Where to begin!
Susan’s home was a wonderful oasis for us, with its spaciousness, light filled rooms, and breezy layout.
We arrived as a family of 3, but became a family of 5 when the Covid-19 shelter-in-place order came into effect and my mother and her partner moved in with us to help take care of our 3-year old. At first we thought that the house would be too small, but the layout, backyard studio, and welcoming outdoor space allows for lots of privacy and separation.
The two main bedrooms are on opposite sides of the house and therefore feel very private, each with their own bathroom and walk-in closet. There is a third room that is normally set up as an office and is without a bed — but this worked perfectly as a room for our 3-year old. We set up a mat on the floor for him to sleep on and he still had lots of room to play.
We loved the open layout between the kitchen, dining area and living room. We could easily keep an eye on our child playing in the living room while cooking dinner. The kitchen is well appointed for all cooking needs. All the new appliances worked well, and the nespresso machine felt especially decadent. The Nest heating and cooling system was easy to use and the many windows let in cool breezes when you wanted them, and were well insulating when you didn’t.
An unexpected highlight for us was the little house in the backyard, furnished as a meditation space with cushions, a small desk and a couch. While small, it was the perfect space for my husband to use as a studio. As a documentary filmmaker, my husband continued to work full time through the stay-at-home order. Even with the rest of us stuck at home, this was a place where he could make his work calls and do research relatively undisturbed by our active son.
When the rest of us needed to also get some work done, there were two other desks in the main house for us to use.
The stay-at-home order also prompted us to take advantage of the various outdoor spaces; there’s a lovely and private backyard with lush green grass for our toddler to play in, as well as a flat concrete area for outdoor dining. There’s an enclosed screened-in back patio with chairs and a small table, lovely spot for evening drinks or morning yoga. We also enjoyed taking chairs in the front yard to read. Overall the surrounding property is well landscaped and cared for.
The neighborhood is safe, with friendly neighbors and very little traffic. Also very close to downtown and great restaurants (which we enjoyed briefly before the closures).
Because the home is set up as more of a long term rental, it doesn’t have the usual Airbnb/hotel feel of too much turnover. You feel that Susan really cares about this house. The interior design is well considered. There’s also lots of space to store your personal items, including two walk-in closets with lots of shelves, as well as baskets for our son’s toys.
The house was thoroughly stocked with all paper products (key during a pandemic!) as well as plenty of fluffy towels and spare bed sheets. Susan was always quick to respond to any questions we had, always warm and generous.