906 Oakwood - almost there. Anyone want to buy it?

Rhumba Orange. That's the color of 906 Oakwood - the last house on the corner of Oakwood and Seawell. The block has undergone quite a change in the last 18 months - almost no more prostitution and drug deals, a row of totally renovated, brightly colored houses, within walking distance of Raleigh's Main Street, and a really nice place to live.

This house has a very similar layout to 908 Oakwood - see previous post. The 3rd floor is larger - 2 full bedrooms and a bath, but other than that it's basically the same. Dark oak floors on the first floor - gas logs, open floor plan. Same exposed brick fireplace with gas logs.

The kitchen has Maple cabinetry, granite counters and stainless appliances. It will have glass mosaic tile on the backsplash. It's quite a bit larger than 910-916's kitchens because the house is bigger and more people will likely live here!

This house has all of the green features of 908 Oakwood as well - Icynene spray foam insulation, no VOC paint, Rinnai tankless water heater, high efficiency heat pump, energy star windows and doors and light fixtures. CF bulbs. So far, my power bills have averaged $31 per month next door!

The second and third floors will be carpeted. The second floor has a Master BR/Bath with access to the 2nd level front porch - great views! Also on the 2nd floor is a guest room with a full bath and an office/loft area. The third floor has two full bedrooms and a bath. Very useable space - a lot of livability for the square footage. Views of DTR from the 2nd and 3rd floors.

This house should go on the market in about 2 weeks for $324,900; but if you want to get a jump on the market email me and I'll be happy to show it!

908 Oakwood Finished

I've been a bit delinquent in posting, but that's because I've been busy! After working really hard on another house over the spring, I got 908 Oakwood done, then went on vacation to Peru and hiked the Inca trail. I moved into this house in early August and LOVE living back in the 'hood.

908 and 906 have a different floor plan and are larger than 910-916. That is because the original footprint was wider - closer to a square, so there was a bit more design flexibility. This house has 3 bedrooms plus a loft/office area and 3 1/2 bathrooms.

I am really enjoying the backard - when I'm not on the front porch! The back yard is a small area but very nicely landscaped. When the shrubs grow it will have some very nice natural privacy screens.

The living room is really cozy - not too big, but big enough and open to the dining area and kitchen - great floor plan for entertaining. I love the gas logs too! This house was spray-foam insulated, so it takes very little energy. My peak power bill (with A/C running full blast this summer) was $51. Not bad for a 1500 sq ft house. Last month the heat started cranking and I thought the bill might be a bit higher - $23!!! YEAH! GREEN BABY!

Speaking of Green, I did some other green things too. Bamboo floors, no VOC paint, low VOC woods in the cabinets, a paver-stone driveway with little runoff, of course Energy Star light fixtures, windows and doors, and CF bulbs and a Rinnai tankless water heater ($12 gas bills - cooking and water heating).

I like having a dining room table - missed that while living in 912 Oakwood. I like having folks over to eat.

The kitchen is significantly larger since this is a 3 br home. I used granite in this house rather than concrete - just because I didn't have time to make concrete counters again.

It's nice having an office with lots of natural light and a view of the DTR skyline!

The master BR has access to the 2nd floor porch on the street side - overlooking the cemetary - very pretty.

The TV is upstairs on the 3rd floor with a full bathroom - the roofline makes it cozy, and skylights keep it bright during the day. Very relaxing room.

So, at this point, there is one more house to go as far as renovation - 906 Oakwood, and we have just broken ground on 316 Seawell - but they are topics for separate posts!