One of the reasons I relocated to Bremerton WA was because of the history and early century architecture. I love older homes. Maybe it is because of one home I remember as a child that was in Puyallup. A true craftsman with a huge front porch and built in buffets, along with a really unique floor plan that included a kitchen breakfast nook and closets so large we made them into playhouses.
Anyway, the home we purchased here was built in 1941, it isn't a craftsman but a Cape Cod Bungalow. It has a steep roof with side gables, a small roof overhang and is 1 1/2 stories on a daylight basement. I have wide clapboard type T&G siding on the front and raked shingles on the other 3 sides. The appearance is symmetrical with the door in the center. A Cape Cod Bungalow is different than a Cape Cod Craftsman because of no dormers. I have all oak flooring on the main level which is about 1/2 inch think and gorgeous! I also just found several bundles of unused oak flooring in the attic. Enough to install it in the 3/4 bath in the basement!
The home had been occupied by the same person since 1946 and to my amazement hadn't had any remodeling done! Sometimes over the years older homes have had so many owners and so many DIY projects that they are just ruined! Mine was just left original until the owner had to be removed and some relatives decided to "flip it".
I was living in California and my husband was in Iraq when we bought the home. I had only been to the property once for about 15 minutes. I saw what I saw. Of course I had an inspection done and of course there are times that an inspector just can't possibly find it all. That is our story - he didn't find it all. But I have.
I have found that the fireplace was ruined by a wood stove insert. I just ordered a new insert to be installed along with a new liner and chimney chase.
I have found that some of the sill plate and rim joist had dry rot because of water damage probably by a gutter issue. We had a contractor out last week to fix those problems without having to jack the house up!
I have found that there was really no insulation in the attic. Back in the day they would put insulation in the floor joists and use the attic as additional whatever space. Our attic was converted to two large rooms and a sitting area. I turned one into a huge walk-in closet and one into the master bedroom. Those areas were insulated around them but the area above the main living area didn't have any insulation.
This past week I layed the insulation on one side and will video it when I am totally complete. Installing insulation in an attic is really easy. I have done it all myself - the entrance to the area is only 15" wide so it had to be me - haha!
Here is my video - have fun watching, my husband thinks I am crazy.
If you want to purchase a Craftsman or a Cape Cod in Bremerton you want to make sure you are working with an agent that knows about the product. I have fireplace inpectors, contractors and yardbirds (lumber yard associates) that are a part of my team. There is more than a home inpsection that needs to take place when purchasing these homes.
This is an investment but it also is our home.
Author:Jo Soss
Jo Soss is the designated Broker and the owner of Homefront Realty in Bremerton Washington. Selling real estate in the greater Puget Sound area since 1994 she has vast knowledge in all aspects of a real estate transaction. Using today's technology with her signature personal service allows her to achieve complete customer satisfaction.
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