02. Site Story
Never thought I would own a house with a house and a tennis court.
Over the last 60 years, our 2.5 acre lot has slowly transformed from native woodlands to a haphazard collection of buildings and site features. The original house was built in 1959. Since then, not only has the main house had numerous additions, the site has had numerous additions as well. The three biggest site improvements — tennis court, pool & guest house — all occurred in a span of about 10 years (circa 1976 to 1987). This era seems to have been they heyday for the estate.
Developments over the years
Tennis Court
The tennis court has an especially interesting history. The second owner of the house convinced his sister to buy the lot just south of our lot. The sister built their house there, and, big bonus, they still live there! The siblings decided to build a tennis court that spans both properties for mutual enjoyment. Most of the court is on our property, and a short section extends on to the neighbor’s lot. Like many features of the house, the tennis court is now under disrepair and is unusable as a tennis court. The most recent owner used the tennis court as a parking area for RV’s and junk.
Guest House
The guest house is another point of interest. We are hoping to convert the guest house into a rental, but it is going to require a lot of work to make that happen; the roof, floor, appliances, plumbing all need to be replaced or repaired. The guest house is approximately 1000 SF with a 300 SF garage. It is a legitimate house and way bigger than the small downtown condo we used to live in!
Hodge Podge
After that time, it seems the property exchanged many hands and lacked proper maintenance. To my knowledge, the only further site improvement to the property since the late 80’s is a small, prefabricated shed added by the most recent former owner. The current placement of buildings and site elements feels opportunistic, whatever was easiest at the time. The overall end result is a chaotic mix of elements.
Unwelcome addition
The latest addition to the property is not man-made, but organic. Prickly stinging nettle and blackberries have taken over much of the yard. At this point, the existing site plan is a jumble. Our next step is to think about how we want to use our outside space, and then figure out a plan. As an architect, I have designed many homes, but I never before a landscape. I am excited!