Thursday, August 15, 2013

House of the week: Cottage on Chippewa Street

The way I see it, almost any house you buy is a "fixer-upper," regardless of how new. You always have to add touches to any dwelling in order to make it your home, whether that means picking out new curtains for the kitchen or gutting the bathroom. But, purchasing a home that the realtor dubs a "fixer-upper" can make one rather nervous. After all, there's a big difference in cost between painting your bedroom that perfect shade of mustard yellow and house leveling.

Just recently I spotted this house on Chippewa Street in the Irish Channel. It's a cute two bedroom, one bath cottage with hardwood floors, high ceilings and about 1100 square feet of living space. One of the best things about this house is the lush little courtyard in the back with a little footpath leading to a small stone table hidden among the palm trees. It's also located in a prime area only five blocks from Magazine Street and the gorgeous Garden District, not to mention a bunch of great shops, bars and restaurants, including Coquette.

In the listing description, it says "With a little work, could be your perfect hide-away!" What does that mean exactly? Re-sanding the floors or a complete over-haul of the plumbing? If it was small stuff, this little cottage could definitely be worth the effort at only $195,000.

Would you buy this fixer-upper?

3 comments:

Nora said...

I would if it had a 2nd bathroom and was moved a block either up or down Chippewa. That area intersection (also Washington and Annunciation) is the violent shooting epicenter of the neighborhood.

Unknown said...

Holy crap! That's such a bummer :( Thanks for the advice.

Ann said...

Looks like you could add an extra bath in the attic space and make that upstairs the master bedroom. You could also add an office or other "guest bedroom", etc. depending on how much attic space you needed... It's what I'd do.