Great communication, both thru the app with the owner & via phone with Jimmy, made it easy to coordinate, even at the last minute.
I found the listing on my way into town when I decided that staying with my family was going to be too crowded because of more people showing up than I knew about. I was able to book it and get in within two hours.
Jimmy is truly gracious and cares that you are comfortable. He greeted me in the driveway, opened up the gate and let me park in the back. Given the tight street parking and the vibe of the neighborhood, I was glad for the option of protected parking. Jake, the well behaved, mellow & clean dog, is a sweet welcome wagon too. The high touch of Jake & Jimmy was reassuring since the property is a bit run down (but, on its way up, I feel) and might give you pause, otherwise.
The back yard, with a few broken down cars, hard packed dirt and a garage that needs to be demo’d also gives one pause but, ultimately not part of your room experience.
Moving into the private entrance, your door is one of three that can be accessed from the laundry room. The other two doors do not have locks, or even handles yet, roomers who are accustomed to routing to the bathroom thru your room, live there. While you are there, they have to go around the house to use the shared bath and they did. Your door locks from one side, which will prevent anyone from coming in if they forget. The other side does not lock . Luckily, and due to Jimmy’s good management, no one accidentally used my room as a route to the bathroom.
Despite this ramshackle stuff, the laundry room has original clapboard & could be super charming.
I prefer this kind of sketch to an impersonal motel with no potential to be wonderful. This 1910 house will be gorgeous one day, I believe, as they get the cash to fix it up.
You can see they are transforming it, little by little in the bathroom, but not necessarily to code. Someone recently sheet rocked the bathroom ceiling but, left no space for a ceiling fan or Title 24 lighting, which CA code requires.
The new 80 gal water heater ensured both great water pressure & good temp. There is no shower curtain yet so, you need to be ready to mop off the original, very nice clapboard in the bathroom when you wash your hair. The bathroom floor is wood (and in good condition) as a house built in 1910 would be. That was cool to see!!
The fixtures in the bathroom are new and of good quality and appropriate for the vintage of the home. Really nice touch!
You can see a color scheme already pulling the bathroom together visually. This was only marred by an uncovered collection of cleaning supplies and a paint can left at one end of the claw foot tub. However, it’s a huge bathroom so, these are not in the way.
My visit was on a night when the ambient temp was comfortable. Since they currently have neither AC nor heating, I would not have been comfortable on a 50 or 80 degree night because the window does not open. It had great detail though so, once they find a repairman for double hung sash windows, it will be stunning!
Meanwhile, they cover it with a light blocking shade which I loved. I loved that because it was dark enough that light did not bother me in the morning.
The house has a number of tenants but, everyone was respectful and quiet. Other than the sound of someone cooking in the kitchen, which you can hear clearly from the bedroom, I barely noticed the other people.
Despite all the things which gave me pause, I ultimately felt safe there & comfortable and had a good night’s sleep. Considering that I just saw my total bill was only $50, this was an amazing value.
As they continue to improve the property, with fidelity to the era of the house as they have already done, it’s going to get more and more wonderful!