We are always on the lookout for some old house to buy that would screw up our lives even worse than they are now - call it a hobby. In the past year we have looked at maybe a dozen and made offers on two. We still have hopes for one of those, a magnificent house in Franklin, but the bank did not approve our short sale offer so we will probably have to wait until it goes through foreclosure to have another chance at it. In the meantime, we still are casually looking.
A few days ago this poor, bedraggled former farmhouse built in 1897 went up for sale. It sits on three acres just two blocks away from our Lebanon house. The land is zoned commercial and whoever buys the property probably will tear down the house, but it is the sort of place that appeals to us so we scheduled a showing. We went through it yesterday with Peggy, our intrepid realtor. (Think - what would it be like to be OUR realtor?)
We found out that the house is sound, despite pretty bad cosmetic damage from bad renters and a lot of deferred maintenance like we expected. But this house has two really cool features. There is a brick barrel-vaulted tunnel that runs out through the back basement wall and is filled with rubble about 25 feet out. And there is a shaft, as if for a small elevator, that runs from the basement to the attic, with doors opening from it into the adjacent main and second floor rooms.
I don't know that we would buy and renovate this house but I hope someone does - it is way too interesting to tear down for another quick lube place.
A few days ago this poor, bedraggled former farmhouse built in 1897 went up for sale. It sits on three acres just two blocks away from our Lebanon house. The land is zoned commercial and whoever buys the property probably will tear down the house, but it is the sort of place that appeals to us so we scheduled a showing. We went through it yesterday with Peggy, our intrepid realtor. (Think - what would it be like to be OUR realtor?)
We found out that the house is sound, despite pretty bad cosmetic damage from bad renters and a lot of deferred maintenance like we expected. But this house has two really cool features. There is a brick barrel-vaulted tunnel that runs out through the back basement wall and is filled with rubble about 25 feet out. And there is a shaft, as if for a small elevator, that runs from the basement to the attic, with doors opening from it into the adjacent main and second floor rooms.
I don't know that we would buy and renovate this house but I hope someone does - it is way too interesting to tear down for another quick lube place.
1 comment:
Roy,
You have the coolest stuff going on in your life. I enjoy your blog and your writing style.
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