This weekend’s must-see open houses
If you can stand freezing your butt off, some of these houses are open for touring today. But I think you should stay warm and tour them virtually.
I am most emphatically not a winterphobe. I often repeat a phrase I heard many moons ago: “Those who cannot handle winter don’t deserve summer.”
But even I have my limits as to what I will tolerate. Sub-zero wind chills go beyond them. Add to that the winter storm that’s forecast to drop a ton of snow on the region tomorrow, and I — and you, I’m sure — will cross house-gawking in person off my list of things to do this weekend. So instead, why not make a cup of hot tea or cocoa, sit by the fireplace if you have one and peruse these standout properties virtually? However, if you prefer in-person touring, all of these houses are open today.
Bucks County
5895 Rodgers Road, Pipersville
6 bedrooms, 6 full, 1 half bathrooms, 8,900 square feet, asking price $3,800,000
(reduced by $200,000 on Jan. 16)
Open house: Saturday, January 24, 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
This brand-new custom house just down the road from Ralph Stover State Park channels both the balance and elements of classical style while putting them in a totally modern package.
While the front entrance might lead you to believe you’re about to enter the modern version of a center-hall Colonial, once you enter, you discover you’ve stepped into a house that’s anything but. The two-story-high foyer is one with the formal dining room, and the stairs are at the far end of that room.
Directly beyond the foyer is a totally modern main living space whose only nod to the past is its coffered ceiling. On the right is a two-story-high great room with a full-height marble fireplace, while the tricked-out two-island kitchen nestles under the floor above on the other end. A huge pantry with a second fridge next to the kitchen lets you or your caterer to prepare a feast for the multitudes.
This house has also been built so you, your family and your guests can live indoors or outdoors as you choose. The rear patio, accessed through sliding doors from the kitchen, combines a covered outdoor living room with a fireplace and fire table, an open outdoor kitchen outfitted to the nines (it even has a rack for wine glasses) and an outdoor dining room.
Pyramid Construction also outfitted this house with a sumptuous primary bedroom suite, a main-floor in-law suite and five more en-suite bedrooms. The listing photos don’t show the below-ground walkout basement, but its space counts towards the 12,000-square-foot-total in the listing copy.
Listing agent: Andrea Desy Edrei, Societe Select, Serhant
Chester County
229 West Union Street, West Chester
4 bedrooms, 1 full, 1 half bathrooms, 1,649 square feet, asking price $795,000
Open house: Saturday, Jan. 24, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
This classic 1893 twin just southwest of the heart of West Chester has gotten a makeover that brings it into the here and now while preserving its Victorian soul.
Its living room features shiplap wainscoting, which rises to cover the entre rear wall of the dining area. Behind the dining room is a totally au courant kitchen with modern appliances and cabinetry that combines past and present. Green wainscoting and patterned wallpaper combine in the main-floor powder room.
Behind the powder room. laundry and mud room is a raised rear patio and a backyard with a gazebo beyond its back fence. The upstairs primary bedroom boasts classic crown moldings and a neutral color palette.
Listing agent: Michael Ciunci, Michael Ciunci Real Estate, KW Greater West Chester
Delaware County
2432 Olcott Avenue, Haverford
5 bedrooms, 3 full, 1 half bathrooms, 3,950 square feet, asking price $1,650,000
Open house: Saturday, Jan. 24, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. (An open house is also scheduled for Sunday, Jan. 25 during the same hours, but it will most likely not take place due to the weather.)
This modest post-World War II Colonial has just emerged from a gut rebuild that also added a rear wing and wraparound porch to the property, shown in the perspective photo above.
The living room that spans almost the entire width of the front of the main floor has kept all of its traditional style chops, but the more modern chandelier in the middle of its coffered ceiling gives a clue to what lies behind.
And what lies behind is a modern, L-shaped everyday living suite with a dining room at its base, a kitchen with contempoary cabinetry at its hinge and a comfy family room with its own full-height stone fireplace and ceiling fan at its top. The rear porch wraps around it.
The rebuild also gave it a striking primary bedroom with a cathedral ceiling and a bathroom with a spa shower. Two other bedrooms and a hall bath fill out the second floor, while the basement contains a guest bedroom and full bath in addition to its spacious rec room and a wet bar with a wine rack and wine fridge.
From this house you can walk to the shopping district along Haverford Road at Wynnewood Road as well as the adjacent M1 (Norristown High-Speed Line) station.
Listing agent: Erica Deuschle, Trust the Pineapple Real Estate Team, Keller Williams Main Line
Montgomery County
241 Cheswold Lane, Haverford
5 bedrooms, 4 full, 2 half bathrooms, 5,555 square feet, asking price $1,875,000
Open house: Saturday, Jan. 24, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
This mansarded midcentury modern house on Haverford’s north side wraps all the modern creature comforts in a uniquely styled and designed package.
Curving stairs lead down from the bi-level foyer to the main living area. The living room features a curved wall of built-in bookshelves and large windows looking out on the wooded backyard. A home office sits off the living room, beyond the original stone exterior wall.
A formal dining room that can be closed off from the living room connects it to the striking contemporary kitchen, which has an extra-large island, and the casual dining area next to the stone accent wall. The family room beyond this space boasts a dual-sided fireplace and beamed cathedral ceiling, and a rear patio lies outside these rooms.
The second-floor primary bedroom has a sumptuous bathroom and a private balcony overlooking the rear grounds. In addition to the three other second-floor bedrooms, stairs lead from the laundry room to a third-floor bonus room that can serve as a fifth bedroom. And even though this house lies on Haverford’s less dense north side, you can walk from it to Haverford’s Regional Rail station and its small business district centered on Haverford Square.
Listing agent: Stephanie MacDonald, The MacDonald Team, Compass
Philadelphia
202 Spruce Street, Society Hill
4 bedrooms, 4 full, 3 half bathrooms, 2,902 square feet, asking price $1,695,000
Open houses: Saturday, Jan. 24, 1 to 4 p.m. and Sunday, Jan. 25, 1 to 2:30 p.m. (This open house is also most likely to be canceled.)
This Federal townhouse dates to 1800, but like that Ardmore Colonial, it too received a total makeover that turned it into a modern marvel with a traditional heart.
The main floor boasts an open plan in which the living room flows directly into a totally modern kitchen with a waterfall quartz island and brass handles on both its high-end appliances and its modern Shaker cabinets. Behind the kitchen, the dining room has a ceiling that rises two stories to let extra light pour through its upper windows. (A study overlooks the dining room.)
The second-floor primary suite is lit by two large windows facing Pine Street, like the living room, and its bathroom boasts a glass-enclosed rain shower. The third floor could serve as a guest or in-law suite, as it has an en-suite bedroom, a kitchenette, a powder room and a rear balcony. The fourth floor contains two more bedrooms and a hall bath.
The finished basement can function as a rec room, media room, home gym or bonus room, and it has a powder room as well. And with a Walk Score of 94, you can dispense with your car if you move here, unless you need it to travel to distant points not well served by public transportation.
Listing agent: Mike McCann, The McCann Team, KW Empower