Walkabout Weekend Winner 3

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Here's a beautiful Victorian style B and B, soon to be going up for sale. I discovered this amazing house several months ago and can't help but stare at it each time I walk by. I was able to go in it a few weeks ago for an estate sale. The architecture is true to the period and must always stay that way because it has been registered as a historic house. I took some photos on the inside, but it happened to be with my mother-in-law's camera. I'll get those photos from her this weekend hopefully and then update this post with them.

(How cool is that turret?)

It was built in 1892 and renovated in 1959, has 5 bedrooms (all of which have their own theme), 3.25 bath. The master bath is located on the second floor, dead center in front of the house. The door you see on the second floor above the main entry is a door to the master bathroom. Weird feature don't ya think? I'm guessing it wasn't originally a bathroom there.


It has a total of 4,041 sq.ft, that includes livable spaces on the 3rd floor and the basement! Has 2 fireplaces. As you walk in they are located in the room to the left and the right. It took a while to see the whole house, there were nooks and crannies every where. It has a great garage with work shop and a basketball/tennis court in the back.

It last sold in 1986 for $160,000. At present, it's estimated to be just under $600,000.

(right side of house)

Walkabout Weekend Winner 2

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I love several styles of architecture but one calls out to me more than the rest.....the
American Crafstman! A style that encourages originality, simplicity of form, local natural materials, and the visibility of handicraft. I always pass this one (slowly I might add) every time I go walkabout. I've been wanting to wait until the restoration work was done on it to feature it but I love it so much I couldn't wait.

It's a 1915 Craftsman. Renovated in 1970. It's undergoing an exterior renovation at the moment on the right side of the house. It's a 4 Bedroom 1.5 bath, 2,877 Sq. Ft. and according to Zillow.com, it's valued around 424k.

From here, you can obviously see all the scaffolding for the restoration.
I love the swoop on all the fascias and the their fence is beautiful. It was an overcast day so these pics do not do this house justice. And as far as I can tell, I only ever see
one man working on it.

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I love what they did with the porch ceiling; a nice glossy stain and simple craftsman Mission style lighting the length of the porch. I'd like to do this to our porch someday.

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It was last sold in 1980 for $80,000!

This is a view of the left side of the house. Looks like a small drive way but the fence actually opens up for access to the garage in the back. They have a nice mudroom and it looks like they have several solar panels on the roof (my kind of people).

And here is a shot of the house from the back. As you can see, those beautiful dormers extend to the back too! I bet there is plenty of space on that second floor. I love how they connected the fascias on those dormers too. Just beautiful craftsmanship!

Walkabout Weekend Winner 1

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My wife and I are huge fans of walking. It's the best way to discover new neighborhoods and gawk at the amazing houses we see along the way. We live in Tacoma WA which is an old and beautiful city, and we fall more and more in love with her the more we discover. We live within walking distance of the Historic District of Tacoma, so you can only imagine the stunning craftsmanship and architecture we get to see along our walks. I am starting "Walkabout Weekend Winner" to share these great homes and show you a bit of what Tacoma has to offer as far as residential architecture and overall curb appeal! We hope you enjoy and get inspiration from them as much as we do.

Our first Walkabout Weekend Winner is this stunning cottage! Click on pics to enlarge.

She sits on Yakima St., which is a main street but luckily the house sits far back and the road isn't too busy. The fence and extra wide arbor really give it an inviting look. It looks as though a professional landscape artist gave every inch of this property their loving attention. Everything from the knee high shrubs, to the wisteria overhead, to the lightly red stained walkway, comes together to make a cohesive enchanted cottage feel. I want to knock on their door and say job well done, it's beautiful...when can I move in?!

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I was tempted to jump into their yard and move that garbage can out of the way. I do however like this idea of a side access leading out to the street making it more convenient to haul out the cans. Did I mention they have a view of the water from out back?!!!

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