We looked at several more over the next few weeks - houses with updated kitchens and bathrooms, houses with refinished hardwood floors, houses out of our comfortable price range. I kept coming back to this one. It was built in 1954 and had only had 2 owners over that time. It has a newer roof and furnace. I couldn't justify buying a house with a brand new kitchen just to have to turn around and drop a lot of cash on a new roof. I can't invite friends over to ogle my new roof!
This house was a blank slate design-wise. It had good bones, but not much else. Everything was painted just a shade or two off-white (and when I say everything, I mean everything: light switches, picture hangers, bulletin boards [yes, BULLETIN BOARDS!] were all painted over). It was perfect for someone like me that wanted to put her own stamp on it.
This is what it looked like when we moved in:
The entryway (with rotary phone)
The Dining Room
The minty green kitchen with the avocado stove/microwave combination
The main bathroom
One of the bedrooms that we use as an office
The "Master" Bedroom
The Guest Room (you can't tell here, but it was Pepto-bismol pink)
The "Finished" Basement