For almost seven years, I lived in this little garden “cottage”. Cottage would be too cute of a word for it in the winter. Though in the summer, before the painters chopped down all the rose bushes, it was delightful.
As a favor to the landlords, I’m spreading the word that it is now officially for rent.
It sits in their backyard on the quiet side of Capitol Hill. Truly a studio, I used a very high-end sleeper sofa to maintain the appearance and comfort of having a living room. It has a small but delightful kitchen that opens on to a wrap-around deck. The best thing about the kitchen is sitting and watching the many hummingbirds in the spring feed on the evergreen clematis. It used to have a better view of Lake Washington and the Cascades but the trees keep growing. I painted it bright white to combat winter, so it is a bit like living in an airy light box, which I liked. I also very much liked the fact that it is a stand-alone building. Sure kids may be dangling in the tree-house, but there is no one above you, below you, or sharing any of your walls. And that rules.
It rents for $750.00 a month. This includes electricity, water, and other utilities. There is the family laundry in the basement of the big house. There is not much storage, but room for maybe a bike or a suitcase in the basement. There is usually plenty of on-street parking.
The ideal renter would be excited about gardening, the friendly nature of life on the “compound” and likes being nice to neighbors, does not mind kids playing in the yard and the occasional campfire. It maybe possible to have a cat here, but preference is going to be given to the pet-free and someone who wants to be here for at least year.
The current negatives on this place include: it is a studio! and nothing changes the fact that in the winter, it is not an ideal place for dinner parties or for smoochy live-in-together couples. The big house has been undergoing renovations, so the once lively yard filled with flowers and food is now a little more like a trailer in Tennessee. It should get cleaned up sometime, but if total yard tidiness is your thing (like it was mine), this will drive you crazy.
I have many fond memories of this place, particularly all the summer nights sitting on the deck, with a friend or two, having an impromptu barbecue with food picked fresh out of the garden. I certainly ended up there longer than I would have ever imagined and will miss this place in many ways.
So there you have it, the place I lived longer than anywhere in my entire life: up for rent.
Email me at knox at hotmail dot com for more info and to set up a time to look at it. It is ready to move into as early as next weekend.
Click on the photos for a better view
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- Studio House on 24th Ave E
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- Living Room
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- Kitchen
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- Hallway: Sort Of!
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- Summer Garden
