The House That Could Have BeenSidetracked Sisters

When we were planning on returning to Wisconsin, we found out that a doctor was selling his practice and his home. I called him that night and after ½ hour of discussion, I made him an offer at his full asking price. I knew this house very well because when I was growing up, my best girlfriend’s family designed and built it. It was built with the Frank Lloyd Wright vibe. There were large windows, vaulted ceilings, and unique features like a second-floor living room, a large backyard with gardens, and an inground swimming pool.

This had been my dream house for many years. When it finally became ours, I realized that there were details of the house that I wanted to change. Some of the changes included expanding the master bath. It was only a half bath and the fixtures were lime green. The wallpaper matched the fixtures. My niece redid the walls for a birthday gift and improved the look but it was still only a half bath.

The green and gold shag carpet begged to be replaced preferably with light hardwood and interesting area rugs. The kitchen had geometric designs on linoleum floors which should have been updated. The Portuguese mahogany cabinets in the kitchen needed to be oiled and refreshed. The appliances all were ready to be brought up to date and the configuration redesigned. Each room had a list of this type of updating. The house was also too large. Forty-five hundred square feet of space was more than our small family required and much more upkeep than we desired. The house had great bones and with the right budget, it could have been fabulous.

When I was a young girl spending time here with my best friend and her family, I thought it was the most wonderful house I had ever seen. Fast forward thirty years, and I could see there was work to be done.

My true dream house would be in this Scandinavian Style. There would be large windows looking out over a good-sized lot. There is a book I love that was published in the fall of 1998. It was called the “Not so big House” and was authored by Sarah Susanka with Kira Obolensky. Each page contains features that show the benefits of quality over quantity. I would use this book as a reference for my dream house of today.

My family’s move to Colorado took us away from the house before many of the needed updates were made. Our family spent fourteen happy years in this special home. We still have excellent memories of our time together on Scott Street.

I don’t think this house could be built today at a reasonable price, but given the needed funds, the help of my Sidetracked Sisters, and a few talented renovators, it could have been Nirvana! I still see it in my dreams.