Another Grosse Pointe House

We got back from our trip Friday night and the first thing I did was check the news and read my e-mail. To my surprise a house in Grosse Pointe Farms on one of, what I think is, the prettiest streets in the Farms, had a major price reduction according to my Realtor.com e-mail alerts. I clicked over to the site and I gasped a little bit when I realized the major price reduction was on a house the we had driven by last week and looked longingly at but realized it was way over our budget so we moved on. I had seen the house and put it in my saved listings because it had everything we would want in a house even though it was out of our price range.

Isn't the back of the house beautiful? I love that it has a big tree shading the patio area and the ivy climbing up the trees base adds to it's charm.

Pool House

This is the pool house that is behind the main house. We entertain out of town family so this extra space would be a real bonus. It is winterized and would be a welcome addition to accommodate the overflow we experience when the whole family is here.

Guests would have their own little kitchen, bath, and even a fireplace to warm cold winter nights.

I love this fabric and wallpaper in the Pool House bedroom.

The front of the house has a big circle drive right off of Cloverly.

The box woods in the Chippendale planters soften the entrance.

The kitchen is a rarity at this new price point. Most of the homes in Grosse Pointe are older and the kitchens are often dated. This kitchen is an exception. There are loads of cupboards on the other side of the kitchen and a nice eating area.

I like how they furnished the cozy den.

Another bonus is the completely updated master suite. There is an updated bath and dressing area through the door at the back of the bedroom.

This house is probably around 2,400 square feet with the Pool House adding addition square footage which is a good size for us. The main house would be big enough for us to use efficiently and when family is here we could accommodate them for visits while not having to use resources to maintain the extra room when it is just us.

The Grosse Pointe's are unique in that home owners also have access to Lake St. Clair via the individual parks that are available to each of the Pointe's communities. The parks have pools, boat slips, and most have tennis courts. With a house in the Grosse Pointe's there really is no need to have a separate cottage some place else although many of it residents do and I probably would too if it wasn't such a long drive up north. We have a saying here in SE Michigan that we have two seasons ~ Winter & Road Construction. Where we live now it is almost impossible to get out of town on a Friday night to head up north during Road Construction season.

The Pointe's are also walking communities. From most locations you can walk either/or to the lake and the parks or to the two town centers. The house above is within walking distance to both which I love. Where we live now you have to get in the car to go anywhere which I don't love.

I have my eye on a church that we would join and there are many opportunities for community involvement in The Pointe's that I have missed over the last 9 years living here in the suburbs. We are spoiled here with the fabulous markets and restaurants, but maybe by moving to GP I could walk off some of the extra weight that has crept up from the close proximity to all that fabulousness. We will see....

All of these bargins are tempting but I am not sure I have what it takes left in me for a move. So, thanks for coming along on this journey of sorting it all out. I hope you enjoy seeing the GP eye candy.

Grosse Pointe Shores Village

This is my new love. Isn't she a beauty? If you are from Mt. Pleasant you will probably see the resemblance between this and the house we sold when we moved in 2003. I loved that house on its pretty maple lined street and this Grosse Pointe Shores house reminds me so much of it when we first bought it in 1996. I'm guessing Kyle will recognize it and make the same comment he made when we bought the Maple St. house. "It looks like a box and when you fix it up it will still look like a box with a wreath on it". He later recanted his statement.
The gleaming wood floors are an improvement over our former house that we had to remove miles of pet stained carpets from and refinish all the floors. The window and fireplace placement are identical. Some moldings around the fireplace would be all I would do in this living room.

The mirror in the dining room would have to go.


The kitchen has a good layout for the way we live which would save on renovation costs. I would add crown molding, paneled doors, paint the cupboards creamy white, add bin pulls to the lower cabinets and knobs to the uppers in gold, thick marble counter tops with ogee edges and marble back splashes, a farm sink, new faucets, a couple of lanterns over the island, and new appliances with a focal point hood added over the new gas stove.



New doors and windows with mullions, a slate floor, and painted rattan furniture in here.

Wouldn't this be pretty with beautiful windows and doors on the sun room?

There is plenty of room for a pool which is a must for us even though this house is only one house away from Lake St. Clair.

Do you like classic old houses? Would you even consider a house that needed updating like this one if you were contemplating a move? Feel free to add any suggestions of what you might do to this house to make it fabulous.