It’s a grand old house filled with the most modern technologies – and perhaps best of all – it’s priced about $60,000 below the current city assessment.
Even if you’re not in a market for an old house, take a moment and enjoy the photos!
Updated: This blog was created July 24, 2011, and yet this remains one of the most popular blogs at this site. Every day, a couple dozen people come to THIS blog. My beautiful pink house sold (and closed) on August 14, 2011. Every day of my life, I’m profoundly grateful for my “new” house, a 1962 custom-built brick ranch.
To read about the new house, click here.
And please, take a moment and please leave a comment below. What is it about this particular article that you enjoy?Ā š
My favorite angle is the side, which shows off those quarter-round windows and new canvas awning.
Dappled afternoon sunlight complements the front of 3916 Gosnold.
The gated entrance to my secret garden!
And on the other side of the gate you'll find bowers of flowers (blooming in the sun).
Something this old house hasn't seen in a long time - GRASS in the sideyard! The pergola is pretty nice, too.
My daughter said we didn't have enough views of the inside, so I took some additional photos! View from the living into the foyer and dining room.
The setting sun illuminates the formal dining room, which measures more than 13 x 17.
The formal living room is 13 x 23 and is always awash in light.
And the sunporch - one of my favorite rooms in the house! Kinda wish I'd moved that old floor lamp before I took the photo!
View from upstairs - looking into the foyer.
The staircase has solid walnut banister and tapered spindles.
Upstairs hallway. Door at the end leads to the third floor.
One of the three upstairs bedrooms. The door leads out to a balcony (over the sunporch).
The bathroom was restored to its original 1920s appearance. Notice the hex tile on the floor.
This old pink house has been faithfully restored to its original splendor, and has a high-efficiency gas boiler (94%+), high-efficiency central air (14 SEER) and a dazzling rainwater harvesting system. Enjoy the best of old-world craftsmanship together with the latest and greatest of modern technology. In short, you’ll have the unique pleasure of living in a beautiful old house with none of the environmental guilt. š
House is 2,300 square feet with three bedrooms, 1-1/2 baths, with a large sunporch, full third floor and awesome basement.
Price is $287,900 with $4,000 closing cost assistance.
If you’re interested in scheduling an appointment please contact the Realtor.
More photos are below.
To read about Aunt Addie’s murder in Lake Mills, click here.
The house on Gosnold is a classic Colonial Revival, right down to the details. The image on the left is the entry foyer at Gosnold Avenue. The image on the right is the cover of the book, "Colonial Style." Even the light fixture is the same. The rest of the details are also spot-on. Biggest different is, my rug is not as pretty as theirs.
And, we have an original ice box door, too. Back in the 1920s, this door provided access to the back of the icebox, so that the iceman could deliver a 25-pound block of ice to the ice box without entering the home. This was also known as "the jealous husband's door."
The twin grandchildren of the home's builder (William Barnes) sit on the front stoop (mid-1950s). They were born and raised in this house. The home remained in the Barnes' family until 1971, when it was sold to new owners. Laura (on the left) supplied the family photos, which proved invaluable in the home's restoration.
The house at 3916 Gosnold Avenue.
Classic lines and high-quality workmanship make this a timeless beauty.
On the back porch is this old "Milk Door," which provided a place for the milkman's deliveries, whether or not anyone was home (and/or awake!). A corresponding door in the pantry enabled the housewife to retrieve deliveries without stepping outside.
The house has 32 windows, and 7 of them are in the kitchen. One of my favorite features in the kitchen are these many beautiful windows. The gas stove (left) is less than 30 days old. The dishwasher and fridge (both stainless steel) were new in March 2007.
This spacious kitchen was remodeled in Spring 2007.
The gas stove was installed less than a month ago. Still shiny new!
Really big refrigerator does everything but serve you buttered toast in the morning.
The living room is awash in light with a western and eastern and southern exposure. The living room is 25 feet long and 13 feet wide.
The spacious dining room has four windows (six feet tall!) and has beautiful oak floors.
Visitors to our home frequently comment on the beautiful foyer.
Original french doors to the living room and dining room are still in place.
And did you notice those shiny doorknobs on the french doors!
A view from the staircase.
Another view of the foyer.
The house is also a gardener's delight, with provisions to collect and store more than 200 gallons of rain water.
Your own private farm awaits: Tomatoes, corn, cucumbers, zucchini, strawberries, carrots and lettuce will be ready for harvest in about 30 days.
Hubby does not convey. Usually.
Flowers in full bloom.
And the world's most perfect strawberry, from my garden.
Carrerra marble under radiator and toilet complement the hex flooring. Work was done in Spring 2010.
Bathroom was restored to its original 1920s appearance.
This 1930s vintage thermostat works beautifully, controlling a 2011 high efficiency gas boiler.
It's the little things that make an old house a special home. Vintage doorbell installed in 2008, and it has a beautiful chime!
Front entry foyer is 11 feet wide and 25 feet long.
Spacious sunporch has built-in bookcases that are 9-feet tall.
Even the attic is spacious and grand! And with a little back-lighting, these windows can scare the beejeebies out of the trick or treaters on Halloween night! If you look up, you'll see collar beams on all of the roof joists. The house is topped with Buckingham Slate (recently restored), which weighs 1,400 pounds per square (100 square feet).
Little house (address is 3916-1/2) has a floored attic, vintage windows and slate roof.
Another view of the little house.
Private, off-street parking and a uniquely large yard for Colonial Place make 3916 Gosnold Avenue a quiet oasis amidst a sea of classic old houses.
View from the street.
Sideyard summertime view.
Another view of the pergola. Dog does not convey.
Teddy the Dog wants to know if the new house will also have a dog swing like this one.
17 Really Good Reasons to Buy The Big Pink House
1) Low electric bills – average budget bill of $115/month (and we love our air conditioning!).
2) High-efficiency central air (14 SEER) with all new ductwork, and electrostatic air cleaner (installed October 2007).
3) High efficiency, top-of-the-line gas-fired boiler (94% efficient) installed March 2011.
4) Thorough restoration of original (Buckingham Slate) roof, with new copper flashing and copper cap at roof ridge. Roof repairs will be required again in 2085 (or so). (About 25% of all the construction debris found in landfills is roofing materials. Slate is the “greenest” roof in the world and with occasional maintenance, it can last forever.)
5) Seamless 6-inch (extra large) aluminum gutters and downspouts.
6) No worries about old plumbing! Entire house replumbed with new copper lines in 2007.
7) Electrical service updated (some new wiring and new panel) in Spring 2007.
8) Fresh paint, too! Two coats of Sherwin Williams Duration (25-year warranty) cover the home’s cypress clapboards.
9) Eleven new high-end replacement windows have been installed within the last two years. Windows on home’s front are original (to preserve architectural integrity).
10) “Move-in ready” for your favorite quadruped! Custom-built picket fence surrounds peaceful back yard.
11) Who doesn’t love a little house, especially one with a slate roof? “3916-1/2 Gosnold” is a custom-built “mini-house” with a 9′ ceiling, floored attic, built-in ladder and vintage windows.
12) When it’s time for the morning’s ablutions, step into the bath and back in time. Faithfully restored second-floor bath features porcelain sconces, vintage medicine chest, and a Kohler Memoirs sink, sitting atop a restored hex floor. Also has elegant wainscoting, Danze high-end faucets and solid brass vintage towel rack.
13) Modern kitchen is full of light with seven large windows, stainless steel appliances and a brand new Kenmore gas range (May 2011).
14) Harvest Time is nearly here! Tomatoes, cucumbers, corn, strawberries, zucchini and flowers thrive in three separate raised bed gardens in spacious back yard.
15) Handy rain-water harvesting system already in place for those thirsty plants, with more than 200 gallons of available storage.
16) Bibliophiles delight! Built-in bookcase on sunporch is more than 9′ tall and 6′ wide, with 27 sturdy shelves.
17) The house was custom built in 1925 by William Barnes, owner of one of Norfolk’s largest lumber yards. His grandchildren recall that he hand-selected every piece of framing lumber that went into the house. And it shows.
To schedule an appointment, leave a comment below or contact the Realtor.
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Thank you for sharing all of you pictures of Sears kit homes. We are restoring a 1906 duplex in Northern California and all the interior pics of the pink house are inspiring. When we purchased the house last year one of the neighbors said he thought it was a kit home. From the research I have done, it is just a little to early to be a kit home.
The stories about Aunt Addie are very intriguing. Her husband must have been a real piece of work.
Absolutely gorgeous! This would definitely classify as a dream house!
Thank you for sharing all your pictures and memories of the Big, Pink House.
I have used this site as a reference point for repairing and maintaining the integrity of my own 1935 Colonial Revival.
I hope this finds you well and you are enjoying your “new” ranch. I know exactly why you love the ranch so much, and believe that will be my down-sizing home when the family is grown!