I checked out an estate sale not far from me this morning and enjoyed seeing the house much more than I enjoyed "shopping" the contents. The house was a typical Mobile ranch from the early 1960's, but appeared to be maybe a custom home based on the quality of the house.
The house was of slab-on-grade construction and while most rooms were carpeted, the foyer and the kitchen were terrazzo. I suspect the terrazzo could be throughout the house, but I did not try to pull up any carpet to confirm this. The doors in the house were beautiful flush birch with their original finish - so rare to find woodwork this old that has not been painted or replaced. Same for the kitchen, flush birch doors with magnetic catches, in great shape. The bedroom hall was wide - could have been as wide as 48" - and included a nice, cedar-lined closet with a drawer at the bottom. The walk-in-closet in the master bedroom was accessed via a pocket door that was a full-louvered wood door, possibly fir construction with transparent finish. Not your ordinary louvers, these were the chevron-style so no vision from one side to the other. And the door rolled smoothly into and out of the pocket - this was not a cheap door.
I've included a few photos. First is the sink. This big-honkin-double-sink-with-drainboard is an Elkay Lustertone. Needs cleaning and polishing, but it could be a real beauty. Second is the GE Americana range in Coppertone - probably original to the house. Again, needs cleaning. Third is the "fun" part of the house - the hall bath - in lilac and white. Even the mini-blinds in this bath were lilac. It was actually not a horrible room.
I hate to think what new owners could to this house. It's obvious that the house is well-built and well cared for all these years. I was told that the house would be placed on the market but for now an asking price was still undetermined. The lot was large, at the end of a cul-de-sac and included a swimming pool and a detached brick structure (I'm guessing a guest house) and a double carport (in addition to the original 2-car garage).
lawrence
The house was of slab-on-grade construction and while most rooms were carpeted, the foyer and the kitchen were terrazzo. I suspect the terrazzo could be throughout the house, but I did not try to pull up any carpet to confirm this. The doors in the house were beautiful flush birch with their original finish - so rare to find woodwork this old that has not been painted or replaced. Same for the kitchen, flush birch doors with magnetic catches, in great shape. The bedroom hall was wide - could have been as wide as 48" - and included a nice, cedar-lined closet with a drawer at the bottom. The walk-in-closet in the master bedroom was accessed via a pocket door that was a full-louvered wood door, possibly fir construction with transparent finish. Not your ordinary louvers, these were the chevron-style so no vision from one side to the other. And the door rolled smoothly into and out of the pocket - this was not a cheap door.
I've included a few photos. First is the sink. This big-honkin-double-sink-with-drainboard is an Elkay Lustertone. Needs cleaning and polishing, but it could be a real beauty. Second is the GE Americana range in Coppertone - probably original to the house. Again, needs cleaning. Third is the "fun" part of the house - the hall bath - in lilac and white. Even the mini-blinds in this bath were lilac. It was actually not a horrible room.
I hate to think what new owners could to this house. It's obvious that the house is well-built and well cared for all these years. I was told that the house would be placed on the market but for now an asking price was still undetermined. The lot was large, at the end of a cul-de-sac and included a swimming pool and a detached brick structure (I'm guessing a guest house) and a double carport (in addition to the original 2-car garage).
lawrence
