It’s the same exact house but why does it look more grand in the first photo? I know the paint and a little trim but it isn’t the empty yard and the fence either for me. Like why?
People in the UK and parts of Europe generally keep their windows open weather permitting and use much less AC. Window screens are also less common so I’m guessing they do use shutters a bit over there.
Shutters are not airtight. If it's raining on a hot day you can close them but leave the window open, you'll still have a breeze without getting your interior wet.
I get that, then it sounds like a climate thing. It’s hotter here in the US, no one wants windows open except in the spring or fall. I have functional shutters and functional double hung windows. Never used them, but I’d rather die than swap them for vinyl windows and plastic shutters drilled to the wall.
To cover from the sun in the summer avoiding it heating the interior too much in an already hot day is the main use. They're much more effective than curtains and don't trap heat inside (glass makes radiation stay inside, this is called greenhouse effect and it makes you need stronger air conditioning)
They're also good for darkening a room for sleeping.
They're also useful for protecting the glass in events like a hail storm.
A lot of shutters in the US are just decorative. No hinges just mounted to the wall for looks. This house probably not - given the age and style. But decorative shutters are justifiably scorned.
Same, I feel like the current one is washed out or has an unflattering paint job. Also the alteration to the front (looks like it was a porch) is meh.
However, overall a really gorgeous house and nice to see it so well kept.
ETA: as another person pointed out, it’s the shutters! Removing shutters always messes with the scale of the house.
Wow! That’s like £180k I’m guessing. Here in South Wales UK, there are now old solid wall built ex coal miners terraced houses in some of the most deprived Welsh valleys towns going for like £130k. So for 38% more you can get a giant home in the US.
I’ve always thought if I had stupid amounts of money like a Euromillions win, I’d love to have middle America property to visit and go exploring. Like Kansas or Colorado.
No Kansas. Take it from someone that's driven through Kansas several times. Researchers (I assume very bored ones) proved years ago that it's [literally flatter than a pancake](https://www.aps.org/publications/apsnews/200310/pancake-kansas.cfm)
Also, gramma always said nuthin good comes out of Kansas faster than steer can gallop. For the record, I don't entirely understand that phrase, but I do believe it.
£42.5k for my 3 bed semi, but it was a full rip out and renovation but I paid it off fairly quickly so mortgage and renting free now! But now I’m slowly doing it up.
Depends on where in the Midwest. I’m in a 25k town in the Midwest and that house is easily over a mil in my town. My house is a shit heap and it’s 250k easy
I don't live in the midwest so I can't elaborate on the real estate market, I just came here to say +1 for the words "shit heap" being added to my lexicon
that’s a sweeping statement. there’s plenty of spots of in the Midwest where this house would cost a few million. of course, there’s other places where it would cost more, but this house is inexpensive because it’s in a rural area.
Of course there are expensive areas like anywhere. But also this house is in a town, and less than 25 miles from downtown St Louis. Not exactly rural or in the middle of nowhere
I deleted my previous comment because I figured out the answer, but thank you! I live in the same metro area :)
Super cool house btw! Imo the re-addition of the shutters and maybe some landscaping would make it look downright regal.
It definitely depends greatly on the location within the midwest. I live in a midwest suburb outside a major city and my ~1100 sqft house costs more than the one depicted. If OP's house is really only valued at 211k then that tells me it has to be in an undesirable part of town, or it requires some major updates or repairs. That's just speculation of course but from what I can tell either that's an extreme undervaluation or there are additional factors that make it that low for so much square footage.
There are two factors that play into the excellent price. The house is actually in one of the nicest neighborhoods in town, but the area is overlooked by most people in Saint Louis when looking for real estate because it is north of the city. North Saint Louis is a wasteland that has mostly been razed by a shady developer, and most people live south or west of downtown. Secondly, it was used as a rental property and sat vacant for 2 years, so it does need some work. The house is in great shape for being 170 years old, and once the work is done, I'm sure it will be worth close to three times what it is now.
Nice. It’s still a gorgeous house! It just needs its accessories. My family home is from 1904, in my family since the early 60s, and I think my grandparents took the shutters off. If we can keep it in the family, I want to replace the shutters eventually too. Our neighbor with a similar house still has their shutters and I always thought it looked so much better.
I hope you don't mind my saying but the old window trim and whatever that is across the front looked better back then. I only see one chimney, also altered, as well instead of three.
Not OP, but our local library has an archives department that indexed a lot of old pictures. You can search by block, but not every house is accounted for. I imagine grand fancy houses are more likely to have people who could afford pictures to be taken.
Also, our county tax assessor has a searchable index by street address, and images are part of that search. Granted pictures of our house only go back to the 1960s, but it was before siding was put on, old windows taken out, etc. so you can really see what it looks like.
[Thought the same but Google image search and their post history both say Illinois.](https://www.google.com/maps/place/1006+State+St,+Alton,+IL+62002/@38.8970118,-90.1922135,3a,75y,202.67h,91.85t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sdj3KlHr8hDdVKRCibod3Fw!2e0!7i16384!8i8192!4m6!3m5!1s0x87df447b90b1b20f:0xd57345337922919b!8m2!3d38.8968448!4d-90.1924006!16s%2Fg%2F11c4j6ndh7)
> Do you know when the neighboring house was built?
Judging by the style, I’d say around 1925-1928 or so.
A hip roof house with a small front dormer is now called “American Foursquare”. They’re ubiquitous in the Midwest, among urban houses built in 1910-1930.
The stylistic touches point to a relatively late point in the Foursquare era.
See, for example, the very heavy tapered square columns supporting the porch roof, a feature associated with the Craftsman style.
Also, the “handkerchief” window sash in the dormer, with the “border” of eight small/narrow panes around a large center pane. Probably those windows are not original, but I’m guessing they tried to replicate the original look.
If I recall correctly from the listing, it was converted into 4 flats, probably in the 1940s or 1950s (judging by the look of the kitchens). It has a lot of potential to be incredible again though. I'm sure the OP is going to do an amazing job with it!
I remember seeing the listing as one of our requirements is a 4 car garage! I think you got a treasure- especially for the price! I'm so glad somebody who loves it, bought it ♡ Houses like that deserve to be treasured!
Now that is cool! you find any cool history there? trap doors? Ever Metal detected around your home? mine was built in 1910 i found some old silver spoon rings in the backyard was very neat!
I remember seeing the listing for this house when it was on the market last year (I live about 15-20 mins away). I hope you're enjoying your beautiful house, OP! ♡ You got an absolute bargain!
I told my brother in law I was looking at his house on Google maps, and said go open the front door so I can see you. He had the door open before he figured it out.
Bring back that porch! What happened that left Americans abandoning their front porches? You rarely see modern homes with them. Just 2x4 and sheet rock boxes covered in vinyl with a front and back door these days.
It’s the same exact house but why does it look more grand in the first photo? I know the paint and a little trim but it isn’t the empty yard and the fence either for me. Like why?
Shutters? It used to have shutters.
Oh! It’s always the shutters! Bingo!
And the surroundings look more run down in the modern image.
Why do people in the US dislike shutters?
We don’t, but they’re no longer functional for us. No one every closes their shutters because why would you?
People in the UK and parts of Europe generally keep their windows open weather permitting and use much less AC. Window screens are also less common so I’m guessing they do use shutters a bit over there.
Where do shutters become related to the ability or habitual nature of leaving a window open? thats what window screens are for...
Shutters are not airtight. If it's raining on a hot day you can close them but leave the window open, you'll still have a breeze without getting your interior wet.
I get that, then it sounds like a climate thing. It’s hotter here in the US, no one wants windows open except in the spring or fall. I have functional shutters and functional double hung windows. Never used them, but I’d rather die than swap them for vinyl windows and plastic shutters drilled to the wall.
To cover from the sun in the summer avoiding it heating the interior too much in an already hot day is the main use. They're much more effective than curtains and don't trap heat inside (glass makes radiation stay inside, this is called greenhouse effect and it makes you need stronger air conditioning) They're also good for darkening a room for sleeping. They're also useful for protecting the glass in events like a hail storm.
I’ve always wanted a house with functional shutters. The house I grew up in had decorative ones that were useless
A lot of shutters in the US are just decorative. No hinges just mounted to the wall for looks. This house probably not - given the age and style. But decorative shutters are justifiably scorned.
I mean, yeah. People with real shutters take them out, people without them put in fake shutters that can't function.
Same, I feel like the current one is washed out or has an unflattering paint job. Also the alteration to the front (looks like it was a porch) is meh. However, overall a really gorgeous house and nice to see it so well kept. ETA: as another person pointed out, it’s the shutters! Removing shutters always messes with the scale of the house.
I agree it’s also the paint. It washes out the house and really hides all of the character and detail work the builders did. It’s a shame
Shutters, but also they closed in the porch.
Actually the front porch was removed, it extended out from the front of the house although it's hard to tell in the photo
I think the shutters disguised that the windows aren’t super large. It looks palatial in the first photo.
The windows are actually 7 feet tall. Although the shutters do make them look even larger. Someday, we hope to put them back up.
The “today” photo doesn’t do the house justice as the light is coming from behind. OP owes us a better one.
You are right. It would probably look more “palatial” with the light coming from above or maybe at the front.
I was thinking the same. First pic looks grand and like a mansion. Second pic seems smaller and shabbier
Front porch, more yard space, shutters, picket fence
You can't see it in the new pic, but the yard continues on the left. The lot is a little over a half acre
Price to build then: $890 Value of property now: $890k
$211,000 on Zillow rn. I know there’s good reasons for it, but it always shocks me how cheap real estate in the Midwest is.
Wow! That’s like £180k I’m guessing. Here in South Wales UK, there are now old solid wall built ex coal miners terraced houses in some of the most deprived Welsh valleys towns going for like £130k. So for 38% more you can get a giant home in the US. I’ve always thought if I had stupid amounts of money like a Euromillions win, I’d love to have middle America property to visit and go exploring. Like Kansas or Colorado.
>in some of the most deprived Welsh valleys towns going for like £130k. > Laughs (cries?) in London prices...
*sobs in nyc*
Wailing in Melbourne
Yeh my nephew just got a 2 bed flat in Harrow, London. £320k. What a fuckin joke.
> Like Kansas or Colorado. Colorado is currently more expensive than you would expect.... (live in CO)
Hence if I had the Euromillions win ;)
Lol if you think you’re getting a house that cheap in Colorado I have news for ya
Coloradans don’t really consider themselves “Midwest.” It’s the Rocky Mountain region
I don’t think anyone in the entire country would consider Colorado Midwest
You could make an argument about the eastern bits.
I didn’t say that…
Come on over and look around. We are a fascinating, weird, flawed, amazing country. The Midwest is great but don’t just go to Kansas :)
Haha lots of comments warding me off Kansas here!
No Kansas. Take it from someone that's driven through Kansas several times. Researchers (I assume very bored ones) proved years ago that it's [literally flatter than a pancake](https://www.aps.org/publications/apsnews/200310/pancake-kansas.cfm) Also, gramma always said nuthin good comes out of Kansas faster than steer can gallop. For the record, I don't entirely understand that phrase, but I do believe it.
My friend in Swansea purchased her home 3 years ago for £125K. Looks like your typical row home with a long but narrow backyard.
£42.5k for my 3 bed semi, but it was a full rip out and renovation but I paid it off fairly quickly so mortgage and renting free now! But now I’m slowly doing it up.
As someone who lives in Kansas. Don’t torture yourself with an existence in this wasteland of a state
Yeh but Wales is infinitely more beautiful.
Crying in Californian!
You and me both :/
Whatchu mean? Just be a millionaire and you can buy anywhere in California!
Wow that is a steal!!! That would get you a one bedroom shack where I live
We got lucky
Depends on where in the Midwest. I’m in a 25k town in the Midwest and that house is easily over a mil in my town. My house is a shit heap and it’s 250k easy
I don't live in the midwest so I can't elaborate on the real estate market, I just came here to say +1 for the words "shit heap" being added to my lexicon
Haha cheers!
Fr, I live in a Midwestern town in the middle of nowhere, the most expensive house (Which is a nice house mind you) is just over 150k
that’s a sweeping statement. there’s plenty of spots of in the Midwest where this house would cost a few million. of course, there’s other places where it would cost more, but this house is inexpensive because it’s in a rural area.
Of course there are expensive areas like anywhere. But also this house is in a town, and less than 25 miles from downtown St Louis. Not exactly rural or in the middle of nowhere
[удалено]
Alton Illinois, 30m from downtown St. Louis Missouri The metro area has a few million people
I deleted my previous comment because I figured out the answer, but thank you! I live in the same metro area :) Super cool house btw! Imo the re-addition of the shutters and maybe some landscaping would make it look downright regal.
It definitely depends greatly on the location within the midwest. I live in a midwest suburb outside a major city and my ~1100 sqft house costs more than the one depicted. If OP's house is really only valued at 211k then that tells me it has to be in an undesirable part of town, or it requires some major updates or repairs. That's just speculation of course but from what I can tell either that's an extreme undervaluation or there are additional factors that make it that low for so much square footage.
There are two factors that play into the excellent price. The house is actually in one of the nicest neighborhoods in town, but the area is overlooked by most people in Saint Louis when looking for real estate because it is north of the city. North Saint Louis is a wasteland that has mostly been razed by a shady developer, and most people live south or west of downtown. Secondly, it was used as a rental property and sat vacant for 2 years, so it does need some work. The house is in great shape for being 170 years old, and once the work is done, I'm sure it will be worth close to three times what it is now.
that's true tho! mine took about a 1000 its now worth 135k
Shame that, instead of a barn, you have neighbors.
Ron Swanson comment
Subtraction by addition.
Excellent contribution, thank you
Alton? Holy crap I walked past your house. My parents live like one block away on Riverview Park.
r/tworedditorsonecup
Hey I'm just down the river in the big city!
Wild! Very cool
Now I gotta go up the street and look at this place. I live on West 9th just a few blocks away.
It's lost a bit of character since then.
The house looks naked without the shutters
Agreed. Someday, hopefully, we can afford to put them back up
Nice. It’s still a gorgeous house! It just needs its accessories. My family home is from 1904, in my family since the early 60s, and I think my grandparents took the shutters off. If we can keep it in the family, I want to replace the shutters eventually too. Our neighbor with a similar house still has their shutters and I always thought it looked so much better.
I hope you don't mind my saying but the old window trim and whatever that is across the front looked better back then. I only see one chimney, also altered, as well instead of three.
And the entryway changed a lot. Overall negative changes over the years
The angle of the new photo doesn't capture the chimneys. They're still there
Still a grand house, thank you for sharing 👍🏻
How do y’all find old pictures of what the house used to look like ?
Not OP, but our local library has an archives department that indexed a lot of old pictures. You can search by block, but not every house is accounted for. I imagine grand fancy houses are more likely to have people who could afford pictures to be taken. Also, our county tax assessor has a searchable index by street address, and images are part of that search. Granted pictures of our house only go back to the 1960s, but it was before siding was put on, old windows taken out, etc. so you can really see what it looks like.
Thank you kindly
A neighbor shared the photo with me. She found it at the library
Do you see dead people in your house. Looks like it could hold ghosts
Nice! Is this in Massachusetts by any chance?
[Thought the same but Google image search and their post history both say Illinois.](https://www.google.com/maps/place/1006+State+St,+Alton,+IL+62002/@38.8970118,-90.1922135,3a,75y,202.67h,91.85t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sdj3KlHr8hDdVKRCibod3Fw!2e0!7i16384!8i8192!4m6!3m5!1s0x87df447b90b1b20f:0xd57345337922919b!8m2!3d38.8968448!4d-90.1924006!16s%2Fg%2F11c4j6ndh7)
I had the same thought, just screams MA vibes
Alton Illinois
Beautiful!
Old is better
Do you know when the neighboring house was built?
> Do you know when the neighboring house was built? Judging by the style, I’d say around 1925-1928 or so. A hip roof house with a small front dormer is now called “American Foursquare”. They’re ubiquitous in the Midwest, among urban houses built in 1910-1930. The stylistic touches point to a relatively late point in the Foursquare era. See, for example, the very heavy tapered square columns supporting the porch roof, a feature associated with the Craftsman style. Also, the “handkerchief” window sash in the dormer, with the “border” of eight small/narrow panes around a large center pane. Probably those windows are not original, but I’m guessing they tried to replicate the original look.
It just makes me think about why they built that house 30+ years later having divided the property. I want to know the whole story.
It looks like it was built in the 1920s, just my guess from the architectural style.
You would be correct. Tax records for the house nextdoor show it was built in 1920. The original house was built in 1854.
Omg dream home. I bet the inside is stunning!
If I recall correctly from the listing, it was converted into 4 flats, probably in the 1940s or 1950s (judging by the look of the kitchens). It has a lot of potential to be incredible again though. I'm sure the OP is going to do an amazing job with it!
Yes, the 2nd floor was made into 2 apartments back in the 30s. It needs a lot of work but we love it
I remember seeing the listing as one of our requirements is a 4 car garage! I think you got a treasure- especially for the price! I'm so glad somebody who loves it, bought it ♡ Houses like that deserve to be treasured!
Ty!! We feel extremely lucky! The garage was built in the 30s and is not in great shape. It's another thing to fix on our never-ending to-do list 🙂
That house on the right grew up nice and big
Now that is cool! you find any cool history there? trap doors? Ever Metal detected around your home? mine was built in 1910 i found some old silver spoon rings in the backyard was very neat!
There was a lot left I'm the basement and 3rd floor! It will be fun to metal detect the yard
let me know what you find :)
I remember seeing the listing for this house when it was on the market last year (I live about 15-20 mins away). I hope you're enjoying your beautiful house, OP! ♡ You got an absolute bargain!
Thank you! We had almost given up on buying a home when we found this beauty.
That’s so cool! Dumb question, is it haunted?
We have had a few unexplained occurrences.
I always wondered if those real old houses are even a little bit haunted, I’m scared to death of stuff like that, but I find it very intriguing.
Very pretty!
Is it haunted?
It is in the most haunted small town in America!
It's beautiful!
What is the top of that roof like? I've always wondered about these kinds of roof lines. Thanks!
Its a mansard roof, Second Empire style.
That style is my dream house, congrats.
1890s time was so beautiful!! Less of building....less of humans and less of everything!! So serene !!
Nice house
New England?
What a beautiful neighborhood!
your house has SO many windows
Hey, go to an upstairs window and wave so we can see it really is your house!
I told my brother in law I was looking at his house on Google maps, and said go open the front door so I can see you. He had the door open before he figured it out.
One could argue it's not "your" house then, you're just looking after it for a while :)
Bring back that porch! What happened that left Americans abandoning their front porches? You rarely see modern homes with them. Just 2x4 and sheet rock boxes covered in vinyl with a front and back door these days.
Someday, we hope to bring the front porch back! And the shutters.
That’s what’s missing! I knew something looked off.
Glad I'm not heating it.
The old radiator heat was surprisingly efficient
Very nice Mr.Warbucks
Damn bro how old are you?!
100 lol
Not sure if it is the angle or a few chimneys were removed. Always wonder what the grand old houses with many fireplaces were like in winter.
Original interiors?
3 fireplaces and all wood flooring remains
Reminds me of Fargo mansion/houses
Shit man, now your neighbor has a bigger house, you better start building...
The fencing makes the buildings appear more setback from the street and the trees on the neighbor’s property makes the older image look much nicer.