A few years ago, Sally Purcell and her husband were thinking about a move. She spotted the house at 5823 Richmond Ave. and went to check it out. But again, she was JUST looking. They weren’t quite ready to pack it up. But something happened. She fell in love. She told her agent, “I think I really like that one.” Well, lo and behold, this Lower Greenville Craftsman on Richmond Ave. was already under contract. Phew. No reason to scramble.
But then, something else happened. The contract fell through. Purcell hadn’t even reached out to a lender at that point. They were so far out from buying. But the opportunity to own 5823 Richmond? Well, that was cause for a scramble. And so she did. And they got it, and they’ve been improving it ever since.
One of her neighbors moved in on the very same day. They, too, have been doing home improvement projects since day one. And now they’re really great friends. But it’s time for Purcell and her family to pack it up and head back east to be near family. What they’re putting on the market is an incredible opportunity to own a remodeled, reimagined, professionally designed Lower Greenville Craftsman.
A Redesigned, Remodeled Lower Greenville Craftsman
Purcell said one of the first things they did was paint the exterior. It was brown and beige and while that is technically a color scheme that’s true to the era, Purcell preferred to make a statement. They went with a deep, deep gray called Caviar and added contrasting Snowbound trim. She said she knows black on black is very en vogue, but she needed the white trim for comfort.
They’ve remodeled both bathrooms and the one in the primary is exquisite. It has a Japanese soaker tub in a wet room, a very modern aesthetic, and a toilet that’s motion sensored and opens as you approach.
They literally just completed the kitchen and it’s modern as well. They worked with Kate Thacker Home and a contractor that’s familiar with older homes. Purcell said he took Thacker’s plans and made them work for the 1926-built home. Not that they wouldn’t have worked the way they were, but by having a history with older homes, he knew how to add improvements.
Another thing they did was restore all the windows. They did it during the lockdown phase of the pandemic. Purcell said the window company asked if they wanted to do it in phases. She didn’t think anything of it and said, “Nah, let’s get it knocked out.” Well, she learned a valuable lesson. Don’t be locked inside a home during a Pandemic with all your windows boarded up. It was a bleak time for sure, but they made it.
True (House) Love
As for what drew her to the house in the first place? Those three things remain. The first is the way the kitchen opened to the backyard. It made hosting effortless. The second is the incredible pecan tree out back. Purcell said it’s rumored to be 200 years old. She said it takes four grown adults to hug it. It’s also quite the pecan producer.
The final thing she loves and will miss the most? The location and the neighborhood. It’s on such a charming street that’s close to everything in the Lower Greenville area and the neighbors are incredible. But we already knew that.
Dave Perry-Miller Real Estate’s Sue Tarantino has 5823 Richmond Avenue listed for $720,000.
