Photos of our fixer-upper!
Note that the house is actually under renovation now, but we already know we won’t like a good many of the changes. (For example, they’re installing carpet over the hardwoods. Mind you, the floors aren’t in great shape, but they’ve got character and I despise carpet.) But we found out that the seller had already received an offer like the one we were originally thinking of making: “here’s 6% less than asking; now stop the renovations and step away from the property.” But the seller’s agent said that the seller wanted to continue the work she’d already contracted. Hooookay. So we made a full-priced offer and we’re allowing them to finish the renovations. It’s weird, but hey — at least some of the work is bound to be worthwhile.
Anyway, you can see throughout most of these pictures that the renovation is underway, as there are tools lying around and there’s dust everywhere. And for whatever reason, the seller still has loads of junk piled up throughout the house and out on the back porch and driveway. Part of the agreement is that she has to remove all of it, but it was all still there when I took these photos.
OK, first let’s look at the front of the house:
http://www.honeybowtie.com/kate/dwelling/nashville/frontofhouse.jpg
It’s not a beautiful house — in fact, I think it’s pretty ugly. But that just means there’s a lot of room for improvements to its curb appeal, which should, of course, add to its resale value.
Here’s a view from the south corner of the front of the property:
http://www.honeybowtie.com/kate/dwelling/nashville/frontsouth.jpg
And here are several views of the north side of the house and property:
http://www.honeybowtie.com/kate/dwelling/nashville/frontnorth1.jpg
http://www.honeybowtie.com/kate/dwelling/nashville/frontnorth2.jpg
http://www.honeybowtie.com/kate/dwelling/nashville/north_sideview.jpg
Walk on in. Note that as you enter through the front door, you are immediately greeted by a door leading to the basement:
http://www.honeybowtie.com/kate/dwelling/nashville/entryway_stairstobasement.jpg
Odd decision, but never mind. We’ll cope.
To your left as you enter the house, there is a living room and adjoining dining area (John, the agent, is turning toward the dining area):
http://www.honeybowtie.com/kate/dwelling/nashville/livingroom_diningarea.jpg
If you turn more to your left to face the front of the house, you can look out a nicely-sized window:
http://www.honeybowtie.com/kate/dwelling/nashville/livingroom_frontwindow.jpg
Turning back toward the dining area, you can see the entryway to the kitchen:
http://www.honeybowtie.com/kate/dwelling/nashville/livingroom_dining_kitchenentry.jpg
(You can also see Karsten and John looking around.)
And as you approach the kitchen, if you turn back toward the living room, you can see the (north facing) side windows:
http://www.honeybowtie.com/kate/dwelling/nashville/livingroom_sidewindows.jpg
This picture’s pretty much too dark to be useful (the flash on my Clie was working only intermittently) but if you can see it, there’s a tall inset pantry that starts about two or three feet from the floor:
http://www.honeybowtie.com/kate/dwelling/nashville/kitchen_pantry_lightened.jpg
Edit: Thanks,
I plan to take the doors off and put in some shelving. Here it is with the doors open. No shelves. Wonder what they used it for?
http://www.honeybowtie.com/kate/dwelling/nashville/kitchen_pantry_open.jpg
The kitchen needs major work. I plan to rip all those hideous cabinets out in the spring and replace them with funky IKEA cabinetry. Note the weird little window into the den:
http://www.honeybowtie.com/kate/dwelling/nashville/kitchen_sink.jpg
Which brings us to: the den!
http://www.honeybowtie.com/kate/dwelling/nashville/den_doorway.jpg
Yes, there’s Karsten feeling the miraculously gosh-awful “wood” paneling. This stuff seems to plague us wherever we live! No matter: Karsten defeated it in the Portland house, and he shall conquer it here as well.
Note all the junk they left piled up in here. You can even see some of the junk piled up on the porch through the sliding doors on the right-hand side of the picture:
http://www.honeybowtie.com/kate/dwelling/nashville/den_junk.jpg
Here’s a better view of that junk on the back porch. You can also just make out, in the far left of the picture, a Chevy Cavalier that was abandoned in the driveway. Yeesh.
http://www.honeybowtie.com/kate/dwelling/nashville/den_slidingdoors.jpg
And here’s the other side of that goofy den-kitchen wormhole (or cathole is probably more like it):
http://www.honeybowtie.com/kate/dwelling/nashville/den_kitchenwindow_lightened.jpg
Edit: Thanks, amazon_lori, for lightening this photo!
We’ll head back out of the den and check out the first bedroom, which will most likely be the master bedroom:
http://www.honeybowtie.com/kate/dwelling/nashville/bedroom_red.jpg
It’s not much to look at, but wait! Did you see the view out of the windows?
http://www.honeybowtie.com/kate/dwelling/nashville/bedroom_red_viewofyard1.jpg
http://www.honeybowtie.com/kate/dwelling/nashville/bedroom_red_viewofyard2.jpg
Yes, my friends, it’s the back yard. The key selling point to this house. We’ll take a closer look at that in just a sec.
Back through the kitchen, we’ll pass the tiny upstairs bathroom:
http://www.honeybowtie.com/kate/dwelling/nashville/bathroom.jpg
and head for the second bedroom - the blue room.
http://www.honeybowtie.com/kate/dwelling/nashville/bedroom_blue_entry.jpg
http://www.honeybowtie.com/kate/dwelling/nashville/bedroom_blue.jpg
http://www.honeybowtie.com/kate/dwelling/nashville/bedroom_blue_closetanddoor2.jpg
And here’s another angle, from the east window in the blue room, of the crap on the back porch. But you can also see that lovely yard, and if you look closely in the bottom center of the photo, you can see the brick barbecue Karsten can’t wait to demolish:
http://www.honeybowtie.com/kate/dwelling/nashville/den_viewofporchandyard1.jpg
OK, back out the bedroom door, turn left into the hallway:
http://www.honeybowtie.com/kate/dwelling/nashville/hallway.jpg
and turn left again into the third bedroom: the pink room.
http://www.honeybowtie.com/kate/dwelling/nashville/bedroom_pink2.jpg
Back out of the bedroom, turn left again, and you’re back at the entryway. Let’s pop downstairs, where Karsten will have his workshop and art studio:
http://www.honeybowtie.com/kate/dwelling/nashville/downstairs2.jpg
Eww. Needs work. I have no idea how much they’re planning to do down there. There’s also a “bathroom” downstairs which, last we saw it, was completely disassembled. I assume it will be working by the time we close.
The basement even has its own access, but it looks a little the worse for wear:
http://www.honeybowtie.com/kate/dwelling/nashville/south_stairstobasement.jpg
That’s the next-door neighbor in the red sweatsuit, who happened to be outside having a smoke when we last visited. I sweet-talked him into walking around the property with us and telling us a lot of historical information about the house and how it’s changed over the years. He seems like a real sweetheart and exactly the kind of concerned neighbor everyone should have.
Since we’re back outside, let’s take a look at the hideous mismatched siding on this house.
http://www.honeybowtie.com/kate/dwelling/nashville/backofhouse2.jpg
http://www.honeybowtie.com/kate/dwelling/nashville/backofhouse3.jpg
http://www.honeybowtie.com/kate/dwelling/nashville/backofhouse4.jpg
I mean, so much about this house just screams “beautification opportunity! Make money by fixing me!”
Anyway, as I said before, the part of this house that makes all the quirks more than worthwhile is that back yard:
http://www.honeybowtie.com/kate/dwelling/nashville/yard1.jpg
http://www.honeybowtie.com/kate/dwelling/nashville/yard3.jpg
http://www.honeybowtie.com/kate/dwelling/nashville/yard4.jpg
http://www.honeybowtie.com/kate/dwelling/nashville/yard5.jpg
http://www.honeybowtie.com/kate/dwelling/nashville/yard6.jpg
Like an itty bitty wild refuge in the middle of the city.
Oh, and don’t mind the abandoned car and tires: they’re history.
http://www.honeybowtie.com/kate/dwelling/nashville/yard2.jpg
43 Responses to “Photos of our fixer-upper!”
Posted: Nov 3rd, 2004 at 3:36 pm
Awwwww, yeah!
Congratulations! Fixer-upper away!
Posted: Nov 3rd, 2004 at 3:43 pm
Shuffling through these, my first thought was, “Wow, that’s a lot of yellow.”
Then it was red. then blue. Did this woman have a thing for primary colors?!
Then she blinded me with pink.
Posted: Nov 3rd, 2004 at 3:49 pm
well, she had to blind you with something. obviously not science.
Posted: Nov 3rd, 2004 at 3:51 pm
Wow, that is a lovely yard. Very nice, Kate.
Is the mis-matched siding on the back porch? It looks like an add-on to the original house.
Posted: Nov 3rd, 2004 at 4:03 pm
Congrats! I’m so happy for you!
Stuck in the south bay as I am, I’m sure you can appreciate how far away home ownership feels.
Posted: Nov 3rd, 2004 at 4:05 pm
Thanks!
Posted: Nov 3rd, 2004 at 4:07 pm
Yep. That was one of the things she listed as a plus for the house: “bold colors throughout.” Yeah, you can say that again.
We probably won’t change any of that for a while as we’ll have bigger fish to fry, but at some point we’ll tone that all down just a wee bit.
Posted: Nov 3rd, 2004 at 4:10 pm
The mis-matched siding is indeed on the back of the house. The neighbor explained that that had been done recently, and they only did part of the house to save money. So part of the siding is original.
Posted: Nov 3rd, 2004 at 4:10 pm
Ugh, I know. Sorry.
But thanks!
Posted: Nov 3rd, 2004 at 4:17 pm
I love it. It’s super cute, and just about what I’ve been looking for around these parts. And I’m right with you on the addition of carpet. Why do people think carpet = good?
I especially love that the upstairs bedrooms each have thir own plumbing fixture.
Posted: Nov 3rd, 2004 at 4:19 pm
Heh. Isn’t that a trip? We were giggling so much when we did our first walk-through, and it wasn’t any different on the second. Let’s hope it’s a LOT different by the next time.
Posted: Nov 3rd, 2004 at 4:32 pm
I assume it will be working by the time we close.
Please make sure you get everything in writing. Assumptions are dangerous in real estate transactions. If it were me, I’d put a clause in the contract that a portion of the seller’s proceeds will be held in escrow if the car and tires and all the junk are not removed. The seller should have no problem with a clause like that if they are indeed planning on removing it, and if they don’t remove it you get the cash to pay for someone to haul it away.
I definitely see the potential, I think it’s a cute house! And the backyard is quite lovely. Y’all will love it there
Congrats! When’s closing?
Posted: Nov 3rd, 2004 at 7:18 pm
Wonderful opportunity! Thanks for sharing all of the pics, but I have to agree…the “Pepto Bismal” pink has gotta go! LOL! And that YARD! OMG am I jealous!
Enjoy!!
~ Brenda
http://firebrnd.thoughtlocker.net
Posted: Nov 3rd, 2004 at 10:05 pm
Normally I would care about getting everything in writing, but I was intentionally vague about the remodeling stuff in the offer wording. (My agent wasn’t so hot at writing, so I actually more or less wrote the thing myself with his guidance about what we could/should/couldn’t/shouldn’t ask for or include.) I asked that the seller provide in writing what she planned to finish prior to closing, and that it would be subject to review and approval.
Since I don’t have the acceptance in writing yet, I don’t know if they’re actually agreeing to that point, but either way, we had it in mind from the very first to finish renovating the thing ourselves — admittedly, in return for a smaller purchase price, but trust me: for the area, it’s already a bargain (53% of the cost per square foot of what other homes in the area are selling for) as long as the inspection doesn’t turn up any major flaws — so I truly don’t want to let that get in the way of closing the deal.
The agent also called several of his more senior colleagues to verify best practices for most of what we did. I feel good about it.
But thanks for the suggestion! And thanks for the comments about the house. I think I’m going to love it, too. I can’t wait to renovate the kitchen.
Closing is supposed to be 12/10, but that’s another thing that may push later because of the renovations. My agent is trying to get info directly from the contractor doing the renovations about when he thinks they’ll be done. I told him that even early January would be fine as long as we know in advance. That actually coincides better with the timing of our lease here.
Posted: Nov 3rd, 2004 at 10:08 pm
Hey, Brenda! Thanks!
For the time being, the pink room will stay pink, and it will probably be a guest room of sorts. *evil cackle* Since we don’t anticipate having all that many guests, it’s not a big issue. We’ll keep the door closed.
Posted: Nov 3rd, 2004 at 11:27 pm
Huzzah!
Posted: Nov 4th, 2004 at 12:00 am
Whee! So cool.
The front of the house doesn’t look all that ugly to me, actually. Although there’s certainly more you could do with the front yard. The back yard, though? Very nice.
-J
Posted: Nov 4th, 2004 at 1:44 am
and here i was thinking “wow, and you won’t even have to repaint!”
–betsy from wombat
Posted: Nov 4th, 2004 at 1:58 am
And for whatever reason, the seller still has loads of junk piled up throughout the house and out on the back porch and driveway. Part of the agreement is that she has to remove all of it, but it was all still there when I took these photos.
Is this in your written offer? If so, good. You will also want a forwarding address. We filled an entire dumpster with the stuff my seller left behind, including a fridge full of food(?) and a couch of doubtful provenance. We were not able to recover any of the expenses associated with getting rid of the stuff.
Posted: Nov 4th, 2004 at 2:04 am
Eh - if you get in when it’s empty, it’s an easy day’s work to repaint it. Also by far the cheapest work you will do on this place.
Posted: Nov 4th, 2004 at 3:46 am
Wow, I love it! Sure, the colors stink, but that’s easy to fix. It definitely has potential to be a great house. I love the kitchen cathole, that’s a unique touch. We ripped down 293485749587493587 pieces of that crappy wooden paneling at our new house (the one we’ve been renovating since April–argh) and drywall is a piece of cake. I am drooling over that back yard…wow.
Posted: Nov 4th, 2004 at 3:56 am
Wow Kate! I don’t think that the front is ugly…but i do hate that overhang over the front stoop, and yes, there are lots of things that you can do to improve the curb appeal….some stuff, like trimming bushes and planting flowers will actually be kinda fun.
I like the newer siding, and I’m sure that to do the bit that they didn’t do won’t be god-awful high…well, I’d think not, anyway.
I love the red and blue rooms. The pink one…not so much, but you know, painting an empty room is much easier than painting a full one. Personally I’d be all about covering up some of that damned yellow first…but you know, it’s not my house. That lady must really have liked her some yellow.
You know, I bet when you take those kitchen cabinets out, you could sell them…while you don’t like them, they don’t look like bad cabinets, and people will pay for them. Our cabinets are 50+ years old and made of knotty pine. *Very country*.
I love your backyard! The backyard here is what captivated me, too. To have that in the city is astounding, and nothing short of wonderful.
I’m so happy for y’all!
Posted: Nov 4th, 2004 at 6:32 am
Wow! Congratulations on home ownership!
Our house was (and still is) a fixer-upper. At first I hated it, but now, with all the work we’ve put into it, I really feel like it’s MINE. I think that’s the best part of fixer-uppers: that you get to turn them into exactly what you want.
Good luck!
Posted: Nov 4th, 2004 at 8:22 am
When I bought my condo the seller left a bunch of crap in the garage that he was supposed to remove so one night I loaded it up and dumped it by the front door of his realtors office. I figured she could return it to him or pay for the cost of hauling it to the dump.
Posted: Nov 4th, 2004 at 8:54 am
Looks great!
Why is there a toilet in the second bedrom - I mean usually when guest rooms have a toilet it isn’t in the middle of the room
OH it goes with the sink in the pink bedroom - I get it!
Posted: Nov 4th, 2004 at 5:13 pm
I think it’s a beautiful house with tons of potential!
Posted: Nov 4th, 2004 at 10:38 pm
Heh. Well, to some extent, I agree. I mean, the paint looks fresh and in good condition, and it’s nicely trimmed with white, so I like that. I’m a fan of bold colors in the home, actually, but I don’t think Karsten cares much for it. We have a lot of his and other artists’ artwork to hang, and having such intense colors on the walls will make the placement of those pieces a little tricky. And neither of us is a big fan of yellow, either, although I don’t mind the light yellow in the kitchen. I don’t mind pink, but that pink is a little too pastel for my tastes. The red in the bedroom is great, and I like the light blue.
Did you like all the colors? How is your home painted? Or, if you don’t have the ability to paint as you’d like, how would you paint your ideal space?
Posted: Nov 4th, 2004 at 10:39 pm
Good point.
Posted: Nov 4th, 2004 at 10:40 pm
Thanks!
Posted: Nov 4th, 2004 at 10:41 pm
Thanks!
Yeah, I’m thinking there may be some easy fixes to the front. But long term, I’m wondering how we might go about building a porch onto it. I love porches.
Posted: Nov 4th, 2004 at 10:42 pm
Yeah, it’s in the written offer, and my agent confirmed yesterday that it’s in the written acceptance.
Yours sounds like quite a frustrating move-in experience! Yeesh. People are pigs.
Posted: Nov 4th, 2004 at 10:42 pm
Heh. That’s certainly one way to do it.
Posted: Nov 4th, 2004 at 10:44 pm
Yeah, I’ve been following along here and there on your renovating journey. I laughed at your post the other day cataloging the injuries you sustained over the weekend.
You’ll have to come to the housewarming, when we have it. I’ll be sure to ask for your email address when the time comes so I can send you an Evite.
Posted: Nov 4th, 2004 at 10:45 pm
That lady must really have liked her some yellow.
This line made me chuckle all day yesterday.
Good point about selling the cabinets. Hadn’t thought of that.
Thanks!
Posted: Nov 4th, 2004 at 10:46 pm
I think that’s the best part of fixer-uppers: that you get to turn them into exactly what you want.
Yeah, you got it.
Thanks!
Posted: Nov 4th, 2004 at 10:46 pm
Hee! I know, it’s goofy.
Posted: Nov 4th, 2004 at 10:46 pm
Thanks!
Posted: Nov 5th, 2004 at 2:41 am
i also love the light blue and the red. i kinda like the pink, although if it didn’t agree with what i had planned for the room, it’d have to go. i think i like the yellow in the living room, but it’s one of those that could be way different in real life than it is in the picture. oddly, i think i’d repaint that kitchen.
i am actually about to move. the current place i am in, we painted the bedroom bright blue, the dressing room bright pinky purple, the landing to go upstairs a light pink, the bathroom a light sunshine yellow (with blue and green tile), and the entry stairway was just repainted lavender with a light blue ceiling.
ahem.
in the new place, the bathroom is currently beiges and browns (to match the leopard print shower curtain), one bedroom is dark purple, and the living room is dark blood red. the rest of the rooms are smoker white, so i am thinking about repainting some of those. and the ones that are currently painted are painted over wallpaper, so if i get ambitious, it will come down. i’m thinking bright colors again, though, but different ones– it needs to feel like a completely different space than where i currently am.
Posted: Nov 13th, 2004 at 4:15 pm
Your agent doesn’t look quite as fantastic as your Portland agent, but not everyone can pull off a cape. The house definitely has loads of potential! Boy, Karsten will have so much carpentry experience he could easily get a drywalling job if ya’ll need a little spending money! I kept look through the pix going, “Eh” but then I saw that yard - Wowzer! Talk about potential. Maybe it’ll be in “The Best of Nashville Yards” some day!
Thank God the most we have to do to “remodel” is varnish some handrails!
LaDonna
Posted: Nov 13th, 2004 at 9:10 pm
LaDonna! I’m so glad you popped in to take a peek.
Yeah, a real estate agent in a cape is definitely not something I expect to see outside of Portland. Hell, I can’t say I ever expected to see it in Portland.
Did we ever tell you that Karsten got a job installing custom closets when we needed money after we moved back to Chicagoland? My dad recommended him for the job based on seeing Karsten’s work on the Portland house.
Lots of people think “eh” when they look at the pictures, but I think you have to see it in person (hint! hint, hint!) to see how much potential it truly has. It’s definitely in an “eh” kind of state right now, but we’re going to do a lot with it.
So! Coming to visit?
By the way, you should really set up an account on LiveJournal. If ever someone should tell some interesting tales in her journal… I’ll just bet you have some great sea-faring tales to spin.
Posted: Nov 19th, 2004 at 1:02 pm
Congratulations! I didn’t even know you were househunting.
That was a fun jpg walk-through. Kona and I sat here wishing we come visit. What a superb project for you and Karsten. I look forward to seeing what you do with it.
Posted: Nov 27th, 2004 at 12:35 am
I wish you could come visit, too!
Posted: Dec 16th, 2007 at 12:25 pm
Hi there, in thinking of painting a bedroom red your image of a red room popped up on google, so I skimmed through your photos of the house. To take on such a project had to be sought after by a right brained person and that was confirmed when I read you would have an art studio. I love your commitment to vision and creation. It makes my heart light.