min+oosha
1. The house will be getting some work and becoming more solid. Decided to take the plunge. It's phase one of project restoration and preservation. Found out that even though it was built in 1949, it's innards, roof and floor plan are all consistent with homes built in the 1930's.
2. I work with great women and one in particular really amazes me. Mary is 85 and still works out at the gym. She looks great! I thought she was barely in her late 60's. She told me this story that I thought was really interesting. If you are a Hyde Park home owner or renter, is is just one of the stories your house could tell if walls could talk:
When Mary's husband returned from the war there was no place to live in town, Austin had a housing shortage. She had been renting a room in an old house in Hyde Park that was divided into small apartments. Mary and her husband lived there for only a short time before they had to move because the house had been sold and would be restored.
Rentals were equally difficult to come by after WWII so when Mary's best friend told her there was a small home for rent in the neighborhood, they both went to see it. Mary's friend was a new mother and had been married the year before. They were both newlyweds. The house was a perfect little 2/1 with living room, kitchen and bathroom. One house, two couples desperately needing a place to live. They thought about maybe sharing the rental. When Mary told me this I had to ask how large the house was. She replied," It wasn't large at all, in fact it was very, very tiny". I thought of our house, a vintage 2/1 housing two couples and a newborn. HOW?
Mary said it worked out fine for three years. (THREE YEARS?!)Each couple had their own bedroom that doubled as a private living room. After work they'd each go into their own rooms. Mary and her husband showered in the mornings and left for work very early. She said they were both working to save enough money to buy a new home. She said they ate dinner out everyday and just used the kitchen for coffee, toast and sandwich making. She said this way there was no need for pots and pans, dishes, dish washing etc... They split all utility expenses. I was amazed at how this worked out. I really can't see an arrangement like this working out. One bathroom?!
So when Mary and her husband bought their own home, they remained best friends with the couple that shared their old rental. They would get together once a week to make Mexican dinners at home, took trips to Mexico often and had their children grow up together. I just thought if walls could talk... nothing lurid or juicy about the story just that it happened and worked out is why I feel compelled to type it out.
3. Spring is fast approaching and looking forward to tackling the backyard, heirloom roses, fig trees and tomatoes. We'll see how much pans out. I do have a windowsill herb garden that seems pretty successful, so far.
4. Went to lok at a $364K home in the hood. Wow! It looked cute from the outside but I didn't find what was inside very appealing. It lost all it's vintage charm. Not even the floors were original. Wm fell in love with the screened in porch. He really wants a screened in porch. I noticed how the wall separated from the floor in some areas a good 1/2 an inch. YIKES! I can't imagine flips being very solid. I imagine a lot of rigged operations going on in crawl spaces, attics and between walls. I did like the screened in porch. 500sqft of it! But then again, that did seem like a bit much. Room for cartwheels and a patio bistro set is all I could see.
2. I work with great women and one in particular really amazes me. Mary is 85 and still works out at the gym. She looks great! I thought she was barely in her late 60's. She told me this story that I thought was really interesting. If you are a Hyde Park home owner or renter, is is just one of the stories your house could tell if walls could talk:
When Mary's husband returned from the war there was no place to live in town, Austin had a housing shortage. She had been renting a room in an old house in Hyde Park that was divided into small apartments. Mary and her husband lived there for only a short time before they had to move because the house had been sold and would be restored.
Rentals were equally difficult to come by after WWII so when Mary's best friend told her there was a small home for rent in the neighborhood, they both went to see it. Mary's friend was a new mother and had been married the year before. They were both newlyweds. The house was a perfect little 2/1 with living room, kitchen and bathroom. One house, two couples desperately needing a place to live. They thought about maybe sharing the rental. When Mary told me this I had to ask how large the house was. She replied," It wasn't large at all, in fact it was very, very tiny". I thought of our house, a vintage 2/1 housing two couples and a newborn. HOW?
Mary said it worked out fine for three years. (THREE YEARS?!)Each couple had their own bedroom that doubled as a private living room. After work they'd each go into their own rooms. Mary and her husband showered in the mornings and left for work very early. She said they were both working to save enough money to buy a new home. She said they ate dinner out everyday and just used the kitchen for coffee, toast and sandwich making. She said this way there was no need for pots and pans, dishes, dish washing etc... They split all utility expenses. I was amazed at how this worked out. I really can't see an arrangement like this working out. One bathroom?!
So when Mary and her husband bought their own home, they remained best friends with the couple that shared their old rental. They would get together once a week to make Mexican dinners at home, took trips to Mexico often and had their children grow up together. I just thought if walls could talk... nothing lurid or juicy about the story just that it happened and worked out is why I feel compelled to type it out.
3. Spring is fast approaching and looking forward to tackling the backyard, heirloom roses, fig trees and tomatoes. We'll see how much pans out. I do have a windowsill herb garden that seems pretty successful, so far.
4. Went to lok at a $364K home in the hood. Wow! It looked cute from the outside but I didn't find what was inside very appealing. It lost all it's vintage charm. Not even the floors were original. Wm fell in love with the screened in porch. He really wants a screened in porch. I noticed how the wall separated from the floor in some areas a good 1/2 an inch. YIKES! I can't imagine flips being very solid. I imagine a lot of rigged operations going on in crawl spaces, attics and between walls. I did like the screened in porch. 500sqft of it! But then again, that did seem like a bit much. Room for cartwheels and a patio bistro set is all I could see.
Labels: vintage
