3709 Perrysville Avenue
This large family home is home to a large family—two parents, three children, two cats, two frogs, and several fish and snails! Built in 1905, the house and single-car garage feature attractive tan brick and original French roof tiles. The family purchased the home in 2011, having fallen in love with its charming front porch and swing, stained glass windows, arched doorways, and built-in cabinets and shelves.
In the living room, check out the working gas fireplace framed in a combination of rough and polished stone. Through the arched doorway is the paneled dining room, which retains its original stained glass windows, beamed ceiling, and glass chandelier. Beyond the dining room, through the French doors, is a 1950s addition—home to the den and “kid kitchen” (with space for a microwave, cabinet, shelves, and kids’ play and craft area).
Visit the back deck for a view of Riverview Park; you may see a few deer, too. The family is learning to garden, and this year they hope to incorporate more edible herbs and vegetables throughout the grounds. Take a peek at the garage while you're there.
Back inside, follow the double staircase up to the expanded master bedroom and bath (made possible by the '50s addition) and kids' rooms. The family repaired, stripped, and repainted the majority of the woodwork on the second floor and turned the unfinished third floor into a playroom. A wall heater, insulation, outlets and recessed lighting, and freshly repaired and painted walls make this room a cozy haven for the whole family. Future projects include finishing the basement, enlarging the patio in the backyard, painting the living and dining room walls, and fixing up the kitchen.
Old houses often yield treasures from the past, and this house was no exception. In the slats behind a bedroom closet door, the family discovered a copy of the “Improved Rules for Playing FLINCH, Revised 1913,” which makes one wonder about the pre-1913 rules. They also found a dozen or more pennies throughout the house—under baseboards, on shelves, even in cracks in the driveway! The fun of restoring an antique home is hard to beat, but when that house is in a neighborhood with lots of children, a beautiful park, and a walkable business district, there's nothing better.