The Possible Way-Back-Machine Impossible Kitchen
We've submitted an offer on the Smithfield house. So, once more, we have to wait to see if the owners or in this case, the estate, accepts it. Bidding closes on Monday; they are eager to sell.
Their zeal is understandable. Some people are happy to sell their parents' home if they haven't any use for it, especially if it was a place where memories were painful (good or bad). Would I see my parents' home? No.
However, there also is a distinct possibility that the home is in dire need of repairs or replacements too costly for many folk. Need a new well? Sell it. Oil tanks on their last legs? Sell it.
Thankfully, the VA's brutal appraisals sniff out potential problems, and a house inspection (to include well, oil, and sewer lines) will spare us any grief.
I suppose my only other worry is the size of the kitchen. I won't pretend that I haven't fantasized about making it the laundry room while converting the dining room back into a kitchen.
Yep, back into. The entire back of the house is an addition built over the old cistern. The renovations provided them with an indoor bathroom, an enclosed kitchen, and an extra room. Not bad for a house built in 1936.
The county recently patched sewer in but there might still be a septic tank and leech field in place. (The former absolutely fucks up landscaping if trees are to be planted, while the latter is good for gardens depending upon how long ago it fell out of use).
My best guess is that they went the whole-hog on upgrades for a tiny house. The wood throughout the house was restored to a natural oak finish that matches all the oak in the newly created space. The wooden floors sparkle but the linoleum in the addition is dated. The pie safe in small kitchen also doesn't make sense, yet they took the time to build it in as a small feature.
And now back to the kitchen. The old one, with the built-in cupboards and drawers.
The sink would have sat on the wall where the new kitchen's doorway is, or else where the long window is between the cabinetry. It's easier to take out a window rather than compromise structure integrity.
The stove was likely located so that it patched into the smoke stack. It would be an interior wall.
"Dining rooms cost extra." It is more practical to have a spindly-legged table in the kitchen for a house this small. Toss in some matching chairs and you have all the elements for a warm and inviting room. Our way-back-machine kitchen wouldn't be as 'sleek' as the current cramped space, thank God.
...
Well, I've spent most of the day on this. I've enjoyed daydreaming. Will I be crushed if we don't get the house? A little. That doesn't mean that today was wasted. I love having any excuse to research this crap.