1893 Fixer in Healdsburg, CA

I've always liked the construction era before 1900. The country was rich with high quality lumber and many skilled builders. Combine that with automation and the wood working factories that had figured out how to create a wide variety of reasonably priced ornamentation. The result was an explosion in decoration that let builders go wild.

The detail on the left features the beautifully turned center post on the porch and the resulting cornucopia of braces and trim elements that adorn the post and the beam holding up the roof and porch ceiling. You can notice in the background that the porch has a tightly constructed wooden ceiling, sadly forlorn now, but a mark of finish detail when it was built. It's so much easier to just put a roof on over the rafters of the porch and call it done. To carefully lay in a ceiling and put in the crown molding for it is something you rarely see done a home today. It's just too much finish work and labor. n and trim is right

This downtown Healdsburg gem was originally a single family home but was converted to three units many decades ago. It was occupied until the current owners put it on the market recently, but it needs substantial work. With nearly 8,000 square feet on the lot and a location just a few blocks from downtown this represents an excellent opportunity for an owner-tenant, a multi-unit investor, or someone who wants to convert this classic back into a single family home. The yard has a walnut, a persimmon, and a pomegranate, all of which are sporting the results of the summer's growth.