Nightmare On Simpson St. and A Dreamy Vintage Cottage Dream

 

Wow, I can't believe we are almost into March!

What happened to December, January, and

February!?!! Since I last posted on November

20th, 2014 when I was gearing up for Christmas,

life went a bit haywire and then became a nightmare!

 

 

 

I was in the midst of creating a new centerpiece which never got finished, and getting all excited for the coming holidays when we had to make a decision about renewing our lease where we were living at the time, for the last two and half years. It was a huge home for the two of us at 3700 sq. ft. It had a pool that we didn't use, but the grandbabe's loved it, and used when they visited. But it cost a fortune to run!

 

 

As you can see it was a two story too. The master bedroom was upstairs along with my hubby's office. He had to climb those stairs all the time, but because he still doesn't walk real well from his stroke, they were becoming dangerous for him to maneuver. He darn near fell down them a couple of times, thank God I was standing at the bottom all of those times and I broke his falls. Tile floors were at the bottom of those stairs. In our home prior to this one, he fell in the kitchen hitting his head on the tile floor, knocked him unconscious, cracked his head open, was bleeding like someone had shot him in the head, and his body went into spasms. I thought he was dead! I have never seen so much blood in my life. He ended up in intensive care with that one.

 

Thank God my son was there because I just flipped out! So with that always in the back of my mind, I was a nervous wreck all the time with these stairs! And....when ever I had to be gone, even with making sure he had everything he needed like food and drink until I returned, he would forever go down and up those stairs even when he promised he wouldn't. I was stressed all the time...even when he was downstairs with me and had to get up for anything. The whole downstairs was tile flooring. And it wasn't just him either. When the grandkids visit, they love to run around...it was a big house and I had to be on them about running because I was terrified they would trip and fall.

 

When my husband was in the hospital with his stroke, a young seventeen year old girl was in critical condition with a massive brain injury from tripping over her own feet and fell hitting the tile floor in their home. I still don't know if she pulled through or not, but her parents were told if she did, she would never be the same again. She had hit her forehead and had massive hemorrhaging in her brain. All of this and Jacks bad fall just kept me in fear all the time...actually panic all the time. Plus the expenses were killing us with everything going up! So I decided it was time to look for something where my hubby didn't have to climb stairs for anything and find something cheaper so we could breath easier financially.

 

The owners of the home told our property manager we could go month to month until we found something. We started looking right away, but a week later they wanted us to sign a sixth month lease! No way!!! Reason being is we would have to give a sixty day notice to move and that is almost impossible for us, because in order to find a place we would have to pay for two places in order to have someone hold whatever we find until we could move. We couldn't afford that, especially living on SS and disability! Well as luck would have it, we found a place that we thought was perfect for us right off the bat keeping us from having to sign any lease. Problem was, we only had a few days to do this move! And I had no one to help! And now it's Thanksgiving!

 

 

This was the home....master was downstairs! No tile floors! All the floors were hardwood except the bathrooms. A bit softer than tile. It was smaller in size so I wasn't so over-whelmed anymore. The rent was half of what we were paying previously, and the utilities were less than half.

 

There was two bedrooms upstairs, one planned for the grandkids, plus a guest room, a large full bath, and a small landing area with a built in desk area for the kids with the computers we have for them.

 

The downstairs had living room, dining room, kitchen and all open to each other. Laundry room, large master suite, and a half bath. Lots of windows so it was bright. It also had a one car garage....that would give me a spot to put everything I couldn't fit in the house until I got rid of it all.

 

The big bonus we found out that we didn't know about which is why this place would be perfect....was there was a one bedroom cottage out back that was ours to use as a mother-in-law suite! Perfect!!!! Why.....I could put my craft and sewing stuff in that, set up a small office for hubby, and set up his bow-flex and treadmill for his exercise program to help his stroke recovery. It gave us everything we needed and we loved the house and the Key West style it had. And who wouldn't love the porch! I had plans for that too. The yard was rough, hardly any grass and the backyard looked like an over grown mess, with trash all over and leaves a few inches deep. The property on the right between us and the neighbors was so over grown, broken limbs, vines, and trash it was an eye sore. So dummy me asked if I could clean it all up. "Of course!", the property manager for the place says! (I could kick myself now!) I use to own a lawn and landscape company, so I love my yard to look nice...immaculate would be a better word.

 

 

We were thrilled and filled out the paper work right away. Rentals don't last long in Mount Dora, nor do homes for sale. Mount Dora is a very sought after place to live, so when you find something you better act quickly! We were approved immediately and a couple of days later on Thanksgiving day I was packing and taking over all that I could by myself. We still didn't have anyone to help. But, then our church came through for us. Took us a week to pack and move but we got it done. Bought killed us all!

 

Now a note here: when we first looked at the house and was told we would have the cottage out back, we were told there was a young guy back there renting, but he would be moving out the first of January. Ok.... so we thought fine, we would just put everything in the garage but we couldn't fit everything into it so, I had stuff loaded on the right side of the house on the porch too. I also set Jack a spot on the dining room table with his computer and stuff so he could have a work space for the time being until we could get things set up in the cottage. Two days after everything is signed, our new property manager with ReMax tells us, that if we want the main house, we had no option but to take the cottage. Well that made no sense until the next words were... oh and now we want more money for it! We both thought what the heck! They had already told us this was all one package! Well it wasn't that much more $100.00, which to us is a lot, but we said ok. So we get all moved in. Then our property manager comes by and says the owner will be cleaning and painting the cottage after the guy moves out and then we will have access. Ok....but what they wouldn't say is WHEN that may be.

 

Now our new neighbors are welcoming us to the neighborhood. And filling our ears about the owner of this home we just moved into and the young guy out back! It was leaving us with the feeling of what have we got ourselves into! PLUS....they were charging us for the cottage and we weren't even using it yet and the owner is collecting money from the tenant to boot. Is that even legal!? And just one more kicker......the utilities to the cottage, electric and water, are on OUR BILL! We're thinking "are you kidding me!?"

 

Well the guy doesn't move out on January 1st. And he is still here at the end of January! He is being all sweet and nice and continually saying he doesn't want to move and bla bla bla! And he has this big dog that runs all over, craps all over and the guy doesn't clean it up, and when that dog is out our dog goes nuts and barking. The guy throws his garbage all over the place too boot! Now we are getting ticked! We now have found out that the last tenant who lived in the main house was told the cottage was just used for storage, but when she and her family move in....she finds that this guy is living there and has been for two years! Well she can't move again so she works out a deal with the guy to pay half of the utilities and she lives here for two years. We also find out that 15 or more couples had looked at the house prior to us but won't rent it because of the cottage situation and the guy, and the utility issue. We also found out that the owner had lied to the city when he bought this property with just the cottage. He wanted to build a new house but he was suppose to tear down the cottage. He told the city that the cottage was going to be a mother-in-law suite and he was going to have his parents live there, with him in the main house. Oh....and there is no heat in the cottage either...and we've since learned there is mold in it because it only has a tiny window air unit to cool it which isn't large enough for the cottage! This whole thing is just getting worse and worse until the owner shows up one day because the day we started moving in someone from the cities department of code enforcement shows up here and goes back to the cottage and leaves a notice on the door. They have issues with how bad it looks saying it needs to get cleaned up, painted, and repaired. And while the owner is here, he asks me to put in my garage all the crap of his I took out so we could get our stuff in there back in it. I told him NO! There is no room for it! I don't even have enough room for my own stuff! I told him once we are able to move the stuff out of the garage into the cottage then his stuff might fit, but I'm thinking "what a moron," I pay you for this space for us, not storing your crap too! Then he starts spouting "oh no....no no no"! I asked no what!? No, we don't get the cottage! I said what do you mean, we were told it was a mother-in-law suite that went with this house, it's all one address, our name is on the utilities for it, AND YOUR CHARGING US EXTRA FOR IT!!! and we haven't been able to use it yet! Now we are seeing RED!!!!! We contact our property manager....and it goes back and forth with a lot of bull all through most of February. I finally told them enough!!! We didn't sign up for this crap, we were lied to and deceived, and I want all our money back, and we are moving and I want our moving expenses paid too! Our lease was broken by all of them and I would get an attorney. I called the cities code enforcement office to see if renting two places on one address using the same utilities was even legal! They are now investigating this whole thing but we did learn he didn't have a permit to rent out the cottage, nor is anyone suppose to be renting it. It's one place only. But, guess what? That guy is still living in the back and isn't moving! I guess they thought if they lied to us so we would rent and move in, we would just roll over like the last tenant here did and let the guy stay and just split the bills. NO FLIPPIN WAY! He and his friends come and go all night long, partying, and whatever. There is one driveway, so they park all over the yard too! And, now he has a girlfriend that is practically living there....now one more car in the way! We are over this! So now the search is on for a new place to live and hubby and I are fuming!

 

OH and up further where I mentioned cleaning up the yard? Well on Christmas Day I started doing that and spent four weeks using a hand saw, climbing trees to trim branches that were hanging down to the ground, pulling vines covering the fence in the back and down one side that you couldn't even see, or that there were homes behind us! I raked and raked, picked up tons of trash from the moron behind us, cut down tons of over growth, small trees that had no where to grow, and just cleaning up everything! The neighbors were so excited and just loved me! One couple said they have lived here 40 years, and NO ONE has ever cleaned this property up. They could see their house value rising and everyday walked over to see what else I had done. Well it isn't finished and I am not going to do another thing! I saved this jerk about two thousand or more with all the work I did! And then he does us like this! If I could I would find a dump and fill this yard back up with garbage and yard trash! I am fuming and stressed out to the max about all this! Hubby and I can't wait to get the heck out of here! Just writing this I can feel my blood pressure rise! We are DONE!!! They all played us as fools! It's time to MOVE!

 

In our search to find a place, we came across this darling vintage cottage. Built in 1910 with all it's original baseboards, moldings, heart of pine flooring, door knobs, and charm. We both fell in love with it! It was perfect for us and everything I wanted in a cottage home. It is adorable and the people who owned it the last seventeen years did a fabulous job updating it. It is gorgeous! It's small, but perfect for us and wait till you see the surprise in this place! A small basement AND this gorgeous attic with tons of potential! I immediately had a vision of it all finished off! It would be beautiful!

 

So to end this post....I just wanted to share it with you! We tried really hard to get it, but it was for sale. We hoped they would be willing to do a lease option, because soon hopefully, we would be able to purchase it outright. The owners don't live in it as they live out of state, but they only want to sell it. I saw it a year ago, not inside but I fell in love just by the outside. Once we saw the inside, I was drooling! We have found a place to rent now, but this is still not off our table. If there is a way, we want it!!!!  I really debated sharing this cause I don't want anyone to swoop in to try for it. So be nice.....it has spoke to me! It wants me, and needs me to love it! It knows I will respect every inch of her, and honor her history! I wouldn't change a thing, except finish that attic! It is going to be my lady place! It's gonna be mine folks.....mine mine mine! I hope! :) Don't ask where we found it, because I'm not telling lol!

 

This first photo is of the front. A beautiful wide veranda with mahogany wood flooring! Can you believe that!? When sitting on the veranda, you have a view of a nearby lake too! If I remember right, there are fans on the ceiling of the porch, if not I was going to add a couple on either side, and some pretty lights on either side of the door. There is a light center of the veranda over the entrance way. Cedar shake siding (which I love) and those sweet columns. And look at the double front door entrance! See how narrow those doors are!? So flippin cool! I loved them! And look at the stone columns at the yard entrance with that old gate! There is another gate just like it on the left side yard. At the back of the house on the right rear, is another covered porch just like this only smaller, with a sidewalk leading out to a one car garage. I so love this beauty! Lots of pretty landscaping and shrubs all around the property to act like a fence. My heart just pounds talking about this special place!

 

Sweet!

 

This photo shows a little of the porch on the back side.

You also can see the little garage in back.

 

I do think it would look sweet with a tin roof one day!

 

 

Nope no fans....but look at the mahogany flooring! And it just shines too! Just gorgeous! I love those chairs! There are a bunch more of those chairs in the attic, which I was told some things can be sold with the house. I found plenty inside I would try for believe me! One thing I thought this veranda needed was a swing on one end...I'm thinking that end straight ahead....would be so sweet don't you think too!? And look at the ceiling! OMG I am weak in the knees and I haven't even been inside yet....my heart is racing and I feel light headed lol! It's my dream home!

 

 

Over the roof tops of the house across the street there is the lake. Pretty good view when sitting on the veranda on this end of it. There was a nice breeze coming across this day too! So beautiful and relaxing and I didn't want to leave!

 

 

 

Here you can really see the huge lake! I have to pinch myself

at this point!

 

 

The side yard....and it has a FIREPLACE!!!! I can't wait to

get inside of this gem! Yard is nice too! I found out it has

a lemon tree, a fig tree, and an orange tree too!

 

  

The left side yard....it's over here towards the back near the driveway which runs up behind the home where the other gate is....love those old gates!  Notice there are two little bay window areas? The first is the dining room...the second is a family room just outside the master suite.

 

Are you ready to go inside!?

My adrenaline is pumping hard now!

Is your's!?

 

 

This is where I almost stopped breathing! Look at those heart of pine floors! And, they run through out the whole home! And the fire place!!!!!  Wood burning and it works! I'm already dreaming of Christmas! The nine foot ceilings through out the entire home!

 

There is a glass pane door from the living room to the hallway.....oh oh oh and once you go through that door to the left, is glass pane French doors going into the kitchen!

 

Now, the layout is this. When you walk in the front door, the living room is to the right.....go through that door in the living room and there are two bedrooms with small walk in closets and a Jack and Jill bath on the right. Back behind the last bedroom is a mudroom like, with the back side door porch leading to the garage. There is also a door in the mudroom that leads to the small basement.

 

To the left when you walk in the front door is the dining room, then the kitchen, then a laundry room, and the small family room. The master suite runs the whole back of the house. In the master suite, there are two small walk in closets, a full bath with tub and shower, and in the bedroom there is a door that leads up to the attic.

 

We are going to go down the left side to start after seeing

the living room that we have just walked into.

 

 

I love the shutters on the windows either side of the fireplace! I wonder why they aren't on the front windows though...need to put some there!

 

 

The room is not as large as the other two photos showed

but perfect size for us!

 

Now we will turn left just inside the front door across

from the living room to the dining room.

 

 

I would have a nice large long table in this room centered

under the light. Add a nice buffet in the bay window area to

the right there, and on the left wall my china cabinet. I would

add shutters to this window on the left too!

 

 

There's the bay window....see more shutters! Love them!

That door also leads into the kitchen! Wait till you see that!

This place just has me breathless, like walking back in time!

 

 

 

LOOKY, LOOKY!!!!

 

Isn't this stunning and adorable!

 

Now I would take that table and chairs and put it on the back wall where you will in the next picture where a decorative table and two chairs are. Where this table is, I would get  an old dresser or cabinet and make an island for this space.

 

I love the cabinets and the hardware. I love the tin backsplash too, along with the stainless steel appliances! It has fantastic lighting even under the cabinets, and love the shutters on the window. Oh...where this cabinet is on the bottom left....right above it is this tiny window with a latch for opening. It's so cute but wonder why it is there! Love the open shelving...great place for my cookbooks! And, those fans are awesome....but I would love a pot rack over my island too. That might be a change I would do.

 

 

This is so spacious! You can just about see that tiny window way down on the right just before going through the door to the dining room at the front of the house. And it has the old register covers in the floor for heating. It's beautiful right!!!?? I am in heaven now!

 

 

That door at the end of the kitchen goes into the laundry

room. Pretty narrow but at least it has a laundry room!

 

 

The laundry room....the washer and dryer go right to the right inside the door here which comes off the long hallway that you saw from the living room. I wonder once those appliances are in there if you have room to shut the door.

 

There at the back of the room you see the door on the left that goes into the kitchen. There is a little sink there and quite possibly a toilet could be added to make a half bath where that big cabinet sits. Might be useful so guests don't have to enter the bedrooms to use the bathrooms. Love all the original hardware on all the doors...even several glass door knobs! Wide baseboards are through out the house too... although the master bath is missing baseboards for some reason.

 

Now we are going across the hall to the two bedrooms with the Jack and Jill bathroom.  

 

 

This room backs up to the living room...to the left, that door leads to the bathroom.

 

 

Here you see the door into the bedroom coming off the hallway, the closed door is the small walk in closet, and the door to the bathroom. Looking through, you can see into the other bedroom. And see the transom windows! There are a few of these....so cool!

 

 

And this is the Jack and Jill bathroom with a gorgeous

claw foot bathtub!

 

 

This is the second bedroom....to the right is the bathroom

and there is a small walk in closet. Nice size bedrooms both.

 

 

The door off the hallway with another transom window, the

small walk in closet, and entry into the Jack and Jill bath.

 

Now we are back across the hall to the family room which is behind the laundry room and kitty corner across from the second bedroom. This is where the second bay window is and that door leads into the master suite. To the right you enter the hallway and straight across the hallway is the mudroom and back door on the right side of the house.

 

Love the built in cabinet with the drawers. This we would use as an office library for Jack. And with the master right there, it could be an addition really to the master suite.

 

See that oar on the wall in that room across the hall... that's the mud room or what I call the mud room anyway. It's where the back door is and when you come in that door, and to the right of that doorway is the doorway down to the basement. A better photo of part of that room is coming up down further.

 

Now we enter the master suite from the family room. Not a bad size but it has this full bed and three dressers in it and a couple of chairs. See that doorway on the left through that hall....this is one of two small walk in closets. The other one is right across from it. We would probably have to use all the closets in the house for our clothes lol. The windows in this room are roll out ones....not good on the energy bill, but cute anyway. Now to the right where you see that dresser with the potted palm picture hanging....to the right of that is a door and through that door is the stairway up to the attic. That hallway where the closets are, leads to the master bath.

 

We'll get there in a minute. 

Looking back at the bedroom from the hall to the bathroom.

See there to the left is the door leading to the attic. Now to the bathroom!



Isn't this a gorgeous bathroom! I love the mirror and that

awesome claw foot bath tub! The second claw foot bath in

the house now! I can hardly stand it!!!



This is the other side of the bathroom with a shower!! And I

love those ceilings too! I think it would look nice with some

wainscoting on the walls and it needs some baseboards. 

I totally love it all!

 

Now lets go to the attic!!! I love this space!

Oh the vision I see for this space! I love these wood beams! It needs to be insulated, but I would do it and lay the wall boards so those beams could still be seen. I would put a bath with a sweet soaking tub in it at that far end, which is near where the stairs are with a pedestal sink....no walls! A toilet that would be enclosed though.

 

The side walls  I would build lots of built in drawers and storage places. Where the window are on both sides....one side would have a bed, and the other end would house my sewing and craft studio. I wouldn't divide any of this space up with walls I don't think. I would refinish the floors and make it light and bright! Have a few other ideas possibly too. My vision of it would be beautiful! Maybe even add a window on either end too.



I am totally mesmerized by this space! And in love!

Makes my heart just pound with excitement! I would

probably never leave this space!

 

See all those chairs I was telling you about in the beginning!?

Love, Love, Love!

 

Time to leave and head down to the mud room.

Pretty spacious space....I see a nice bead board cabinet for jackets and hats, with a seat bench and cubbies underneath for shoes!



This is the basement...with more space behind where the

bottom of the stairs come down too. The stairs run down

there on the right...lots of storage here.

 

And this is the garage!

 

Now isn't this place a gem!? We fell in love on the spot!

 

This is our dream...a home with history,

and a home with its vintage past still

felt in the walls that hold it together.

 

A long post but wasn't the last part worth it in the end?

 

Well it is time to get back to packing. We plan to start this move this Friday and over the weekend. In the process of this move, I still need to sell so much that I can't use.

 

I hope I can keep my strength up because I am definitely going to need ever ounce I can muster! Once we are moved and settled, I'll share our new home for now with you. It is an amazing place!

 

Oh and if I don't forget, I have another amazing historic home to share with you also....this baby is 7,000 sq. feet, and stunning too! At the moment, it's heart is broken!

 

Thanks for spending your time with me today!

I love your company!

 

Have a blessed day!

 

TaTa for now!