Owning a historic urban rowhouse is not for everyone. It’s appealing because living in an urban environment where most people have small and cluttered apartments restricted by the coop or condominium associations with, at best, limited outdoor space, as a rowhouse owner, you can have a beautiful yard and a lot of outdoor space like multiple decks and a back and front yard and are free to make changes without the oversite of a coop or condominium association. I have a beautiful yard that I designed myself, including multiple deck levels, opening multiple indoor spaces to the yard. The downside of historic rowhouse ownership is the work and required attention to detail.
I have accumulated a large collection of tools over many years. These include a table saw, several circular saws, multiple impact drills, sanders, various routing tools, and an extensive array of power tools. Every corner of my rowhouse reflects my commitment to craftsmanship and remarkable attention to detail. Interestingly, many people do not notice any of this, especially if they have never owned a historic rowhouse.
I have spoken with several people interested in buying a historic rowhouse, and their comments reveal a significant misunderstanding of what it takes to undertake such a project. Many inexperienced couples express their desire to purchase a dilapidated historic rowhouse, confidently stating that they can transform it from its current condition to its envisioned ideal. They often throw out a figure of $200,000, as if that amount will seamlessly take them from point A to point Z. The process would require a minimum investment of $400,000 and at least a decade of weekends dedicated to the adventure.
In the vibrant decades of the 1980s and 1990s, while many of my peers were exploring the idea of purchasing co-op or condominium apartments, I found myself yearning for something different—a home that offered a direct connection to the outside world. I envisioned a place where I could step outside right onto the street or easily access my own private yard from the comfort of my back door. This desire for space was rooted in my passion for gardening; I longed to cultivate my own little oasis, filled with trees and shrubs that would flourish and thrive. Today, my yard is adorned with several towering pyramidal hornbeams, their elegant, conical shapes rising towards the sky, alongside a beautiful katsura tree, known for its breathtaking autumn foliage and the sweet scent of its leaves. Together, they create a serene refuge—a personal slice of nature in which I can immerse myself.
My family and I live on the top three floors of a triplex, while we rent out the garden level on Airbnb. Occasionally, our guests have described their stay here as “a suburban oasis in the big city.”
