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Roy Underhill’s shop, as seem from the front porch of his house.
Here’s a little something that kicked off my crazy over the last year: Wanting a home that has space for a nice shop.
The view from Roy’s back deck. Yes, the shop has a back deck.
For those of you who are new to this blog, I had my house on the market for six months in 2013, because though I do like the place (and have a put a lot of work and money into making it a nice home), when I bought it 13 years ago I didn’t know I wanted needed a shop. The one major thing (seriously…the one and only major thing) I didn’t touch (other than paint, a new faucet and new appliances), was the kitchen.
That old, barf-board-cabinet-ugly-laminate-counter-broken-tile-floor kitchen was cited time and again as the number-one “problem,” even by potential buyers who otherwise really liked the place.
I hope they weren’t lying. Because since then, I’ve completely redone the space with custom cabinets, butcher-block countertops, a cork floor. But for the few finishing touches I still have to do, it is 100-percent new. (And awfully nice for the price range in which I’ll be listing come March, if I do say so myself.)
So, I hope this spring – early summer at worst – it sells. Then the cats and I can find another run-down house to fix up (I think this is the last house rehab I have in me, so it’s gotta count).
When I bought in 2001, I wanted a working fireplace and a driveway (I got neither). This time, I want a working fireplace, a driveway and appropriate room for a proper shop (and no, Chris, for the last time, I do not think the dining room is appropriate). I’d pass again on the fireplace…assuming there’s room for a wood stove in the shop.
So, my overriding holiday wish for 2014 is that by this time next year, I’m not still moaning about wanting a home shop (pretty sure a lot of you would like me to stop moaning about it, too).
Kelly Mehler’s shop, with machines on the bottom floor, and benches and hand tools on the second floor. (I could make do nicely with just one floor, but I wouldn’t say no to this.)
Ideally, said shop would be in a separate building (on the same property) and surrounded by trees…in the inner city neighborhood where I wish to stay, and at a price I can afford. That’s not going to happen (unless the house is condemned, and that may be a pile of paperwork too far).
So a garage, or a large and dry basement with exterior access, would suit me just fine (as long as there’s a working fireplace in the living room).
