Friday, June 20, 2008

A peek at the new house

I am excited to announce that we put in an offer on a house in Bryan, not far from A & M. Built in 1994, measuring 1762 feet square with 4 bedrooms and 2 baths. The sale listing says the style is "traditional", which is probably the best someone could come up with.

The general and termite inspectors came out yesterday to do their thing. I followed the general guy around while Adie took pictures. Cobblestone Lane is a short road, ending in a cul-de-sac with the house nearly centered at the end. The lot is irregularly sized, something of an hexagon, about a quarter acre. Approaching, you see this panorama.


Click for larger images.

On the left is a wood-trimmed drainage gully that could be mistaken for a stream with the accenting bridge. The yard is wooded with mature trees shading the house in the evening. The entryway is cute, I hope the owners take the statue when they go.



The front door opens to the living room with a substantial built-in bookshelf on the left. The fireplace is gas.



To the left is the dining room and kitchen, delimited where carpet ends and new tile begins.



The kitchen is adequate with an electric range (bleh) and decent counter and cabinet space. It looks original leaving room to bring it up to modern standards.



The dining room has these great windows looking through the sun room, out to the back yard. There I am with the inspector having a look at the slab foundation. The sun room is a strange addition, but will be nice for growing tropical plants.


Off the kitchen is the two-car garage. In there are laundry hookups, access to the attic, the water heater and breaker box. Through the dining room is the master bed and bath. The master, like the other three bedrooms, is modest, but sufficient in size. The bathroom has a double sink and twin closets.



The remaining three rooms (front to back: library, office, guest bed) are opposite the living room, making for a nice split-layout. They are all modest in size.

The best thing about the place is the back yard. The lot backs up to a heavily wooded drainage area meaning and it is our understanding that there will be no development in that area. The landscaping is subdued and slightly neglected, yet remains charming. Fountains and small ponds dot the back yard, but all are in need of some work. The deck was probably built with the house and needs replacing. It is still functional however, so we can tolerate it while saving up to build a new one. The back yard is east-facing meaning the house shades it in the evenings, making it a great place to sip iced tea after work.



South-side yard:



North-side yard. Behind the camera is another large shed. The AC unit you see here will probably need replacing while we own the home, making it the first thing we will save for.




We are excited about the place. Neither inspector found anything alarming, and the general inspector gave it a "good shape for its age" rating. If escrow and financing go according to plan our new address will be:

2001 Cobblestone Ln
Bryan, TX 77807

More updates as they happen.

--Dean