Gorgeous Old Woodbridge Townhouse Wants $249K

This Romanesque beauty built in 1890 looks amazing on the outside with its red-brick-and-stone facade and arched windows and doorways. The inside doesn't disappoint, either. The nearly 2000-square-foot 4-bedroom, 2-bath home welcomes visitors with an oak-paneled foyer lit by an wrought iron lantern. There's a lovely staircase with intricately carved bannisters and spindles. The first landing on this stair features two large stained glass windows that fill the space with light.

The living room and dining room both have their original fireplaces, both with ceramic tile. The living room fireplace is charming, with its elaborately carved tiles showing a young girl with a bird perched on her hand. The dining room fireplace has an intricately carved mantel complete with framed mirror. Both rooms feature original lighting fixtures, and the stained glass ceiling lamp in the living room makes us think "Tiffany," though it's likely just in the style of the famed New York glassmaker.

The first floor bath has a clawfoot tub, though the Pepto Bismol pink walls in that room really need to be pretty much any other color. The kitchen could use some updating, though it's a charming space with exposed brick walls and arched windows. The cabinetry looks like custom work, but the large amount of honey oak, a very modern finish, overwhelms the room just a bit, and the manmade counters are a pretty unappealing oatmeal color.

The second floor landing really shows the character and precision of late 19th century woodwork, though it's clear in photographs of that space (and of the kitchen) that the hardwood floors are in serious need of refinishing. The floors in the bedrooms and living room look to be in better shape, though, and two of the master bedroom windows are set in a quirky little niche highlighted by oak paneling. The other bedrooms look large, and are perfectly decorated…if you also have a little boy or girl interested in space travel, or would like a home office with plaid wallpaper and old carpeting. The second story bath looks like a 1990s remodel, with dark blue tiles and vintage Home Depot cabinetry.

There's a sleeping porch on the second floor that also has tatty carpet, but that's easily remedied, and the space has loads of fun potential. The backyard has a modest rear porch and a parking pad, and a sad-looking shed that probably needs to be removed. The house has a wealth of great period detail, and could be really amazing with a few smart updates. The mechanicals seem in order, too. The listing copy says there's a "newer furnace, central air [and] updated electrical." In May 2014, the house listed at $194.9K, but didn't sell. Woodbridge is heating up, and a similar house on the same street sold two years ago for $201K. An ask of $249K may be somewhat high, especially given the home's slightly rough condition and the busy street it's on, but given the activity in nearby Brush Park, something in the 200K ballpark isn't totally out of order.

·3985 Trumbull St [Zillow]
·3914 Trumbull St [Zillow]
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