After visiting one of my architectural clients in this neighborhood, I noticed a “for sale” sign further down the street. Since I am always looking for future houses to feature, I drove past this charming house. I admired how the front elevation and the former rancher’s rectangular footprint had been greatly improved.
This property’s bonus is both its location off the highly desirable Oxford corridor and also how it has a clear vista across the “mini park”, for residents only, to the tranquil shoreline and pier on Peachblossom Creek. Boating enthusiasts can launch a kayak or landlubbers like me can enjoy a waterside picnic.
Several weeks later after my visit to this neighborhood, a couple whose house had been a House of the Week several years ago, asked me if I would consider featuring their current house. When they showed me this picture, I recognized the house I had admired in the neighborhood off Peachblossom Creek! I eagerly agreed, for between the husband’s background in urban planning and the wife’s innate interior design talent, I looked forward to seeing how this talented duo had enhanced this rancher.
I admired the couple’s front elevation’s upgrades of first eliminating the front porch whose shed roof covered the length of the living room and diminished the view of the water. They replaced the existing smaller window with cottage style triple windows built out over a deep window sill, supported by brackets. They then designed a new porch with a steeply pitched metal roof centered on the front door, with accents of another bracket underneath the roof’s ridge. The arched opening and a new decorative handrail now create a welcome entry to the house. The original screened porch that was offset slightly to break up the massing was left intact.
The most dramatic change to the facades was eliminating the front elevation’s brick and recladding all of the facades with low maintenance shake siding. Wider shutters and window boxes to the two front bedrooms’ windows enhanced the cottage look. From the porch, pavers lead to two off-street parking spaces and then splits to go around the parking area to end at the street for neighborhood guests.
This picture shows how the porch roof covers a slight extension of the foyer so the front door no longer opens directly into the living room as it did before. Both the corner bedroom and the primary bedroom behind it have new high windows at the side elevation for privacy from the neighboring house.
The rear yard is completely fenced for privacy and also creates a safe play area for children and pets. The new deck for al-fresco relaxation and dining is accessed by both the kitchen’s and the screened porch’s exterior doors for easy indoor-outdoor flow. The rear addition that created an “L” shape adds additional privacy for the deck. The gate in the fence provides easy access for taking kayaks down to Peachblossom Creek for an afternoon on the water.
The “mini-park” for the neighborhood with a pier and tranquil views of Peachblossom Creek is a true bonus of a large outdoor room for all residents to enjoy. I could easily imagine bringing my fold-up chair and a good book to the “mini-park” for an afternoon of reading in this tranquil setting.
The spacious foyer with a wide wood paneled and glass door is accented by a beadboard wainscot. The room’s depth and width easily accommodates a shallow table with a lamp and decorative items. The edge of the tiled flooring defines the transition to the engineered hardwood flooring throughout the house and both materials are easy to maintain.
The foyer’s wide wall opening leads to the open plan living-kitchen area. Shiplap accents the wall with the gas fireplace and TV above and adds texture. I appreciated the eclectic furnishings of the overstuffed sofa for settling in to watch TV, the wicker chairs, the contemporary coffee table and the view of Peachblossom Creek.
Removing the wall between the living room and the adjacent kitchen created a dual aspect room that enjoys sunlight throughout the day. Now there is clear circulation to the exterior door to the rear deck and the French doors that open into the screened porch for great indoor-outdoor flow.
Walking fully into the open plan, I admired this vista through the screened porch whose pair of French doors separates the living room and the kitchen. The white ceiling and light colored walls create a light and airy space.
The kitchen is flooded with daylight with two new, wider windows and the part glass, part paneled door to the deck. The husband built the piece of furniture that is a stylish island with a marble top to expands the work space. The stainless steel appliances and the hardware add just the right contemporary touch. The white cabinetry highlights the varied colors of the engineered hardwood flooring.
The spacious deck also has raised beds for herbs with slats below for shelving and for storing the water bowl for the family dog. The umbrella over the table creates shade for al-fresco dining.
My fave room was the screened porch that spans the depth of the house. The framing maximizes the wrap-around views of the landscape, the neighborhood “mini-park” and Peachblossom Creek.
The pair of French doors leading to the porch divide the screened porch into two areas, each with its own fan. The dining area is closest to the kitchen for ease of serving meals.
The living area at the front of the room has an electric fireplace for chilly fall nights that will soon be here! Ceiling fans over both areas keep the space cool on warm days. The textures of the brick chimney, shake siding, wood slat ceiling and the flooring add charm to this delightful outdoor room. The heated porch enables one to enjoy the panoramic views of the landscape and Peachblossom Creek throughout the year.
To explore the rest of the house, I went back to this room opposite the foyer that offers myriad uses; the hutch could be part of a dining room; the closet could be part of a guest bedroom or office. The pair of pocket doors provide privacy when needed. The beadboard wainscot adds character to the room, whatever its next use will be.
From the open plan living-kitchen area, a short hall leads to this laundry-pantry-utility space, full bath, guest bedroom and the primary ensuite. I envied the amount of pantry shelving-so much more accessible than upper cabinets in the kitchen. The pantry extends into the house’s addition and the rear window adds daylight to the space. The wallpapered accent wall was a delightful surprise.
The hall bath for guests and the corner bedroom is a study in black and white. The amount of the bold black upper wall color does not overpower the white wainscot and the tiled shower walls. I especially liked the vintage look of the vessel lavatory and the accent of the white-gray-black mix of the backsplash tiles in the shower wall’s recessed area. The pattern of the tiled floor was perfectly scaled for this compact and efficient bathroom.
The guest bedroom at the front corner of the bedroom has a wide window for egress and a high triple unit window for more daylight. The wall height under the upper window could also accommodate a higher headboard. I actually liked these slender and shorter posts that maintain the spatial volume for the lucky guest who claims this charming room.
The primary bedroom was an original bedroom but the space has been enhanced by a walk-in closet in the bedroom and the addition that contains a larger walk-in closet and the primary bath. The bedroom also has a triple unit window over the bed and the bed’s white frame disappears into the spatial volume. Its egress window is located at the rear wall. I especially liked how the owners chose new doors with five panels, as an older cottage would have had.
The spacious walk-in closet has windows on its two exterior walls for daylight and the bespoke millwork offers many options for storage needs.
The primary bath has high windows in both the dual vanity area and the shower for both daylight and privacy. I admired the shower’s tile pattern of polygonal tiles that evoke flooring in older cottages’ baths and its lack of a curb for safe access.
This property has a prime location at the end of a quiet street that loops back to the highly desirable Oxford corridor, with a bonus of a “mini-park” along tranquil Peachblossom Creek for residents to enjoy. From the main areas of the house, there are panoramic views of the park and the water, without the maintenance of a waterfront property. Also desirable is the property’s close proximity to both Easton and Oxford, the YMCA and the Bypass to points east and west, whether one is a full time or weekend resident.
The simple yet dramatic changes to the front elevation created a charming façade that is a prelude to the changes of the interior layout. The one-level floor plan for aging in place has been thoughtfully enhanced by the owners’ addition that expanded the pantry area and created the primary bath and walk-in closet. The open plan living-dining area is the hub of family life and connects to the outdoor rooms of the screened porch and rear deck for great indoor-outdoor flow. The floor plan’s flexibility includes an option of a third bedroom, office or dining room. Bravo to the owners for their stylish upgrades to this charming house and grounds-I look forward to their next project!
For more information about this property, contact Barb Watkins, Associate Broker at Benson and Mangold at 410-822-1415 (o), 410-310-2021 (c), or barb.c.watkins@gmail.com. For more photographs and pricing, visit www.easternshorehomes.com, “Equal Housing Opportunity.”
Photography by Janelle Stroop, Thru the Lens Photography, 410-310-6838, Janelle@Thruthelensphotos.com.
