All It Takes is a Little Vision

I sell all kinds of houses, trophy homes, second homes, fixer-uppers and more, and all of them are special to me, I never forget them. Once in a while I have a very special listing, whether for its style, setting, charm, or fit/finish/detail work, and it's great to see what the buyer does with it once it's theirs.

Last year I had one of those, it was a small ranch house on a one-of-a-kind piece of property that had been in one family for it's entire lifetime, almost 80 years. The house was located high on a ridge overlooking a large pond, surrounded on three sides by water, within a nice neighborhood but unusually secluded given all those things. And to top it off, it was located around 20 miles from downtown Boston.

The buyers, Bob and Michelle Hause, had been looking for years for the right house to downsize to from their large, classic Colonial Saltbox home in Sudbury, and they just couldn't find one. Then one day they came to my open house and fell in love with this house.  Bob is a contractor in Sudbury, his specialty is building additions and expansions onto existing homes, so this was the perfect opportunity to do his thing.

The home he made it into is absolutely beautiful, it fits the site perfectly and is in keeping with the scale and style of the neighborhood and it's environs.  What he did was rotate the roofline by 90 degrees and build-on a second floor to the existing first floor walls. He then added a farmer's porch to the front to create an inviting entrance that can be used for sitting in the evening and enjoying the views and the neighbors. Inside he kept the original kitchen cabinets and 80 year old porcelain sink, while updating the appliances and reconfiguring the first floor for today's lifestyle.

As you can see, the front walk and lawn area are new, and a lot of the existing plantings have been retained. They will be augmented with more gardens over the years as Michelle has a green thumb and I'm looking forward to watching it take shape over time.

A lot of discussion these days is about how houses have to be Pottery Barn perfect and completely updated to fit today's discriminating buyers, and there is a lot of truth in that. But just once in a while, there is a home that needs work, and yet it's the perfect home for one buyer. All it takes is a little vision.

btw: if you're looking for a great contractor, call Bob Hause (508) 826-5598

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Posted in: as is, before and after, design, fixer-upper, second floor addition, sold as is, tear-down, update a house, upgrade a house