Some houses are snapped up in days. Others take years. The sellers should be commended for their patience.
Waiting a year and a half on the market is a long time. For a house built in 1902 that's less than 1.5% of its history. A 3,500 square foot, 7 bedroom, 3.75 bath piece of history has an asking price of $1,150,000. History may be worth a lot, but a lot of that price is from a major restoration that modernized a lot of the systems in the house. 1902 has an allure, but wiring and plumbing that are decades old lose their appeal when something breaks. Now, you can get a bit of the early 1900s with a healthy dose of the early 2000s.
Two kitchens, that's a luxury. Thanksgiving is coming up. The holiday season is beginning. Some houses handle entertaining crowds by building immense kitchens. The cooks still collide. Here's a solution, divide up the cooks by having more than one kitchen. Make the turkey and stuffing in one kitchen; and make the desserts in the other. Maybe the host gets one and the guests get to use the other. Through the rest of the year, a second kitchen means not having to go far to make snacks.
When the house was built, cooking was probably done over a wood-fired stove. The fireplaces probably were for more than ambience. Electricity was a new idea. Cars were a new idea. It can be scary thinking about what was in the pipes, and what the pipes were made from. In 2005, a massive restoration brought the house into the modern era.
The sense of the original style remains. Look at the windows, doorways, and awnings. They are capped with woodworking details that are carried through the house showing excellent craft work. Inside and out, the lintels are opportunities to please the eye. Some doors and windows are capped by curves that keep everything from being rectilinear and soften the space.
Modern style defines the bedrooms and spaces on the top floor with minimalist and zen-like settings. It is possible to do both in the same house.
A full fence surrounds the 3,650 square foot lot, and maintains the style out to the street. Established landscaping is protected. Walkways are paved in brick or stone, minimizing maintenance, and visually anchoring the house to the land.
Something keeps this house on the market, but with such visual appeal, that's a surprise.
· 935 14TH Ave, Seattle [Redfin]
Written by Tom Trimbath