agree that this one is at the top of our list, currently:
240 S Embrey
It needs a lot more work than the others, but it has the most sq footage and so much potential. For starters, there are the floors. Original terrazzo throughout the majority of the house-- and the carpet's already been torn out.
The MBR will need carpeting (it's part of an addition, we think) and the kitchen has just been re-tiled already (over the terrazzo :P ). The bdrs are several feet bigger in both directions, the MBR suite is nice and big and has a brand-newly renovated bath-- with a JACUZZI!! The pool is much bigger than average (that we've been seeing), although the yard is tiny. The front yard is pretty large, so we'd end up doing some re-orienting toward the front. There's also beautiful molding, a built in hutch in the dining room,
french doors to a partially converted garage that could be finished into a man cave/rec room/play room. There's pool access to one of the bathrooms and the MBR has glass doors that open out onto the pool, as well :)
Here's a link (I didn't take any pics) to another one we saw. We liked it, and it's still on the list, but those great pics you see on the listing? Those were taken when it was still owner-occupied-- months ago. Since then it's been foreclosed on and the owners gutted it when they moved out. Took out fixture, appliances and it's been neglected and empty for months. Doesn't look nearly as nice anymore. And the walls have this weird rough plaster thing going on, with, get this, ROPE glued into the wall corners like you'd put up molding, KWIM? And it's all bright red.
Ferncrest Drive
Ok! Opinions? Advice? Suggestions? Bring it on! I'd love to hear any feedback any of y'all might have :) Really and truly. Feel free!
9 comments:
By your pictures, personally I like the first one best. But Sofi striking that pose in front of the built-in hutch makes that house look even better. :)
I'm really torn between Bradford and Embrey. Bradford has a prettier exterior, and is bigger, but you're right, I think the Embrey house has more potential. Tough call!! I'd forget about the foreclosure house. That looks like it'd be a trainwreck. I'll be so excited to see which house you pick, and how it looks when you've put your touches on it!
Love the one with all the windows. Although the fireplace is scary looking!
Good luck!
Rebecca, what is it you like better about the first one?
Brooke, the only thing is...did you notice the price on that one??? 99K. That's reeeeeallyl hard to just check off the list for a house that size with a pool. You know? I mean, geez, the pool itself is probably worth a quarter of that...
What makes the fireplace scary, Hot Belly Mama? It's actually in really good shape. And our kids are used to a wood stove, so I'm not worried about safety issues.
Pool in Florida verses totally awesome house....that's a tough one.
Lovelovelove the second one, but it is so dang hot there for kids and your little ones are excellent swimmers.
Hannah
Oh, but Hannah! They ALL have pools! i forgot to mention that :D *evil grin*
The jacuzzi has my attention!!! Good luck :)
Pool = awesome.
Bigger is better...esp with 3 kids;) BUT, I hate the galley kitchen (maybe that's preference, but everyone I know that has one hates it, too!). I won't give any real opinion, because it's really hard for me to fathom a house without being there and seeing it. I still say that when you find it, you'll know it, so unless you really have a fixation on one of these, keep looking!
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