No question. I walked in to this home at 14 Hannum Street and was greeted by John Petrus (homeloan.chase.com/john.f.petrus) with "This is the House of the Week!" Apparently John has been reading my blog; he was there providing the refreshments for Jerry Morrissey's broker's open.
I chatted for a while with the homeowner, and we played the small world game. Her kids went to school with my niece and nephew, she's good friends (who knew?) with one of my sisters-in-law, and she also knows old friend Randy, famous for mentions in Jeff Kramer's irreverent column in the Post-Standard. Phfew! Got that out of the way!
As I stood there in the kitchen I realized overwhelmingly that I was in a unique home. I knew the house from its last incarnation - small, but with a measure of character, certainly a village home on the order of a Provincetown home without the exterior charm, close to others but so wonderfully in the village and on the creek. There were possibilities there, but not for my buyers.
Now it has character. No, Character with a capital C! The owner has done the sensible things: new roof, new windows, new siding, new plumbing, all new appliances, a 400 sf. addition to create a family room, two new bedrooms in the basement with a full bath, and another full bath to bring the total to three. All in two years!
Then she added the details, and while I hate the phrase "too numerous to mention," they are. She's listed them in an Improvements page I can send to you**(or pick them up at the open house), but I want to pull out some to highlight, and give you more that don't appear in the summary.
Structural. The kitchen floor is red brick, the kids' wing (basement) has a round stone sink with a McKenzie-Child's painted bowl, and the upstairs master bath used the old kitchen sink for the "new" bathroom. I hope this gives you an idea - I doubt it does, though. The beams/paneling in the eat-in kitchen came from the old barn on East Lake Road - Kuykendall's - that went down one afternoon a few years ago. The stones in the children's bathroom were uncovered from the original foundation. The brick in the enclosed patio came from a chimney that was buried in the kitchen wall. Again, there's more "too numerous....etc."
Staging. I had just finished re-reading The Great Gatsby (I've been told it should be read at least once a decade) and there I was, walking into the flapper era. I still haven't taken it all in, so forgive me, but I remember a dress hanging in the front room and a stole (mink?) on the couch. The small office has an incredible mural and the little space under the stairs was turned into a telephone nook. Climbing upstairs, they twist and turn, I came to a charming master bedroom which led into the master bath - I imagine that's where the clawfoot tub is. Absolutely charming!
It was impossible on a brief tour to see it all - the private gardens by the creek, it even has a garage! - so when jerry suggested doing an open house I agreed.
If you would like to see it, I will hold it **open on Saturday this week, the 12th, from 12:00 to 2:00**. I have appointments before and after, so I must stay within this time frame. (Of course you can always call to schedule a private showing, don't forget.) Easy to find - Hannum is the street by the Sherwood Inn. 14 Hannum is on the right, a white house, and there will be streams of people flowing in and out. Please tell me you read about it here - I absolutely love hearing that people read my blog!
Offered at $399,900.
