Still on our Corner...

Although we certainly had good intentions to walk way from our corner once and for all... we were held back by numerous events that in end led to staying in our current home. The house at the corner of Erato. As some of you may know... and others may not, this is the second time we tried to leave. But we just keep ending up back here on our corner. This time being stuck again was made easier by the knowledge that it is a truly temporary situation this time around. Why do you ask...? Well, because if it all goes according to plan we will close on our first house on September 17th.

This project is much larger than our last attempt at home ownership and for that reason alone it will probably all work out leaving us with the biggest challenge Greg and I have faced together... home renovation! With our limited funds we had a difficult time finding a house we like, within the price range and without major problems. So in the end we went with a house with no hidden problems (a key aspect of house shopping in post-Katrina New Orleans) because all the problems are really quite evident... as you can see below. Even with all its blatant issues... it is the house of our dreams and Greg and I cannot wait for it to be all ours.

We have dreamt of a side hall ever since we fell in love with 1469 N Prieur (our first contracted house which we lost to structural damage). But we never dreamed we would find one completely intact and not altered (ie. not enclosed). Due to Greg's childhood lawn mowing career with his dad he fell in love with the backyard at first site (I could live without mowing, but Greg can't wait). That said its a truly unique situation known in New Orleans as a key lot in which our backyard is as wide as our house and stretches behind the neighbors house making our lot L-shaped and huge! The neighborhood leaves something to be desired, but we do have a community garden, art installations including the Prospect One Safe house and Greg's favorite fried chicken... Brother's! In the future a Street Car will run four blocks from the house and St Roch Market (only a few blocks away) will be an Organic Co-op. These projects may take 5-10 years but with a planner in the neighborhood (yours truly) maybe we will see them to fruition.

The exterior of the house is in pretty good shape. The roof is new and the walls recently painted. Structurally the house is in good shape. The interior has been gutted from the picture molding up to the ceiling. We are going to save as many plaster walls as we can. There are original wood floors, trim work, doors and transoms. Every window and exterior door has screens (but we have to install them). We are putting a small apartment in the back and we will live in the front four rooms. The house is SEVEN rooms LONG. Its obviously a traditional New Orleans shotgun, but its unique because its a Three-Bay or Sid Hall.

So again everyone send us all the good house vibes you can... we are about to start the FHA-203k loan process which can be gruesome. Thank you bureaucracy but a federally backed loan with low interests and low down payments is the only way to go.

Front:
Back:Backyard:Sidehall:

Living Room: