Living on the right side of the rail road tracks...

So a guy and his family comes to the wild landscape of the western side of a new small but growing village of Ann Arbor from Rhode Island in the early 1800's. (I bet you’re thinking... why in the HELL would he do that?! Unless you’re like a hard core frontiers man, he'd have to be crazy. I bet his wife was PISSED.  I can just imagine how long her evil stare lasted. LOL In his defense the wonderful Mr. Allen, who largely lays claim to founding A2 was a MASTER mind {planner}. He would send these overzealous advertising dealos to large newspapers in New England area making the new village look and sound like this super sweet place. Suckers.. hehe) So, on the fertile Huron river valley that is now becoming full of farms-He Builds a mill.. It kicked ass. Mr. Samuel Willis Foster, big bad miller, not only is becoming an important part of the Agriculture community, he also lays out the Village of Scio Township. Apparently a little bit too driven to have more, he up and sells the mills in Scio Township. ((That poor town only really lasted like 60-70 years. More to come when I review a Zeeb road house.... ))

Mr. Foster go moves up river just a tad... to what is near the current Barton Hills area. He builds yet another mill. ((Glutton for punishment?)) The difference is the TRAIN happened. The ability to transport goods to and fro from local farms and mills created with a quickness a little town called Newport Village, or "Fosters station". For reals, he gets a village named after him! ((When the city lines expanded in 1846 of A2, it encompassed not only A2, but villages of Geddes and Fosters. Yea, by one- get two free!! It’s almost as good as a Kohls 25% off coupon on the 75% off rack. Almost. ))

Yea, so he sells that one too (I would have divorced him at this point. LOL) so he can move with the great rush to California......where he soon thereafter died.

So whats left of  Foster you ask?! Not much really. A sweet bridge that was recently restored. A few older houses-one of which I got to preview the listing with one of my Realtor buddies. We will call it the Foster house for giggles.

The nitty gritty-  3051 Foster is a 1546 sq foot house with 3brd/2baths. Built in 1875. Top floor has a bedroom and full Bath. Main floor has a small bedroom and bath. Basement has large bedroom. $499,000  **as of 09/03/13 it is temporally off the market.

Sitting up/back on the old river bank of the Huron River, on a nice patch of earth, the Foster house has been standing guard over the river for more than 140 years.  Its Greek revival exterior has for the most part holds true with clapboard siding, now painted a lovely shade of yellow. I suspect that there are a few layers of boards as the Freeze board at the top is flush/partly recessed. ((But hey, better that then to rip it off!))  To the left of the main body of the house is an addition which is also sided in the same material for continuity. It drives me bonkers when people slap some vinyl shit on to an addition of an old house, while the rest of the house is still….well,  old lookin’.

The thing that I always look for is how much of these beauties are left intact. Is it rocking old plaster walls and well warm floors and trim? Is it totally gutted and just the bones are old?? One thing I really liked is that these sellers are doing something I like to call “Bringin’ it back”.  This wonderful addition has large picture window on two sides, letting in a LOT of light. It has a repurposed fire place mantel sitting as a focal point. Fantastic crackled off-white paint lets is age shine through. I wonder if it was part of the house that was just re-used.. or from a local Architectural Salvage place.  (Side bar.. I HEART this place --> <3 ) 

During the renovation, they were able to keep the old plank flooring in the entry, bedroom and Kitchen. Although most of the other original details are gone from the kitchen, check out the stove top they put in an antique dresser.. Sweet right?! By blending the repo-pieces with open shelving and stainless steel, this kitchen is a place I can totally see myself cooking up some KFC in here! A second bonus-it’s open floor plan to the large Living room. Perfect for yelling at the boys to stop beating on each other with I’m “cooking”. (( I bet you didn’t know that is what open floor plans are for, did ya?! Lol))









 

In another fantastic example of the current owners bringin’ it back, check out how they reuse the old doors in the basement bedroom under the addition! With the egress window letting in a great amount of light, you can see the aged paint in the 2 panel doors. Not to mention the old hardware! I love the fact that they are slightly mismatched. J Ohhh, and the Pine log post. Now, keep in mind I’d much rather see a real old growth support post, but this is a nice touch!! I can totally see my cat and their toe-nails having a hay-day with this. {{squirt bottle!!}} I’d do things like carve the kids heights in it.. or MS+JP in a cute crude heart so that people 100 years from now will say “aww!”.

This room screams teenage haven. I can totally see some 15 year old busting out in tears because they can’t have the newest gadget. After screaming the typical “I hate you!”, there would be a mad dash to their room. This room.  Go ahead sister, keep on crying. It’s in the basement and I can’t hear you! If you think tears will magically bring you an Iphone, then cry me up a unicorn.

Going outside, you’ll see the green veil that surrounds this property. On the North side of the property, you have peeking views of the Huron River and Foster Bridge. On the main part of the property, south of the house, there is a lawn full of plantings, trees of every sort and even a little rock garden area with a Bi-level pond. Very tranquil.  (Until the Sand Hill Cranes eat the fish! Lol) There is ample space to do a bit of gardening should you like to.

One of the out buildings, we’ll will call it the potting shed, is centered in the property. I love how the owners have decorated the whole place, even in this little old shed. Warm tones that eclectically blend together and make it feel modern yet high light the age and beauty. This would make an excellent Artistic studio or a getaway cabin for the kiddos.. when mommy’s wine glass is far to empty and patience is wearing thin. Hey, I’m not judging.

The Carriage Garage is near foster road, just perfect for your….. Carriage? LOL  More like lawn mower or that crap you keep telling yourself that you’ll sell in a garage sale,  but never get to it.  I was fixated on how beautify the outer boards are with their weathered paint.. *sigh*

OH! And the last out building.. a 2 seater out house is near the potting shed. Yea know, in case you want to pee with a friend. I do not know if it is in “working condition”, but I suspect not. Fun fact: did you know that you can dig in old out house pits and find all kinds of sweet stuff in it? People used to use it as a catch all for trash. Dudes get drunk, hit the head and chuck their booze bottle down the hole. I’ve found plates, bottles, cups, shoe leathers, buttons… YES, I have done this.  It’s called Privy Digging. Check out these folks digging for stuff. I’d do it again if I the chance came about. Want me to call you?? ;)

If I were to rate Foster house as a historic homestead (5 being near original and 1 being totally gut job and full replacement), I’d give it a 3/3.5. Lemme give the Realtor disclaimer… I’m not a contractor or historic preservationist. {Yet}. I would have loved to have seen some features like more hardwood floors, or trim, or re-pro windows. But I love what the owners have done with blending old with new, or bringin’ it back to maintain some age in the home.  It is a fantastic property and a great part of Ann Arbors History. If you would like to see the Foster house, or other homesteads in the area, please feel free to give me a call!
 734-660-6561.

Feeling a little sour..

When I met mark, it was like all the sickening gooy crap you see in movies. Even now it's annoying to think about, and I was there! In all that magical haze, there is a fond memory I hold tight of one day that we went for a walk in a park. Under a tree'd canopy along a mulched path, we sat on stumps of recently cut trees talking about random stuff. Differences without ex's and where we would like to go in life. Typical getting to know you junk.

There we started talking about houses.. which turned into renovating.. then I somehow spilled in my fondness of OLD houses. With a glimmer of hope, he wondered if I could live amongst the salvages of bathrooms/kitchens/rooms while improving.  In saw dust till death do us part. Bet your ass I can.  I think his cute little ol' heart skipped a beat when I said I love the smell of freshly cut wood. Then he told me about Plymouth road.



6595 Plymouth Road. Ann Arbor.

He's driven by it for YEARS. Watching the vegetation gain segments of the yard as it consumes it in over growth. Every once and a while, someone would come and cut back the green curtain so as you pass it... you  remember it's there. (It's just past Dixboro, on the left.) We have gone there a time or two to just peek around. I was in AWE of this magnificent place. Clearly it was built to make a statement, even if it wasn't on a grand scale. It's also been vacant for a good many years and needs love. Even after digging up the taxable information and seeing there has been no change of hands... It just SAT THERE. The white painted clapboard siding is slowing flaking and being reclaimed by our shitty Michigan weather. We both want to restore it. If the planets aligned, if money came from a generous source, if we didn't have to worry about uprooting our{my} kids.. A lot of  *IFs*. It's almost comforting that most of those IF's won't happen, so we don't have to really have to like... do anything about it. We are so lazy. :x

I drove by it today... enclosed in its green vale again. I even slowed down to see if it was still there. ((We fear it will be torn down one day. ::sad face:: )) Still there.. But I NEEDED to dig for some reason.  Mark and I dug up the old info he had on it, I plugged it into my niffy Realtor system..... AND IT'S FOR SALE. I shit you not. Now an *IF* isn't out of reach.

But that sour taste rose up in the back of my throat. Click the link and look at the price tag.
 oh HELL no!!
 A few things.. it's being sold basically as an investment property for a HUGE sum on money. The house it's self is an afterthought in the whole listing. ((Stand back listing agent.. you don't want to hear what I'm thinking or want to do)) Can't I/investor/some historical society buy just an acre or two of just the house & out buildings? Oh wait, but I don't HAVE that kind of money.
I have that verp feeling. Bleh.

So a driving tour says it best ((Page 6)) -> "one of the most elegant Greek Revival  houses in south east Michigan".   Well duh.

 Even better, the previous owner, Mr. & Mrs. Davids bought the house from the ORIGINAL family(after 103 years) in 1967-ish in hopes to restore it. They even had an Extensive Report on what needs to be done in 1993, which we will spend most of the night reading. lol Sadly, the Mr. up and died too soon, so that dashed away those plans. Even a historical group considered getting their elbows dirty with this one at one point in time.. but backed out. WTF. How do I get the right people to consider it again??


We need a sugar daddy. Mark's almost foaming at the mouth at all this new information. Ok.. I am too. lol  I'm guessing that in the next 48-72 hours I will have called the listing agent to talk about the house for shits and giggles, and we will have both walked the property at the very least. Maybe we can get in.. pics to come???

Who wants to come?  Perhaps we are meant to pick up this torch... Who's got a lighter to light this bitch?!

*update-I wrote to the Wash. County Historical Society to see if they have any Contacts or information about getting said property bought/restored.  I also called the listing agent to see if the sellers would sell the property with just the house and a few acres of land. ((And to SEE the house!)) It might not pan out to much in the long run... but I feel compelled to at least ask!!

**Update 09/09/13 The listing agent told me today that the seller(The niece who inherited the property) will NOT parcel off the house from the 46 acre lot. They are dropping the price to about 30K an acre, as if that is going to make it any better. I find this outrageous and greedy. I am also disappointed that the listing agent wasn't more encouraging either. ((He did gleefully profess that a few companies are interested in the lot to build a STRIP MALL. Hey, go F#*K your self man))
Karma is a bitch deary... get ready.

It can't hurt... right?

I have heard stories of my Grandfather sitting at the dining room table, plunking away on his type writer. Papers, books, research on every topic from Plants to genealogy all stacked in a organized chaos around him. Spilling to the floor.... kitchen.. office. Him shifting from one idea to the next while finding a open crevasse in his mound of cigarette ashes to lay the next one to rest.
A driven slightly grumpy man, with brilliance that oozed out of his pores like a grease on the ol' creeper of an uncle we all claim to NOT have in the family.

G-pa Jim {{James M. Wolf}}

Sadly, I never met the dude. He died a few years before I was born. I have always liked to think I had a small part of that brilliance someplace packed into my gene pool. Hell, we almost have the same name if that mattered any. {{James}}  But... as I aged, I began to waver on this thought/wish/hope. I did "ok" in school. Then I found out I was SEVERELY dyslexic... (yes, I can't spell for shit. I mix up were/where all the time. Then/than Too/to Threw/through...etc. It's all a non-issue to me. Soak up the content and deal with it people.) I choose the mommy/wife route just as college got REALLY hard for me-and 20 years go by.. bla bla bla. Same ol crap story.
Still no "Ta-da!" {{with Jazz hands}} about my inner super-awesomeness.
Crap.

Then... I found the job of my dreams. Well, as close as I can get without going back to school. Bred out of shear experience, way too much in the "people skills department", some insane need to find MORE information, and one lady-Shari, here I am today. Damn you Shari. lol
Now when I'm not being lazy, I rock a name tag that has the word REALTOR on it. I get to look inside of all kinds of houses. (and yes, it is fun to see how people live. I know you're jealous.) I get to help others list/buy too.
Sweet right? Bet your ass it is! But what does that have to do with anything on here?

I think... I see IT.

I'm a history junky. I love OLD houses. Really, just old stuff in general. When I walk into an old house, I turn into this hopped up 4 year old girl who can't stop running around pointing, screeching and if I didn't keep myself in check, start drooling. ((So hot.. right? lol)) I want to restore life/structure/love in these old SOB's.
The more professional side of me says.. I can see the possibility. I can show/teach/love/guide on how to make 100years old WORK for a family. I can feel the energy of years of families. 90 years of kids running down stairs and threw halls. 110 years of "mom" cooking in the kitchen. (Or maids if they were lucky bastards. ) 115 years of couples struggling to find common ground, fighting for the "today" and not giving up. I love to find out who those people are and how they fit in the fabric of the area.

So back to G-pa Jim.... He and my G-ma bought 2116 Melrose Ave. in 1960. In the cruel way life cycles, I'm the one who is now the listing agent on said house. (( Really, it's an honor. I'm not hatin'.)) As part of that process, I got/requested the Abstract title. As I began to thumb through it I felt like..... HOLY FUDGE NUGGETS BATMAN!
I got lost in the past. In researching the who built/lived/lost the house. The construction of the property. The history of the area. It's absurd really. Above and beyond what I assume I am supposed to do in my "job". I don't give a shit, it's AMAZING. When I'm lost in books, Abstracts, in my computer.. in this type of thing-I feel IT. Not quite all Katy Perry Fire-workish.... But pretty damn bright.
One house leads to another. I am starting to gather these "historic biographies of real property". Now that leads me to think, "what do I do with all this crap?" Clients LOVE to hear about what was. It brings a new color or life back. The house becomes an entity on its own, rather than a shell of walls that needs love. But after the house is sold/bought... then what? It's depressing to watch that information go to waste.. To be lost again in space.
So I'm going to pull up my big-girl panties and blog it just like the rest of the world does. It can't hurt... right? I'm not an expert by any means, but I will research the hell out of something till I am. (TY G-pa Jim.) I like to swear and I'm sarcastic as hell. I refuse to put on a suit and tie facade because this could be job related. ((That drives me nuts btw!)) I have a kick ass Hubby who is of like mind.. so you might hear about him or the kids too. Oh.. and I kinda suck at "writing". ;)
I'm 100% real and these are my tales of an old house junky.