103 Year Old Craftsman House
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I’m moving to this 103-year-old craftsman house soon. The house belongs to Kendra and is a rental that is currently empty. Imagine the stories that old house could tell!
Kendra sent me a few photos, and I love the old house already. We have the same love of old houses. Over the past decade, she has fixed and renovated almost everything in this house. She said she didn’t think anything needed to be replaced.
I’ll pay double rent for a while so I can move in before the holidays. Three years ago, when I moved here, it was just after Christmas. I want to be somewhat settled so I can enjoy Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Kendra looked for a house I could purchase, but the ones I could afford were in areas she didn’t think I’d be safe living in.
One house she looked at had pit bulls living next door. Another had cars in the yard. One was empty, so she went around to the back to look in the crawl space and found black mold. And one had chickens in the front yard.
Option To Rent Her House:
So Kendra called and told me this house was empty and asked if I wanted to rent it from her. She said I could move in any time after the professional cleaners come in next week.
The plan is for me to pay rent and take care of the upkeep and maintenance of the house. It will be one less worry for her. One less renter calling her for things they want done.
It’s in a different part of town than I’m accustomed to, but not very far from my doctor’s office. It has around 1400 square feet. Yard mowing will be included in the rent.
The exterior needs to be painted. We’re hoping to get a bid on painting the outside next week. I’ll pay for that. It’s probably the only thing about this house that needs to be done.
She is worried about the steps going up to the large front porch. But everything we’ve seen has had steps. Greg looked at the photos and told me to have a railing put in.
I’ve spent the past few days going through stuff in the second bedroom and packing it up. I still have most of the closet to go through, though.
The Woman With The Stripper Pole:
You may remember me telling you about the former renter. She had a stripper pole installed in the dining room, unbeknownst to Kendra.
A year or so ago, there was a fire originating in the bathroom, I believe. And when Kendra went in after the repairs had been made to have the floors refinished, she saw the stripper pole.
There initially was a problem figuring out how to remove the pole. Kendra is well acquainted with crawl spaces. And even underneath the floor, she couldn’t figure out quite how it was attached, let alone how to remove it.
Finally, someone figured it out, and they moved the stripper pole to redo the flooring. The tenant begged her to put it back. So, Kendra, being who she is, did so. It is gone now, however. The only sign it was ever there is the spot in the ceiling where the pole used to be. It still has to be painted, she said.
The insurance adjuster said a candle caused the fire, which I’m assuming was unattended. The woman had claimed the fire started due to an electrical problem or something that she was not responsible for.
There was a porch swing on the big front porch, but someone was bold enough to go up on the porch and take it.
Going To See The House:
She’s planning to pick me up in the morning, and we’ll see the house, then go to lunch. Then she will drop me off and go back to work on the rental house in Broken Arrow. The tenants are moving in on Monday.
There are three bedrooms in this old house, a dining room, a kitchen, and a laundry. Fourteen hundred square feet is more room than I’ve been accustomed to in a long time. Ivy will have plenty of room to wander.
Once I see it tomorrow, I’ll let you know more. I’m excited about moving into this old house!
Congratulations Brenda! Wishing you many happy years in your new home. I hope you will be able to stay in touch with all the friends you have made at your current home. Best wishes to you.
Congratulations! Beautiful house! Are you going to keep the house the same color? At least you know that is in good shape being one of Kendra’s! That has to be peace of mind! So happy for you!
Such exciting happy news!
Congratulations!! I’m so happy for you! What a relief this must be. I can’t wait to see how all of your beautiful furnishings look in your new place. (I laughed at your typo- Fourteen square feet is more room than I’ve been accustomed to … 😂 I know you meant fourteen hundred). Good luck with the move!
I was hoping your daughter would have something for you. congratulations!
I am so excited for you. And a bit jealous. Getting an older home that has been updated is a dream for me. Rails on the stairs is a great idea and will be helpful.
Congratulations! I love old homes too. Good luck and may God bless you abundantly . . .
I am happy for you being able to move into such a fantastic house. You will have so much fun decorating it. One step at a time & enjoy the process! I will look forward to your new journey.
It’s beautiful! I can’t wait to see how you decorate it!
How absolutely wonderful! I can’t wait to see more!
This is great news Brenda. Congratulations, you must be so relieved.
So very happy for you Brenda. Take it one day at a time. It will all get done and before you know it you will settled in your new home.
So happy for you! I can’t believe it’s been three years in the current place. Good for you to leave it behind after all the hell they gave you over the water problems. Nice idea to be settled before the holidays. Congratulations!
Fantastic news! The house looks great, so happy for you and Ivy.
Brenda this is so exciting!! I can’t wait to see what you do with the place and I love reading about your relationship with your daughter(s). It’s truly lovely. Best of luck!
Oh how wonderful and exciting!!!!!
YAY!! I just knew Kendra would find the perfect place for you! It is the perfect solution for both of you! I can’t wait to see what you do with it. The front porch will be so much fun to decorate. I love that your neighbors are already missing you and planning to come visit you. I’m so so so happy for you!
PS- I think it’s hilarious that it’s the stripper pole house! I remember you telling us about it. Who would have thought you’d be living there in the future, lol?!!
Just read your post about not being able to clean your apartment you have now. How will you clean this one? Thought you said on another post you let your house cleaner go to save money. How will you wheel your garbage can out to the curb when you can hardly walk ?
And why if you are renting from your daughter/ owner do you need to pay for the outside painting ? That’s on her.
So exciting. I can’t wait to see what you do with it. It’s finally all coming together for you. You’ve been a warrior through it all. You deserve this and you should be very proud of yourself.
Oh my goodness, Brenda I’m so excited for you! It’s perfect for you and Ivy. This is exactly what you described the other day. Everything is falling into place. Yay!!!!
How perfect for everyone! I love the craftsmen style! It ‘ll be a wonderful space for you and Ivy! This seems just too perfect for you and Kendra! Enjoy the tour!
Brenda, I am just as excited as you! Congratulations on finding a house or should I say a house and Kendra finding you. Kendra is an angel.
It is too bad that the place that you are in will not let you out of the lease early. But I guess that if they won’t at least there will not be a rush to pack up and get everything out and in the new place ASAP.
Looking forward to seeing your new place and you putting your stamp on it. At least Kendra knows that it will be well cared for and there will not be any shenanigans-or stripper poles.
I love this for you, Brenda! And for Ivy as well! I love old houses too and am really looking forward to seeing what you do with it. It’s going to be beautiful!
I’m so very happy for you, Brenda! Everything sounds so good for you and Kendra, and I know Ivy will love exploring her new home. I love Craftsman-styled houses. Wishing you all the best.
Exciting! I can’t wait to see your new home and projects inside and outside. Tell us about the backyard and plans for your gardens.
I am so happy for you. Cannot wait to see how you decorate the inside and the front porch.
Sounds like so many pluses even if it’s an area you aren’t familiar with. You’ll be safe, Kendra and Kasi will always see to that but count yourself lucky to be settled inside before the holidays. It’s going to be fun having room to spread out and not fall over something in the way.
Sounds purely wonderful!!! SOOOO happy for you, Brenda!!!
Congratulations Brenda, so happy for you! It’s a beautiful house for you and Ivy with lots of room to make so many good memories.
So excited for you and fingers crossed you love it after the visit. It sounds like the home you have been dreaming of!!!!!
The best news ever! I am so happy for you.
What great news! Please please please NO dashing across the yard to take a photo.
Your new home looks so nice! I like that style of house. It looks so nice, inside and outside and I am sure you will love it. I know I would! And won’t it be nice to have all that extra room. Ivy will love it, too. I can just see her roaming from room to room and looking over her new area.
We, your readers, are so happy for you and wish you the best in your new home.
I’m sooo happy and excited for you ! Congrats ! I’m looking forward to more pictures and how you decorate it !
How exciting! I’m so happy for you and Kendra helping each other. What better tenant than your mom. Take lots of pics for us, can’t wait to see what you do with this adorable house. All those rooms to play with. Love it
What great news, Brenda! I was hoping a solution like this would arise. It will be fun to watch you make it your own. Another adventure for you and Ivy! Yay Kendra! Bye bye awful landlords.
What a great house! Just the kitchen alone looks brand new, and is very open so you could easily get around in it to make your meals, and the floors are beautiful! You also have yards where you can do your gardening! I think that renting is a good option. You don’t have to pay HOA fees and on top of those pay property/real estate taxes that you really have little to no control over. Have you seen the show “Restored” with Brett Waterman? He is absolutely incredible in restoring lots of Craftsman (Arts and Crafts) style homes by incorporating modern-day amenities but also restoring the original charm and originality of the original home style. I can’t tell you how many times I watched and re-watched the episodes, which are available on “Discovery +” and available on Magnolia Network. P.S. What a rotten thing to do – to STEAL a front porch swing. It makes my head explode the things that people get away with, like they’re entitled to it and DARE YOU TO COME AFTER THEM FOR DAMAGES. Ugh. I sure could never be a landlord, I don’t have the temperament for it. So happy for you Brenda! And to be able to be settled into your new home so you can have a happy and peaceful Christmas and maybe even have a tree up and decorated, that’s just wonderful. Wow – a whole new book added to the series of the Life of Brenda, can’t wait!
What a great house! How wonderful to be renting from your daughter. That’s a lot of square footage for one person. Will you be able to maintain it? Or, can you hire a housekeeper?
Brenda, I am so happy for you. This house is perfect for you and Ivy!
What a blessing Kendra is to you. I wish you every happiness, good health and much luck in this beautiful home.
Congratulations! Craftsman is one of my favorites. I love the front porch you’ll have so much fun decorating. You won’t have to put down a down payment and go through closing. I wish I lived near enough to offer my help with the move. I guess that is not saying much because at 78, I probably wouldn’t be much help. I know you are on cloud nine.
Brenda in Texas
Just make sure you pass redecorating past your landlord (daughter). Don’t forget you ended up in two crappy rentals because of those modge podge cabinets! Glad you both were able to get through that and she can rent to you again! It looks lovely!
That was my exact concern too, Claudia! Brenda, hope you enjoy your new place and be okay with how things look within so you and your daughter can remain on good terms. Hopefully there won’t be any major house repairs needed that would throw your budget into chaos. If it’s too much space, maybe you could share with a college student or someone who needs a reasonable rent and space that could help you with things needed around your new home.
That sounds wonderful!
I love that home!! I know you will be proud to get this move behind you!! Good luck to you and Ivy. She is such a beautiful kitty. I really enjoy your blogs.
Brenda, I woke up this morning at 4:30 and wondered if Brenda would tell us today what is happening with the house hunting. This seems like the perfect solution for you and you won’t be encumbered with owning the house. Plus you know you will have a great landlord! Can’t wait to see you do your magic!
I’m so glad you’re moving to a beautiful home! So nice to see family members taking care of each other.
So happy for you, Brenda! Wishing you and Ivy all the best. I do hope you keep the friendships you have made in your present residence. Family and friends are so important 💞
Oh Brenda, I am thrilled for you! Can’t wait to see more pics. This craftsman sounds perfect for you. I hope the yard is big enough for a small garden area for you perhaps? And I know Ivy would love more room to explore…what kitty wouldn’t? Fingers crossed all goes as planned! Enjoy your day! 😉
Oh what good news! And what a blessing for you! You are blessed with the best landlord you could possibly hope for. And so much space for you and Ivy … a yard of your own for your gardening … finally you can relax and enjoy where you live. I’m so excited for you. Remember to take lots of pictures … we will all be looking forward to see what you will do with your new space.
AND… your dream is no longer a dream but is reality! The pictures you have listed look like a wonderful home. Congratulations, Brenda, I knew it would happen, one way, or another. Can’t wait to see the interior when you decorate. This is VERY exciting!!!!!!!!!
Brenda, I’m so happy for you.
Brenda, how cute! I love this style house. Actually on an earlier post you described your ideal home. This comes so close…good luck moving, I hope your dear neighbors and friends will visit. With your talent, I can just envision how comfortable and cozy it will be…..if the stripper post was still there, maybe you could have made a scratching post for Ivy………have a wonderful weekend….
I am excited for you to see this house! Ivy will love it, explore every nook and cranny.
How wonderful that your daughter will be your landlady. Perfect situation. I hope all works out.
What a wonderful solution for you! Can’t wait to see what a beauty you’ll make it inside and out!
That’s so wonderful to hear! I’m glad to hear you’re moving to such a wonderful house. Can’t wait to see how you decorate it. You have such a good eye for decorating. I love older Craftman house; it looks very similar to your Cozy Lttle House picture.
Wow! Perfect. Looking forward to seeing the back yard. Is there a patio? I see a porch swing in your future. Are you repainting the gray interior walls to a more neutral color? That’s something I would do first before all the decorating. Too bad the stripper pole is gone. We could enjoy that as readers!
Congratulations Brenda! You will make this place cozy and beautiful. Props to Kendra.
I’m excited for you and really excited to see how you decorate it. I’ve loved your decorating style since I discovered you through an article in Apartment Therapy. I’m guessing we are about the same age. I’ll be 73 in November. Your reminiscences certainly hit home with me!
I wish you the best of luck and look forward to peeking into your new home!
Brenda, this sounds like a great home for you. You may not miss many of us here, but you will be missed by some of us. Good luck on your move. We will visit about your new home later.
Yes, I will miss you. I am planning to have a housewarming party and have all of you over so you can see where I live and you can then come visit me.
that’s so nice
I am so happy and relieved for you. I love an old house with a porch!
So happy for you Brenda! Looking forward to hearing more about it.
Oh how exciting! Craftsman is my favorite style of house. I think you’re going to love it! A lot of room for you too. I’m sure you’re going to make it a fabulous home! Can’t wait to see the things you do.
I’m so happy for you!
I am so excited for you! This all sounds like a dream come true for you. Looking forward to hearing all about this new adventure.