REAL ESTATE- ON THE BLOCK- Stay married: Move next door to your spouse
PHOTOS BY PETER M. J. GROSS
ADDRESS #1: 1725 Shady Grove Court
NEIGHBORHOOD: Mill Creek South
ASKING: $364,000
ASSESSMENT: $330,200
YEAR BUILT: 1990
SIZE: 2,031 fin. sq. ft.
LAND: 0.33 acres
CURB APPEAL: 7 out of 10
LISTED BY: Alice Nye Fitch, Montague Miller & Co., 981-4562
ADDRESS #2: 1733 Shady Grove Court
NEIGHBORHOOD: Mill Creek South
ASKING: $315,000
ASSESSMENT: $280,400
YEAR BUILT: 1990
SIZE: 1,592 fin. sq. ft.
LAND: 0.33 acres
CURB APPEAL: 7 out of 10
LISTED BY: Alice Nye Fitch, Montague Miller & Co., 981-4562
Some of life's biggest challenges– like getting married or elective plastic surgery– are easier to undertake with a friend. You can compare notes about nightmare caterers, or just share a rueful smile when you remember that time when you couldn't blink for a month. Two houses for sale next door to each other at Mill Creek South have the potential to eliminate one big decision you'd otherwise make alone: neighbors are selling their houses at the same time.
The two houses sit just inside the entrance of the development, easily accessible, but the placement guarantees exposure to a fair amount of commuter traffic on Route 20 during rush hour. As would be expected in a development, the houses share similar elements. Both have cedar siding, wood-burning fireplaces, and decks, but 1725 Shady Grove Court is larger and has a higher asking price; it has more rooms, and its deck wraps around two sides of the house. Neither house has a basement, and the utilities for each have been tucked away in closets on the first floor.
There are three entrances to 1725: through the front door, through a sliding glass door on the back deck, or through the attached garage. The front door opens to a foyer that doesn't have much natural light, but windows throughout the first floor, and the sliding glass doors on the other side of the house, let the sun shine in. Rooms are configured as a cozy dining room and a more spacious den, and towards the back of the house the kitchen shares space with more carpeted living space. In both houses, closets off the kitchen hide the washer and dryer.
The kitchen at 1725 seems to have more cabinet storage space, and a half bath is centrally located on the first floor, accessible from the kitchen/living space but not far from any of the other rooms.
Upstairs, the master bedroom seems large, an impression enhanced by a cathedral ceiling following the slope of the roof. While the room has three closets, the roof's angle cheats them of some usable space. The ceilings in the two other moderate-sized bedrooms on this level reflect the roof's pitch, but for a less expansive atmosphere.
Each house has a full bathroom on the second floor. In 1725, while the hall bathroom is fairly standard, the master bath feels more like a spa, with a whirlpool tub set in a raised wooden platform that appears to be cedar. The tub, double sinks, and a shower and toilet don't leave a lot of floor space, but the high ceiling and a Palladian window by the tub keep things well lit and roomy, and provide a scenic view.
The house at 1733 Shady Grove Court is 500 square feet and a half bathroom smaller, but has some features that its neighbor lacks. While 1725 is set into the hill with no yard to speak of, the terrain at 1733 allows for a small side yard. Three skylights keep the upstairs rooms supplied with natural light. The appliances, windows, and sliding doors are either new or recently replaced. The deck has been painted in a checkerboard pattern that may not suit all tastes, but the owner is willing to repaint. The garage here is also completely detached.
The first floor of this house feels significantly smaller than its neighbor, consisting of only a great room and the master suite, but that feeling may be due to the comparison rather than to actual square footage. The fireplace is in the living area, close to the front door, while the far side of the great room is an eat-in kitchen with an island that doubles as a table. Sliding glass doors at the back of the room let in extra light and lead out to the deck.
Off the kitchen, the master bedroom has its own sliding doors to the deck and a private bathroom. It also boasts a walk-in closet; there's not one next door. One of the second-floor bedrooms has an additional walk-in closet, but the slope of the stairs cuts into some of its floor space. That bedroom is equipped with a second closet to make up for the lost space, and also has two skylights set into its sloping roof. Unfortunately, the view from one skylight is obstructed by the chimney, but both function equally well in letting light in.
Along with the second and third bedrooms upstairs, there's a second bathroom and a room that can be used as a study with an operable skylight. Furniture arrangement might be a challenge, however, since the cathedral ceiling slopes down to walls a little over waist-high. Cabinet doors in the low walls access extra storage space in the eaves, a feature also present in one of the bedrooms.
While the houses can be purchased individually, the unusual appeal of these properties is the prospect of two households– or even a couple!– moving in next door to each other. While the proposition may seem unusual at first blush, it offers advantages for people who want to enjoy a close relationship while maintaining distinct households.
Katharine Hepburn famously said, "Sometimes I wonder if men and women really suit each other. Perhaps they should live next door and just visit now and then."
Any local couples who feel the same way now have the chance to make that utopia a reality.
PHOTOS BY PETER M. J. GROSS
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