House Tour: 1911 Bungalow on My Old Street
Okay, you’re going to have to indulge me a little bit today. I realize you might not be as excited about this as I am, but this charming bungalow was on the street I grew up on in Clifton, Ohio. I’m thrilled that I get to take a peek inside and see how it looks today.
The neighborhood is filled with beautiful older homes, each one unique. Grand old homes sit next to bungalows like this one. I have vivid memories of playing in homes filled with dark woodwork, stained glass windows, multiple fireplaces, back staircases, high ceilings, and wide front porches. I grew up thinking everyone lived in houses like that.
I check the MLS obsessively frequently to see if anything from my old neighborhood is on the market. No one ever seems to move off this street, which is maddening. Don’t they know I want to see interior photos of them? It’s been a long time since one of our old neighbors’ homes has been for sale, so I could hardly believe my good fortune when this popped up.
According to the MLS listing, the home has 3 bedrooms and 1.5 baths and is on the market for $364,000. Wait until you see what the exterior looked like just two years ago when the current owners bought it. It looks like they had their work cut out for them. Literally!
I did a little sleuthing on the County Auditor’s website and found this photo of what the house looked like when the current owners purchased it in 2006:
Yikes. It took me a minute to figure out that the house was really behind there somewhere. The current owners have clearly done a lot of work since then. They paid $170,000, which may sound like a lot for a house buried in bushes and trees. But it’s in a great neighborhood, and they uncovered a gem underneath. I’m not crazy about all of the remodeling choices they made, but take a look and see for yourself.
I’m a little iffy on the contemporary kitchen and bath, but it warms my heart to see that this house was rescued from that tangle of bushes and trees so it can be seen and appreciated again.
Does anyone want to move to Clifton? Click here to see the full MLS listing and additional photos.
To see a photo of my childhood home, which was built in 1923, click here.
Here’s a picture of me showing off my mad bicycle skillz in the old ‘hood when I was about 7 years old. “Look, Ma! One hand!” I was quite the daredevil.
I’m posting this photo of Wonder Girl so you can see our neighbor’s red brick house in the background. I still remember what it looked like inside with all the beautiful woodwork and gorgeous fireplaces. I was especially fascinated by the second-story porch.
What a fun neighborhood to grow up in! I’m almost tempted to buy that bungalow and move back.
If You’re Hooked on Old Houses:
- Columbia Tusculum’s Victorian Painted Ladies
- Walking and Gawking in Historic North Avondale
- 1908 Mitchell Mansion on Rose Hill
- Normandy Manor: The Levine House
- Tudor Revival-Style Home of the “Cantaloupe King”
- The Belvedere: Luxury Apartment Building from 1925
- The Telford Mansion
- The Spite House
- Cobble Court
- Stokesay Court
- Coco Chanel’s Parisian Apartment
- 1908 Gaslight Mansion
- Mark Twain’s Mansion
- Frank Lloyd Wright’s William P. Boswell House
- Sears Honor-Bilt Home: The Lynnhaven Model
- Sears Modern Homes: House Kits from Catalogs
- Pheasant-Hill Farm
June 1st, 2008 at 10:22 pm
I would have loved living in that neighborhood growing up–and hanging with a daring chica like you. How did you survive your childhood with stunts like this???
I’m not digging all the different woods in this house. But what great bones. I am glad there are people out there who rescue homes rather than just tear down and build another faux Italian villa.
June 2nd, 2008 at 12:43 am
This is such a cool blog! I don’t know how I stumbled across this blog either. The other day I followed a link from somewhere else that mentioned the Colorado mansion that belonged to a lawyer who lost it.
I put it in my favorites and I have checked back and spent time in the archives. How fun! You have managed to find such a variety of places and it is just so much fun looking around at everything you have put here. Bravo!!
June 2nd, 2008 at 6:08 am
Angela–I’m just not sure you have what it takes to ride with a wild chica like me. For one thing, do you have a cape like mine you could wear while performing your feats of daring? Get a cape, then we’ll talk.
Welcome, Starr! Anyone who leaves me compliments like that is my favorite new reader! You made my day.
You guys–this made me laugh. Remember how I told you about pirate sites known as sploggers that sweep in and steal posts minutes after they’re published and put them on their own sites surrounded by ads? This post was put on a “Celebrity Gossip” splogger site for some reason today (am I a celebrity now??), and here’s how they changed it around to read:
“Dorothy Ann wrote an interesting post today and here’s an excerpt: ‘Okay, you’re going to have to indulge me a little bit nowadays. I realize you might not be as excited about this as I am, but this charming chalet was on the boulevard I grew up on in Clifton, Ohio. I’m overjoyed that I get to take a peep inside.’”
I love that they turned my street into a boulevard and this bungalow into a chalet. They’re one of the more creative sploggers out there, apparently. -Dorothy Ann/Julia
June 2nd, 2008 at 8:00 am
That’s just a gorgeous house, Julia! I don’t mind the contemporary kitchen and bath - a girl’s gotta have her amenities, after all.
I’ve never seen these splogger sites you mention. Someone actually gets paid to do that to your posts??
June 2nd, 2008 at 8:17 am
I love the hardwood floors, but not digging the modern stuff they put in. I like things to look a little more natural to the house.
June 2nd, 2008 at 8:30 am
Maya–from what I’ve heard, sploggers set up dozens of sites and cram them with ads in hopes of making money. They don’t bother to write their own posts to fill the fake blogs and instead subscribe to various blogs (mine is a popular one with them!) and grab posts as soon as they’re published. Some people get very upset about it and try to track the sploggers down to get their splogs removed. I just think it’s funny to see how they mangle things. I have so many links back to my site in my posts that I often get hits from these sites and get some new readers from them in the end, so the joke’s on them. -Julia
June 2nd, 2008 at 8:50 am
Aww! Cute little Julia daredevil girl! Love the bungalow. I could even deal with the modern kitchen and bath, even though it could have been done better and more in keeping with the style.
June 2nd, 2008 at 10:22 am
Julia,
They did a great job finding the house under the overgrown “landscaping” and I don’t mind the actual renovations, but I just don’t like their decorating. It seems eclectic, but somehow not tied together or warm. Can’t put my finger on it, but it was fun to look at, like all your posts.
Janet
June 2nd, 2008 at 10:22 am
Dorothy Ann - thanks for another fun post! You’re right, that chalet is charming.
But seriously, the only thing I was a little disappointed in was the contemporary styled fireplace - I would have loved to see a little more Craftsman charm in the re-do of it…but otherwise - oh my, they put a lot of work into it! And kudos to them for seeing the “diamond in the rough” when they bought it.
June 2nd, 2008 at 10:44 am
LOVE old house… I live in one myself… thanks for stopping by my site… come back and visit.
June 2nd, 2008 at 12:18 pm
Oh My! I hope they got an award from the neighborhood asssociation for the “curb appeal” makeover. I cannot imagine having to tear out all of those bushes.
June 2nd, 2008 at 1:56 pm
I forgot everything I was going to say once I saw that picture of you standing on your bike seat. lol!
June 2nd, 2008 at 3:26 pm
You daredevil you!!
Love the house - it has great bones. We especially love the front door - from the inside looking out!
As always, thanks for digging up the pictures for us to snoop!!
Karla & Karrie too!
June 2nd, 2008 at 4:14 pm
And here all this time we’ve been friends I thought you were a mild-mannered child!
Excellent house, though I’ve never seen a bungalow with so many different woods intersecting.
June 2nd, 2008 at 5:15 pm
I’m in blog heaven! I love love love looking at homes and getting new inspiration for my own. The bungalow looks great!
June 2nd, 2008 at 7:49 pm
What a great house, they did an excellent job rescuing it from the house-eating-jungle. My old house was a Craftsman colonial and I miss all the wood details and cubbyholes.
The double-porch house in your old neighborhood would have fascinated me as a child as well — I would have been all about that balcony: Rapunzel!
June 2nd, 2008 at 8:09 pm
Beautiful house, so different to what we have in Sydney. Thanks for dropping by our blog.
June 3rd, 2008 at 5:55 am
Oh what a wonderful house!
xo,
Kim
June 3rd, 2008 at 8:08 am
I love the outside and inside of that little bungalow. It’s gorgeous!
June 3rd, 2008 at 10:23 am
Great tour! Thanks for your comment on the Living post - glad to hear blogging has helped with your writing. Sounds like you have a great job! Good luck in all you do.
June 3rd, 2008 at 10:44 am
I too love older homes, I like see what is inside too they have so many hiden treasures, just love them. Thanks for your comment (tour). Enjoy your site.
June 3rd, 2008 at 2:44 pm
Hello Julia..it’s been great catching up here! I love the way that old house was restored!
You were a cutie pie!
Pat
June 3rd, 2008 at 2:53 pm
What a diamond in the ruff! LOL Just lovely!
June 3rd, 2008 at 4:32 pm
The real question is: Can you still stand like that
on your bike? lol, just kidding.
June 3rd, 2008 at 6:55 pm
Of course I can! And now I can balance with NO hands while simultaneously juggling 3 bowling pins. I’m amazing. -Julia
June 3rd, 2008 at 7:50 pm
No cape…but I was thinking, would size 6X Wonder Woman underroos work? Oh, that is not a pretty picture I just conjured up in my head. Scratch that idea.
June 3rd, 2008 at 7:56 pm
Wonder Woman was always my favorite. I used to pretend I had her invisible plane to fly around in on the playground at recess (yes, I was that cool). If you’re willing to don Wonder Woman Underoos, you can join my posse even without the cape. -Julia
June 4th, 2008 at 12:33 pm
Beautiful! My DREAM is to own a bungalow someday…lakeside, near the ocean. *ahhhh*
Love your picture!
June 4th, 2008 at 10:31 pm
That house has great bones. What a find! I find the decor a little confusing though. Too much of a mish-mash of styles for my taste. I think they’d do much better to try and stay true to the style of the house.
June 5th, 2008 at 11:36 am
What a little daredevil!
I love this house…great bones but yes. I would have loved a little less contemporary styling in the kitchen and bath. Why do people try to fight the true nature of a home? *sigh* But what do I know!!
Your little girl is so much like you as a youngster. She is a joy I know…
Love,
Sue
June 15th, 2008 at 6:38 pm
Hi Julia,
I saw some stuff about your blog mentioned on several reno blogs I’ve been checking out and I finally dropped by.
Much to my surprise I find that you’re just across the river from us and that my wife also grew up in Clifton.
Anyway, we’re putting a link up to you on RehabOrDie.com. We certainly aren’t a celeb house, but it’s a before and after reno blog to be sure…
Anyway, nice work and we’ll be back often.
Mark