I blame HGTV
Curb appeal, like sex appeal, can trap the unwary:
Our present shelter was sold to us because Mr Charm liked the the double green doors and the green trim at the front entrance. I liked the big screened in porch adjoining the patio. I could just imagine it filled with charming wicker furniture and charming guests sitting upon the same. A few potted plants, maybe some hanging ones. Laughter and jollity and good will all around.
We forgot to notice that there was a steep flight of stairs leading up to the second floor. Actually, we failed to notice that there was a second floor. The floors were hideous and there were no cupboards. Most of our kitchenware had to be stowed in the basement, where it resides to this day. The porch is nice, however.
It happens, I think, to all of us. Six years ago this week, I took possession of the palatial estate at Surlywood, persuaded by its mostly-undiluted 1940s charm, and by the price, which was about $15,000 less than the maximum the bank would dare lend me. I still love the place, even though I must concede that the bathroom — there’s just the one — is basically a tile-lined penalty box, and that doing the wash in the garage becomes even less enjoyable when the weather is at its intemperate worst. (The garage is decently insulated; I’ve never actually seen it freeze in there, but it’s come close once or twice. And then there’s July.) I do, however, have cupboard space bordering on adequate, and the flooring is lovely, though white tile in the kitchen is probably not the best option for a sloppy cook.
localmalcontent »
28 November 2009 · 10:25 am
Actually, we failed to notice that there was a second floor.
umm, whut? How can a couple fail to notice the second story and the stairs thereto?
Can one be that enamored with a porch? Reminds me of the funny Jeff Foxworthy skit, “So- how big is your deck?”
Meghan »
28 November 2009 · 10:59 am
My experience, I wish I would have found an older home. I think the neighborhood was attractive, but the downside is that although my home is nice, the contractors put in less than standard materials carpet , tile and vinyl flooring to save money on their end . I think and now I am finding myself looking at more expensive repairs than if they would have just put in decent materials to begin with.
Jason »
28 November 2009 · 8:11 pm
I still miss our red tiled bathroom and wood floors at our old house over that way.
fillyjonk »
29 November 2009 · 2:37 pm
Whoever came up with white ceramic tile for kitchens (I have it in my kitchen too, a legacy of the previous homeowner), while they shouldn’t be taken out and SHOT, they should certainly be made to scrub tomato sauce and beet juice and tea stains and tracked-in mud and all of that off of miles of the stuff.
And then have someone walk across the just-still-barely-damp floor in shoes that have soles that are not quite perfectly clean, meaning there are grey footprints all over the thing.
I have said more bad words over the years about the speed with which my kitchen floor gets messed up right after I’ve cleaned it.
miriam »
29 November 2009 · 10:24 pm
Chas: Thanks for the link.
Malcontent: No-one ever accused us of being practical. We actually did see the upstairs, but did not quite take in that you would have to climb the steps to get to it.
It had to do with the hurry the buyer of our old house was in, the hideousness of most of the houses we were taken to, and the length of the day.