The Back Story - Part 1

It was mid-June 2010 when the ball was set in motion for what was ultimately the purchase of the House at Porter Street (on the last day of October).  We couldn't commit to anything until after mum's auction on what ended up being federal election day - 21 August, but were eager to explore the market.  


There were many steps and considerations.  There were in excess of 40 houses viewed in person, and hundreds trawled through on the internet.  There were whole suburbs discarded outright for having the wrong vibe, and others (yearned for, but) scratched off for being too pricey (goodbye bayside).  There were schools to be investigated, public transport to be considered (?), also shopping, neighbours, traffic, and other amenities.


We needed a house with four bedrooms and at least three indoor living spaces. One of the living spaces, and one of the bedrooms needed to be separate from the rest, and if possible, connected to each other (if there was no self-contained unit.)  You see, my parents have been divorced for decades and for continuing harmony in our lives, there needed to be room to move, room to breathe, room to be separate.  Room.


We couldn't consider a house if all the bedrooms were together on the upper floor.  Same, if there was too much flow between the living spaces.


We wanted an established garden.  We did not want to be on a main road (for the cats).  We didn't want to feel hemmed in by neighbouring houses, but we wanted to be within the 25km radius of Melbourne's CBD.


Stylistically, I didn't want a new house.  I didn't want a boxy house.  I didn't want a house that someone else had renovated.  I didn't want halogen downlights.  


I wanted natural light and big windows.  I wanted space.  I wanted something I could transform into something special.  I wanted substantial.  I wanted architecturally interesting.  Era-wise, I wanted 1920s through 1970s.


The House at Porter Street was of the first houses we viewed.  The identifier as we drove up was the agent's board.  But looking past the board I saw a solid, honest house.  (I also saw pencil and other pines). I liked it (apart from the pencil and other pines). It looked interesting.  And the photos on the internet, though bleak, with an abundance of vertical blinds, showed promise.  


What I didn't see, until we actually purchased months later, and I was taking photos outside was this ignoble feature.

Gladly, a dreary little letterbox was not on my list of deal-breakers.