A new house

[germdoc]

I won't bore you all with the ups and downs of my life, which have been pretty dramatic lately. I feel like I'm starring in my own soap opera. I do want to share an upper, which is a bit of a gloat.

I will be buying a new house in La Crosse. It is a charming little house near the center of town which has been recently renovated. It was built in 1928 and is as sturdy as a rock. The outside is admittedly a little plain, but the inside is marvelous. The last owner did a bang-up job of renovating the 2 bathrooms and kitchen, also a den/entertainment room downstairs with wire-in speakers and a wet bar (!). It has 5 bedrooms and original wood floors in great condition.

The yard is small--not too much upkeep!--and very little sidewalk length to clear of snow--may get rid of my snowblower.

The only issue is the roof, which I may have to have replaced this summer, vs. some repair of a small area.

What really sold me, though, was the 3-car garage with a heated bay for my shop! Hardly any residences in this area have more than a 1-car garage, so this is a real find. The garage is brand-spankin' new without a speck of dust. Yet.

You can look at the house here:

http://lacrosserealestate.com/proper...sName=MetroMLS

[LarryG]

Jeff, that looks absolutely terrific. "Charming" is an overworked term when it comes to older houses, but in this case it applies in abundance. You're right: looking at the outside, the inside is a real surprise. Nice! And I'm especially happy for you considering your life's recent series of events.

What really sold me, though, was the 3-car garage with a heated bay for my shop! Hardly any residences in this area have more than a 1-car garage, so this is a real find. The garage is brand-spankin' new without a speck of dust. Yet.

As the incomparable motoring journalist Peter Egan once wrote (approximately) about his own house-hunt, "My needs are simple: a four-bay garage with some sort of living quarters attached." I think you just hit that target.

[crokett]

Wow. That is a very nice house. Have fun in that garage!

[Boomer_01]

Congrats on your new place

I have been trying for years to convince my wife that we should buy us a home. We live in a tiny little 1100 sq/ft place that belongs to her and her sister. We have gutted and renovated the place from the studs out over the past few years.

It’s a nice place, built in the 1920's, and our renovations have made it pretty much a new home inside and out.

We have no debts or mortgage which is nice but it sure would be nice to have a little more space and more than one 5'x7' bathroom.

The wifey says...."no payments!!"...."ever!".....it scares her to death if we owe anything to anyone....so we have to live debt free. I have been saving all I can but it is really tough to stick back enough cash to pluck down $150 - $175K for a house. Its hard enough to save up $30K for a car every five years or so. So I guess we will always we live in this little shoebox house.

Enjoy your new place and your great shop.

[capncarl]

what's snow?

[LYU370]

Jeff, that is a sweet looking house!!!

As the incomparable motoring journalist Peter Egan once wrote (approximately) about his own house-hunt, "My needs are simple: a four-bay garage with some sort of living quarters attached." I think you just hit that target.

How about this baby that I ran across in my house hunt. Most of the houses in the neighborhood have a single car, possible a two car garage. This one has a SIX car tandem garage. I think the garage may be bigger than the house. YIKES!!!

[ragswl4]

Too Nice for Words

For GermDoc:

That is a wonderful home, they don't build em like that anymore. That type of home in a nice area in California would cost $800,000 to $1M and in some cases, even more. I envy you and know you will enjoy the home and workshop. The home is tastefully decorated (colors and scheme) and looks very warm and inviting. I don't know how you feel about the snow but I live in the high desert in SoCal. Two days ago I had a rattlesnake on the front porch (stepped on a 4 footer last year, he struck my pant leg but got no skin) and this summer will be 115+ degrees. We are moving to the mountains next fall (hopefully) if we get the home built by then. I love those old homes as they have such nice character. ENJOY!!!!!!

[ejs1097]

How about this baby that I ran across in my house hunt. Most of the houses in the neighborhood have a single car, possible a two car garage. This one has a SIX car tandem garage. I think the garage may be bigger than the house. YIKES!!!

Nah, this house just has HIS/HERS sides...I'll take the right side, she can have the left side.

[Ed62]

Very cool. You couldn't pass that up even if there were no house attached!

Ed

[Kristofor]

That looks very nice Jeff, and it sounds like it fits your needs as well. I also really like the area (the Mississippi blufflands, not your neighborhood in particular), lots of outdoor activities, smaller town, but still lots kids from the schools to keep the place lively (at least if they'd stop getting drunk and falling in the river...).

[germdoc]

I've thought about moving, for instance to Chicago--my BIL and SIL live in Highland Park and have been trying to get me to move out there. But, La Crosse is a nice place. Over 6 years I've gotten to know just about everyone who's anyone here. The school system is very good; my kids enjoy school and are really into sports and music.

My new house will have an excellent view of scenic Granddad's bluff, and the river is 5 minutes away. As the ice melts, we can drive on highway 35 in either direction and watch the bald eagles casually feasting on fish from the meltwater. In 20 minutes--I clocked it last week--I can get off work and be on the ski slope during the winter. It's a 5 minute commute to work. Kids can walk to and from school.

I guess I like it here, or maybe I'm just too lazy to move far away??

[JR]

... or maybe I'm just too lazy to move far away??

I doubt that! LaCrosse is a very nice spot. You didn't mention your work, Jeff, but I sense that is very fulfilling. With all the other pluses you mention with your family, why would you want to move?

You can go to Chicago easily enough for a show or a game. Or over the twin cities for well um a flight to the Bahamas when the winter lasts too long!

JR

[mater]

Congratulations on the house Jeff. It looks great.

[Tom H]

Sounds like you'll be making lots of dust in there pretty soon. Congradulations!

Tom