Daydreaming of Berkeley
While we were wandering around Berkeley on Saturday, we saw a sign for an open house in the neighborhood, and Ted wanted to go check it out. So we walked a few blocks and found it. Unfortunately, they were closed for the day (but still had their signs up), so we didn’t get to walk around inside. I have to tell you folks, this is the house of my dreams (aside from the shingles, which I could definitely do without). I adore these old craftsman homes with built in shelving and wood everywhere. It’s over 3,000 square feet, but only 2 bedrooms. This is because there is a huge upstairs loft area that doesn’t seem to count as a bedroom. It says 2 bathrooms, but really it’s one full bathroom, and what we used to call a water closet (aka, toilet) off of the laundry room.
It was built in 1912, so it’s old, and it looks to be out of date. The photos don’t show a fridge in the kitchen, but there must be a space for one somewhere. It looks like there’s a little pantry, and probably the fridge goes in there. When I lived in an old Edwardian flat in San Francisco, the kitchen was tucked away in a similar manner. Due to the fact that the kitchen and bathroom have not been updated, I suspect it will have some plumbing and wiring issues. This is likely why it is available for the bargain price of $1,095,000. It’s a beautiful neighborhood of old homes, just a few blocks from the bookstores and restaurants that we enjoy. There are wisteria vines in the front (which are still in bloom, which is a perfect example of Bay Area Microclimates. We are about 15 miles away, but the flowers are about 2 weeks behind us in blooming.) If you’d like to see more of this beautiful old home, go check out the listing.
In our fantasy, we would buy the house and fix it up. I wouldn’t want to ruin the kitchen, so it would be tricky, but clearly it could be done. I’d want to put in a walk in shower instead of the tub, but keep the old tile work if it’s original. We could put a full bathroom in upstairs and make that our bedroom, and when we get too old to deal with the stairs, we could move downstairs. In order to make all of these changes, though, we’re going to need some cash. So our fantasy includes them knocking $1,000,000 off the price of the house and selling it to us for $95,000. Hey, a girl can dream.
12 Comments
Elisabeth
Our first and only home is from the 1970’s and I am tentatively swearing off ever buying a house that needs renovations after I move in. I definitely have some lingering trauma from fixing up our current house. The issue is we are incapable of doing even the simplest things ourselves in terms of DIY so it takes hiring everything out and things go awry and cost money (I hate spending money on home repairs).
Or, I suppose the solution could be if we purchased a place that did need work but we had all the work completed before we moved in!!!! Living in a reno zone is not ideal!
J
Oh I am so with you. There are a couple of things around here that I wish we had done before we moved in, but we just didn’t have the money, and doing it yourself is a really bad idea for us, we just don’t have the skills (or the tools). So my fantasy for THIS house is that we get everything done before we move in, for sure. We were talking about it yesterday, and how the more practical thing to do would be to buy new construction, where you don’t have to worry about that kind of thing. But they don’t make houses like this anymore, so you can’t have it all.
AC
A house to be admired and maybe dreamt about but too costly to both purchase and maintain for most of us.
J
Absolutely. It is a gem, I hope whomever buys it keeps much of the beauty.
Ally Bean
A beautiful well-maintained house. I can see why it appeals to you, but the price tag is not on your side. And think of it this way, owning an old home is expensive when it comes to maintenace, so you’re avoiding a lifetime of headaches.
J
Yes, a house to dream of, not to own. At least, not for us.
Suzanne
Heehee – I love your fantasty price. WHY are homes in CA so expensive???? (I know why, it just boggles my mind.) It is so fun to do real estate fantasy shopping and renovations. So much easier than actually buying and renovating!
J
I know, right? “Let’s just knock a cool million off of that price, OK?” “Oh, for YOU? Of course!”
PocoBrat
It’s such a beautiful house, and would be so lucky to be in your care.
I was already thinking a house like that in Berkeley must cost…
But the actual price still blew me away.
Lisa's Yarns
It is a very charming house! The layout is definitely very unique with that large room on the upper level that isn’t very practical? At least not for the typical family? I imagine it’s a fraction of the cost of other homes in the neighborhood!
Our house was built in 1925 but it was substantially renovated in 2008. The previous house we owned was built in 1915 but was also substantially updated, I believe in 2005. So both homes were modernized and had a furnace instead of a boiler which was a huge pro for us, and they both have central air which is suprisingly essential in Minnesota. Neither home has the kind of character that Berkeley house has, though. We do have some built in shelves in a window seat and there is octagonal tiling in the main floor powder room (that’s the term we use in stead of water closet). A main floor powder room was a non-negotiable essential for us when we were house hunting. Our essentials were main floor powder room, a 2-stall garage and a home that did not require substantial updates but was not a tear down/rebuild. We were really really particular about the neighborhood and most homes in our neighborhood were built in the 1910s-1920s, with some modern, enormous tear down/rebuilds which we do NOT CARE FOR. That’s why it took us 2+ years to find our house which I love and Phil merely “tolerates” as he hates living on a corner lot on a steep hill (which I understand… but it’s not a deal breaker for me since I pretty much love the house otherwise).
Margaret
That’s a gorgeous place! My daughter and her husband have a Craftsman that has been (mainly) updated although not in the modern way of some. It’s really not a practical house for the four of them: one bathroom and a bedroom upstairs, two on the main floor and one in the basement. My house is perfect for them but my daughter hates the modern style. 🙂
nance
What a beautiful house with so much character. I love it.
I live in a similar sort of home–two bedrooms on the first floor on either side of a tiny bathroom. We converted the upstairs into a large room with a half-bath, and that was for the boys to share. Kitchen, breakfast nook, dining room, living room, and all with lovely woodwork. Window seats/boxes flanking the fireplace in the living room. Ours was built in 1940. We had a ton of work to do when we bought it back in 1985 for…$34,150.00. (I. KNOW.)