Intrepid New York reporter Jean Emery sends us the following:
To counteract the unattainable house lust brought on by that gorgeous house in Portland, this is a bungalow for sale for $145,000 in upstate New York – Greenwich, a tiny town (but with one or two good restaurants) about twenty minutes from Saratoga Springs. Outside is charming, inside less so; not a lot of A&C detail.
This is an especially attractive bungalow, with exposed rafter ends, interesting architectural detail all over the inside and out, and plenty of other neat features. Built in 1914, this 3,800 square foot, 5 bedroom / 2.5 bath home is spread out over three levels and includes a 2 car garage; the lot looks to be at least partially landscaped and is about double the size of the house.
Andrew Baker at the Oregon Realty Co. has all the details.
A few noteworth bits & pieces of Stickley for sale, new and old, throughout the country:
A few weeks ago, Rachel Myrow reported on NPR’s Morning Edition that a company is giving bus tours – called "Repo Home Tours" – of foreclosed homes in Stockton, California. The tours are operated by a realtor to show groups of ballsy buyers the kinds of values that can be had in the foreclosure capitol of the USA. One in 27 Stockton households, according to Realtytrac, is either in the process of being foreclosed upon or has already lost their primary residence.
You too can own a pretty but very modest bungalow in California’s wine country (map) for the bargain price of just under a million dollars. This 1,223 square foot brown shingle highwater has 2 bedrooms, one bathroom and sits on a 5,663 square foot lot. The gourmet kitchen is attractive, although the black cabinets are a little overdramatic and don’t work all that well with the rest of the house. A full basement includes an (additional? not sure – the listing says only one bath, so maybe the primary is in the basement) bathroom, an office and a wine storage area.
Ohmega Too – near the similarly-named Omega Salvage on San Pablo Avenue near the Berkeley / Oakland border – is a treasure-trove of houseparts. Doors, medicine cabinets, a constantly-changing stock of restored antique bath fixtures and plenty of new hardware, they’ve got it all. But what they’re really known for is lighting. The sheer immensity of their collection of shades at almost any size you can imagine will be a delight to any owner of an historic home; I dare you to go and not buy something.
I know people love these things. I do too … I just don’t have anywhere to fit more furniture in my house, especially not with the step tansu that I’d like to wedge into the living room somehow. Here are several I’ve found this week on Craigslists around the country:
west coast
midwest
east coast
south & southwest
Knoxville is a great town with some really terrific old neighborhoods, and for the most part, citizens who delight in historic preservation and are trying consistently to keep chains, strip-malls, big boxes and other detritus out of historic districts full of pretty old homes.
Knox Heritage is the most active of the city-wide architecture rejuvenation and conservation development companies, regularly buying old properties and cleaning them up for resale as part of their Vintage Homes Program. They also regularly offer neighborhood tours, raise money to preserve endangered properties and keep track of threatened structures throughout the region.
Metro Pulse, Knoxville’s alt weekly, recently ran a note & listing for one such home that has to change hands due to an unfortunate job relocation – the owner, Amy Quimby (who knows old homes – she’s an executive at Home & Garden Television) – is very sad to leave it, but she’s got to move on to Denver.
The 2650 sq ft, 4 bed, 2.5 bath home – at 321 E. Oklahoma in Knoxville – is going for $289,000, and it’s gorgeous inside and out.
For the bargain price of $275, this antique doorbell set can be yours. One in stock, available from Rejuvenation Hardware in Portland, Oregon; $22 shipping to the rest of the US.
I saw several similar in Nova Scotia where they are quite popular; they were all painted black, though.
I prefer to buy all the holiday gifts for my friends and family from local businesses and craftspeople, but it’s not always possible: many recipients live far away, or need something very specific. And sometimes the online price, even with shipping, is far less than it is anywhere else – and I am not, by any means, wealthy. So there’s that whole needing to make the house payment thing. Should you have backed yourself into a corner and need a few quick fixes this holiday season, there’s plenty – whether you’re buying for a local friend, your spouse, or a faraway family member – on Amazon:
furniture
lighting
tools & fixtures
books
and finally, for those who are either completely nuts, ridiculously rich or have a 30-foot entryway to light: