The House

Our house!

We found our house for rent on Craigslist. We came here on a house-hunting trip in December, and we made arrangements to view it. It’s a red-brick two-story house built in 1932--perfect for old-house lovers like us. It reminds me of houses in White City, the neighborhood where we lived in Tulsa before Brady Heights.

Upstairs are three bedrooms and one full bath (with shower/tub combo); downstairs are the living and dining rooms, kitchen, and sunroom/office; and the basement has a finished room with a full bath. The laundry area is also in the basement. We have a good-size backyard with garden beds and a shed. 

Backyard

Backyard

Dining room

Front door

We have no garage. We have no driveway. We have radiator heat but no air conditioning, which will certainly pose a problem come summer. (We plan to get window units.) Like our house in Tulsa, this house has some nice historic architectural features: arched doorways and beautiful original wood doors and trim. 

The main floor is a little tight, but it works for our family, and the kids’ bedrooms are larger than their bedrooms in our Tulsa house. All four of them occupy the rooms upstairs; Gracie shares with Judah. We made our master bedroom in the basement. It’s about the size of our master bedroom in Tulsa, and we finally have our own bathroom.

Basement master bedroom

Basement bath

Tabitha's room

Ben's room

Ben's room

Ben's room

Gracie and Judah's room

Gracie and Judah's room

The kitchen and baths have been remodeled recently, and they are pretty. Even though our house was $500-$1000 cheaper per month than any other house we looked at, this one was the most updated overall--few of them had recently updated kitchens and baths. There is little counter space in the kitchen, but what there is is a nice granite. The kitchen has no drawers, which is an inconvenience that I overlooked when we first viewed the house, but we use our little red island from the Tulsa house, which helps with the drawer situation and prep space.

Kitchen

Kitchen

Kitchen

Upstairs bath

Upstairs bath

Upstairs bath

Living room

The fireplace makes the living room cozy and warm. It’s a wood-burning stove. The mantle is bigger than our mantle in Tulsa, and I’m not sure exactly what to do with it. (I love a beautifully, simply styled mantle, and I just don’t think I’m there yet with this one.) We love the original wood floors through the house--the only carpet is on the stairs to the basement, and the kitchen and baths are tiled.

Fireplace

Living room

So it may not have a lot of curb appeal, but we are happy with the house. It feels like a home. More to come on the neighborhood and more reasons why we’re happy not only with the house itself but with the location.