Diamond in the Rough?

So, we wanted to wait awhile to post about the house until things were a little more settled, but since we're under contract and we've put down the earnest money it seems pretty settled if you ask me - We found a house!!

I know it might not seem like we were looking for long, but I saw every house that hit the MLS in Anchorage for the last six months.  I knew what was out there, what the prices were, and where we wanted to be.  I drove around neighborhoods and we set pretty solid criteria for exactly what we wanted.  When we finally took the plunge and called our realtor, I had a couple of contenders in mind.  Also, inventory is pretty low in Anchorage because the market never really crashed up here.  As you saw from the previous post, there were some fugly houses out there, but we decided ugly was workable as long as it was something we could handle (i.e. cosmetic and light construction...we weren't looking to tear down any walls).  I first spotted this house months ago.  It's been on the market forever and once you see the pictures you may have some ideas why.

So here she is from the outside (I pulled this picture off the MLS, and the picture was taken in July when the house first came on the market):

It's not the most modern, exciting house, but the curb appeal isn't bad.  It could use a coat of paint, but the yard is actually fantastic (oh, and I know it doesn't look like it, but it DOES have a garage...it's just around the back.  A garage was a must-have).

Here's where things get scary.  You might want to send your kids into another room before you move onto the interior pictures.

Right when you walk into the front door, you're punched in the face with everyone's favorite 1970s decorating feature: PANELING (I can't in good conscience call it "wood paneling" as this material is definitely not made from trees.)

Oh. My. God.

Now I think this picture, which the listing agent foolishly put as second on the slideshow, is what has kept this house on the market since July 3.  What's awesome(ish) is that this is really the only place in the house where there's any paneling (admittedly, it would be much more awesome if the paneling never existed in the first place).  I guess if you think about it though, it's a nice way to scare away unwanted guests.  Sadly, the house is a split-level, but the foyer is really large and it's not like our rental where you come in the door and you're immediately greeted by the stairs.

That's the view from up the stairs (sorry for the dark photo...I had the pocket point and shoot camera with me) - you can see there's a big space inside the door.

When you go up the stairs, you get to the VERY BEST PART of the whole house.

The living room is absolutely huge, with soaring ceilings, complete with (unlike the paneling) real wood beams.  The size of the room is hard to really grasp from the photo until you realize there are 4 couches and a grand piano in the living room, and basically a dance floor sized area in between.

If you're sitting on the couch, you can see the beautiful fireplace:

I wasn't being sarcastic when I said the fireplace was beautiful - it just needs to be cleaned, and we need to take the other paneling down.  I guess I lied - there is more paneling than just in the entry.  But there's potential and this is an easy fix.  Also, it's wood burning and I think the stone is pretty nice.

That area you can see to the right behind the fireplace is the dining room.  It's connected to the kitchen and it's a great space.

Note the build in storage for dishes, etc. and the beams continue into the dining room/kitchen.  Also, note Andy and Jamie, our realtor. (Go ahead and ignore the light fixtures.  Those are hideous).

Here's a better picture of the kitchen.  Again, cosmetic changes are in store, but nothing a little wallpaper removal, some new appliances, and a coat of paint (on everything) wouldn't fix.  We got this.

There's a little laundry room tucked behind the kitchen.  I think it would make for a good pantry if we could relocate the laundry to another place.  For now, it's a fine spot.  Nothing we can't live with for for foreseeable future.

The dining room also has beautiful windows and access to the deck.  In the winter, the house has great views.  You can't see very well from the picture, but from this angle you can see sleeping lady and downtown.  The lights are probably really pretty at night.

From this angle, just to the right of the neighbor's house, you can see Mt. McKinley.  Again, not great in the picture, but I promise it's there.

First order of business: run next door and chop down that antenna.  I'm pretty sure they aren't using it!

Unfortunately, in the summer, you lose the view, but there's lots of trees around.

Exiting the kitchen and heading down the hallway (and past closets! glorious closets! Our house in Salem didn't have any closets outside of the bedroom.  Closets are such a luxury!) you come across a bedroom:

And a full bathroom (I guess technically 3/4 because it has a shower but no tub...something we might change in the far future, though I can tell you that wallpaper's not long for this world):

Have I ever ranted about how much I hate pedestal sinks? Well here goes:  I HATE PEDESTAL SINKS.

Here's another bedroom on the main floor that they're using as an office.  It's actually a decent size, it's just (like all the other rooms) totally full of crap.

Here's the master bedroom - it's very large and has nice windows.  It even has a master bathroom which is unusual for a house built in 1976.

Master bath:

Note the bar by the toilet.  Just in case you sit down and can't get back up...or maybe if you need to brace yourself when you're doing your business?  You decide, I won't judge. 

 Those hexagonal sinks are pretty stylish, huh? Just like the rest of the house.  Totally. Updated.

Here's the other half of the bathroom.  Weird house quirk - bathtub, but no shower.  Something that can be added later.  Not so annoying since the main bathroom has a shower and is about 10 feet from the bedroom.  

God, I wish someone had given this woman a wallpaper intervention back in the 80s.

So heading downstairs from the foyer, there's even more house (I know, it's kind of hard to believe...this house is not small.  We need to have some kids or turn it into a hostel for German tourists or something).

Right under the living room is the family room.  What I love about this house is that even though it's a split level, when you're downstairs you don't feel like you're underground.  In our rental, you're eye-level with the ground and it's really odd.  This downstairs is light and bright.

More wallpaper, more hideous furniture, more ugly carpet.  All will be exorcised from the structure.  Does anyone know where I can find a young priest and an old priest willing to perform the ritual?

A different view: The fireplace upstairs has a twin!

Back behind the fireplace is a wee teeny room.  It's "technically" a bedroom because it has a window and is, apparently, more than 70 square feet in area.  This is where the guests we don't particularly like will be staying:

Don't worry, just because the room is closet-sized doesn't mean it didn't get totally covered in wallpaper.
This lady was thorough.  And a little bit crazy. 

To the other side of the family room is a really large bedroom with an attached bathroom.  This is where the favorite guests will stay (you might want to print this out for future reference if you come to stay with us so you can see what we truly think of you).

See? Big room (full of crap) and a nice bathroom.

OH MY GOD THE WALLPAPER MUST STOP.  Oh and look another pedestal sink. God.

That's about it for rooms downstairs except for this little highlight: (Ignore the boxes.  Can you tell what it is?)

We'll try to use it once...just to say "hey, our house has a sauna!"  I think eventually it might be a good place to put the washer and dryer.

Downstairs there is also access to the garage.  Inside we found a treat - and it comes with the house!!

BOOM. SNOWBLOWER.  Andy is thrilled.

So that's about it for the house.  We couldn't really see it because it was snowy outside, but the yard is (from the pictures anyway) totally amazing.

I think we'll have to wait a while until we can see if these pictures are accurate.  If the yard looks big, it's because it is.  The house sits on a 1/2 acre.

And for those of you who know Anchorage, it's located on the hillside on Main Tree Drive, just a bit off O'Malley.  Here's a map...and something funny:

The house I've just showed you is "B." "A" is the house Andy grew up in.  The two houses are .7 miles apart from one another.  12 years after leaving Anchorage, it looks like Andy's heading back to the old neighborhood.  Sweet huh?

Hope you liked the house.  Come and visit! I promise we won't make you spend your visit removing wallpaper...unless you really want to!