These pictures are legit taken a couple of weeks ago.
Thursday, September 13, 2007
Here we go again kids
Well after a bunch of soul searching I decided to make some decisions. First off, I decided to stay at my job. That was not easy b/c I got a couple of incredible offers that plagued my mind and tempted my wanderlust for weeks. Once I came to the conclusion that I just might try to keep a job for more than a year, I decided to change something else--where I live. For 33 years I have lived in Everett, MA (living at school doesn't count) and as of next year will be an expatriate. Yep, I'm moving to Peabody, or West Peabody, depending on who you talk to.
To recap, I had been hoping to purchase land in Saugus to build a house on. I was waiting for 7 months for the title to clear on the land, and on the day after it did, the seller decided to sell the land to someone else. Oh well. As it turns out it was a wise decision because Saugus is pretty much bankrupt right now, and the area that this house is in is being completely dug up for new sewer lines, which means construction would have been a nightmare.
Fast forward to deciding on looking for something pre-existing. Those that know me know of my desire to take sledgehammers to perfectly good walls, tear down things I had built mere months ago and re-do them, and just generally want to re-tile, re-wire, and re-plumb things on a consistent and regular basis. That said, a new house not of my own design just wasn't going to cut it, nor was something in 'move-in conditon'.
Finding a fixer-upper was what I had to do. I looked for MONTHS and saw things I thought had potential, but they were sold in days. I saw things that had potential if I knew magic as well as construction, and saw things that just had nothing going for it. Then, one day I came across an ad in Peabody. I wasn't even considering it, but something about the house intrigued me. Maybe it was the furniture, straight out of the 60s. Maybe it was the architecture, straight out of the 50's. Whatever it was, I looked at it, and moved on. A month later I saw it in person and bought it 2 days later. The closing is the end of next month.
23 Downing Road was purchased as a summer home in 1959 by two sisters who lived in East Boston. In 1959, before rt128, and before rt 1 hit 50mph, Peabody was a good hour away from East Boston. The house was never lived in, just visited, yet was completely furnished and NEVER CHANGED. The pictures tell the story.
The house also has a history. It was built by Alfred Campanelli, who is a reknown developer of post-war homes giving people a chance to buy the "American Dream" when the men were returning home. The houses boasted a bunch of 'modern' conveniences, including radiant floor heating, built-in kitchen appliances, and fully landscaped lots that were visible through floor-to-ceiling windows.
A lot has changed since 1959, and a lot has stayed the same, including everything in this house. I can't stress that enough. I will be pretty much gutting the place, and documenting the changes here. Climb onboard, should be an interesting ride.
To recap, I had been hoping to purchase land in Saugus to build a house on. I was waiting for 7 months for the title to clear on the land, and on the day after it did, the seller decided to sell the land to someone else. Oh well. As it turns out it was a wise decision because Saugus is pretty much bankrupt right now, and the area that this house is in is being completely dug up for new sewer lines, which means construction would have been a nightmare.
Fast forward to deciding on looking for something pre-existing. Those that know me know of my desire to take sledgehammers to perfectly good walls, tear down things I had built mere months ago and re-do them, and just generally want to re-tile, re-wire, and re-plumb things on a consistent and regular basis. That said, a new house not of my own design just wasn't going to cut it, nor was something in 'move-in conditon'.
Finding a fixer-upper was what I had to do. I looked for MONTHS and saw things I thought had potential, but they were sold in days. I saw things that had potential if I knew magic as well as construction, and saw things that just had nothing going for it. Then, one day I came across an ad in Peabody. I wasn't even considering it, but something about the house intrigued me. Maybe it was the furniture, straight out of the 60s. Maybe it was the architecture, straight out of the 50's. Whatever it was, I looked at it, and moved on. A month later I saw it in person and bought it 2 days later. The closing is the end of next month.
23 Downing Road was purchased as a summer home in 1959 by two sisters who lived in East Boston. In 1959, before rt128, and before rt 1 hit 50mph, Peabody was a good hour away from East Boston. The house was never lived in, just visited, yet was completely furnished and NEVER CHANGED. The pictures tell the story.
The house also has a history. It was built by Alfred Campanelli, who is a reknown developer of post-war homes giving people a chance to buy the "American Dream" when the men were returning home. The houses boasted a bunch of 'modern' conveniences, including radiant floor heating, built-in kitchen appliances, and fully landscaped lots that were visible through floor-to-ceiling windows.
A lot has changed since 1959, and a lot has stayed the same, including everything in this house. I can't stress that enough. I will be pretty much gutting the place, and documenting the changes here. Climb onboard, should be an interesting ride.
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