On January 31st, 1988 we moved into our brand new house at 11 Diana Grace Avenue. It proved to be an excellent decision with a wonderful location. We raised five children and now have two Moosehead billets. We have debated upgrading to get a better price but decided that by selling as a fixer-up allows the buyer can choose upgrades that are more consistent with their preferences. We will miss the neighbourhood but we’re ready for a change.
Details
- 2 storeys
- 3 bedrooms on 2nd floor
- 2 bathrooms on 2nd floor
- Half bath and laundry room on the main floor
- 3 bedrooms, sitting room, and furnace room in the basement
- Roughed in bathroom space in the basement
- All electric heating originally – most baseboards still active – oil-fired furnace forced air and water heater added about 25 years ago – oil tank outside
- Heat exchange unit turns the air over in eight hours – the unit needs a drive belt
- Back half of roof shined in 2019
- Great bones but in need of upgrades
- The fireplace in an insert and has a fan to distribute heat
- Wonderful location at 11 Diana Grace in a cul-de-sac
- A street-side veranda is a major plus and we have spent many hours watching the world pass by particularly when our children were younger and playing soccer and hockey and shooting basketball
- Terrific neighbours and we are seeing the second wave of younger families buying in the cul-de-sac
- Neighbours have fences on two sides of the back yard
- Deck was renovated in 2019 to be fully supported on concrete pillars below the frost line
- Plan to list in June
- Our realtor is my wife’s sister who already lists in the neighbourhood
- We are the only people who have ever lived in this house
- Our realtor’s plan is to list at $389,900
- Tax assessment is $285,000 with taxes of $3,437
- Water meter and electrical meter both recently upgraded
- Wired for fiber-optic and standard cable
- It is move-in ready as you plan for upgrades
- We do not plan to take any appliances as we transition to retirement living in an apartment
- Phil O’Hara – text/voice (902) 497-6056 or email w.philip.ohara@gmail.com
- NOTE: March 5, 2020 – I am on week 4 of radiation and chemotherapy so my immune system is compromised.
Welcome to a walk around our house
Masks the location of the oil tank
Compost bin for grass clippings, leavers, plant … anything from the yard
Protective guard over oil valve
Outdoor tap on the North side of the house
Heat Exchange System air intake
Looking into the backyard from between us and #9
From #9’s year looking into ours
Left to Right main floor: family room, kitchen eating area, kitchen and dining room
Across sixty feet from property line to property line
Deck sits on concrete pillar reaching below the frost line
The back of the roof was shingled in the summer of 2019
Protect from the wind, you an site on the deck year round
Looking North across the back of the house
Looking into yard from between us and #13
Looking at the front yard from between us ant #13
Good place for summer tires
Even without a green thumb, the junipers thrive
From the South East corner of the property
Lots of natural light in the living room
Been welcoming people through this door for 32 years
If you lived here, you’d be home by now.
The Cave is our home guy and he functional center for tools and maintenance.
The Chinning Bar comes with the house.
As we are transitioning to retirement living, our need for many of our tool is minimal. Should we have anything of interest to the buyer (i.e. our hedge trimmer), it will be included with the sale. What remains will be taken to the Tool Library in Halifax.
The chinning bar is included with the house.
There is plenty of life remaining in our central vac. It has been professionally serviced but it is a pretty simple machine and I even my with my limited skills I can clear out an internal filter that clogs when wet stuff is accidentally vacuumed.
So there is lots of life in the central vac. Duck tape has kept the hose alive but it is time to have a new one on the radar.
When you drive by, you”l notice two Selkirk Steel Stacks. The one in front was added for the oil fired furnace and water heater. The one in back is the fireplace in the family room.
The beam on which the garage door opener is mounted is supported from above. With a beam like the one for chinning bar on both sides, this could become a crawl space platform for storage.
For many years we parked in the garage. I added the platform along the back wall to increase the storage and providing plenty of room for our car. As you can see, it is well utilized for storage.
There is plenty of room for regularly used tools. Lots of space in the backyard for a shed for bigger items if needed.
This is the entrance into the attic over the garage and family room. Through it you can access the space over the veranda which is useful should you need to clean out the dryer vent in sometime down the road.
Bottom of the basement steps looking at the sitting room
Sitting area with coach between the East bedroom and West bedroom. These small bedrooms with captain beds are mirror images of each other.
Looking from the east wall to the west wall through the sitting room and the homework space
Electrical and cable plug for wall mounted TV. Exhaust fan to remove air to the outside.
These drawers are in the steps and stored video tapes, etc. The primary purpose was to allow access to the main water shutoff value behind.
Originally this space held the electric water heater which was no longer in use. It sprung a leak and had to be removed. You can see the water meter and shutoff value under the basement steps.
A second look at the water meter and shutoff valve with the back of the drawers.
As mentioned this space held the original electric water heater.
Corner desk in guest bedroom
Wardrobe in the guest bedroom
Looking out of the guest bedroom along the west wall with the furnace room door in the distance
Under this gravel is the sewer pipe in the roughed in bathroom
In the ceiling of the roughed in bathroom with hot and cold water supplies exposed
Sewer pipe from upper floors and odor exhaust tied into attic vent.
Looking west to the short corridor along the west wall
The indent in the background was originally intended as a basement wet bar but when the bedrooms went in it became homework nook with a computer workstation
The west wall with the entrance to the furnace room
Looking east to the bottom of the basement steps and the sitting room.
The south wall of the homework space.
Looking into the furnace room.
Shelf in the homework nook.
The hot water heater and furnace with window to the outdoors.
Fan to exhaust air to the garage. The wire running into the garage is for an electric heater. It turns out that when on the treadmill and heater going, if one plugs in the vacuum, the circuit breaker pops
Stacked boxes waiting to be taken by the children
IMJust another look of the heat exchangerG_7828
Dehumidifier drains into a wall pipe which connects to a floor drain. Convenient as you never need to empty a bucket and the floor drain never goes dry.
Chimney into the garage for exhaust gases from the oil fired furnace and hot water heater
Furnace room with lots of storage. The heat exchange unit in the ceiling requires a fan belt.
Looking out of the furnace room. The wall on the left is the homework nook originally intended to be a wet bar.
Looking from the west wall of the open space to the sitting room
Entrance to the east bedroom from the sitting room
Window in the east bedroom and opening between the east bedroom and west bedroom
Electrical panel hidden behind cabinet at the back of east bedroom
Looking across the captain’s bed to the door in the east bedroom
Captain’s bed with mini closet at end and shelf above
Build in shelves and storage under captain’s bed
Build in drawers in captains bed on both ends
Mini closet in east bedroom
Entrance to the west bedroom. It is a mirror image of the east bedroom.
The mini closet in the west bedroom.
The opening between the west and east bedroom to allow natural light to enter.
Love having a screen door to allow the air to flow through the house as needed.
Looking down the corridor from the main entrance. Half bath and main floor laundry on left.
Refreshed about five years ago with new toilet and sink. Laundry is behind.
Great for parties to have this half bath so close.
We have no need for any of the appliances and there’s lots of life left in the washer and dryer.
The dryer needed new sliders a month ago. I was able to do that repair with the two five dollar parts. When I had the door off, it was apparent that some of the plastic parts should be renewed soon but nothing urgent. The drum is supported by the frame of the door and there are some cracks in the frame. I guess that’s just normal wear and tear.
I replaced the original exhaust with a new vent in July 2019. It exhausts in the ceiling of the veranda on the front of the house.
From the half bath into the corridor. This was a family bulletin board wall. Buyer is welcome to keep the boards and use it that way.
The sunken family room is located to the North end of the house behind the garage.
We get afternoon sun of the back deck. Even last week we some lawn chairs out for an hour.
This sliding door works as well today as when we bought the house in 1988.
Lots of natural light in the kitchen nook.
I suspect any buyer will want to modernize the kitchen. It was on our to-do list but never seemed to make it to top
Although fully functional, all our appliances are dated. Given I think our house would be great for a first-time buyer, there is value in holding onto them while making plans for renovations and improvements.
With children, wives and a girlfriend, our family head count is 10. At Christmas we jam our living room furniture into the dinning room and call it our Parlour. It is cozy.
Tight but cozy and functional.
Looking from the living room to the dinning room through the french doors .
Using the living room as a dinning room, with folding tables we can seat up to 14 persons.
We even have enough room for a serving table.
This combination seats up to 12 persons comfortably.
Looking from the living room to the main entrance.
Our entrance is small but it works. Another unrealized dream was to remove the closet to provide more space.
Work was started to upgrade the stairs. There are a total of 10 steps. Other than cosmetic, this is something for a holding pattern as renovations and upgrades are planned by the buyer.
Great place for a mirror at the bottom of the steps.
Work was started to upgrade the stairs. There are a total of 10 steps. Other than cosmetic, this is something for a holding pattern as renovations and upgrades are planned by the buyer.
At the top of the steps. As mentioned, the steps are in need of upgrade.
Looking down the stairway.
The upstairs corridor. Always thought it was a candidate for a skylight.
Bedroom 1 – A Moosehead Billet lives here.
Standard closet – shutoff water valve for bathtub in closet.
This billet enjoys having tropical fish.
The beds do get made occasionally.
Always cluttered … it takes a lot to keep 2 scrapping hockey players looking good.
New bath and surround this year.
Vanity of the radar for upgrade but lots of life left in for now.
Bedroom 2 – his roommate had a snake which was banned from this room.
No critters in here unless you count the resident.
Good clean young man lives head but tidiness is not a high priority.
Walk-in closet in this bedroom
Shelves on both sides of closet.
Shelves on both sides of closet.
Entrance to main attic in this closet.
Entrance to main attic in this closet.
A look from the corridor into the master bedroom on the street side of the house.
From the master bedroom looking at the entrance and the door to the walk-in closet.
Not sure where is all comes from but this looked so huge when we moved in.
Can’t see but I roughed in with water and drain when I redid the master bath a few years back with the plan to add a stack-able washer and dryer. Electrical needs to be completed.
Just another look at the clutter.
Looking out of the closet into the master bedroom
At the door of the walk-in closet
The paint was not my colour choice but I’ve gotten used to it.
There is a makeup corner where my wife keeps a laptop.
A closer look of the makeup corner.
A closer look of the makeup corner.
Entrance to the master bath.
A look into the master bath.
Removed the tub in favour of a shower a few years back.
New shower, new toilet, and new sink.
About Our location
Our home is in a wonderful location and perfect for a large family. Here are a few comments on why we’ve loved this location over the years:
- Portland Estates is a wonderful neighbourhood with a mixture of detached homes, townhouses and apartments.
- People care about their home and gardens.
- The lake, woods and trails are wonderful recreational areas.
- The Residents Association is active and engaged in neighbourhood improvements.
- There are multiple playgrounds.
- Everyone has access to the lake.
- The elementary school is an easy walk from our location and has active after school programs.
- The tennis courts are well used as is the basketball court.
- The Superstore is within walking distance of our home in a strip mall with multiple services.
- There is a public library in the Superstore complex.
- Our house has great bones and has been well lived in.
- I shingled the back half of the roof in 2019. The front half was planned for the spring.
- The windows seal well but need to have the hardware replaced.
- The only remaining carpets are in the master bedroom and the stair to the second floor.
- The hot water heater is only a few years old; the furnace is in great shape but not as efficient as newer models.
- The heat exchange system needs a drive belt.
- All three toilets are low/high flow.
- The kitchen is the original so needs to be refreshed.
- The kitchen floor is original and needs to be replaced.
