Buying a Piece of History

One of the things I love about the New Orleans area is the fact that we don’t have too many cookie cutter houses.  There are wonderful areas to live that are not part of “subdivisions”…they are neighborhoods in the true sense of the word.  Some of the most beautiful areas to live in are older, established and, in some cases, deemed historic.

To me, any house over 75 years old is a historic home.  Lucky for us, we have a large selection of homes that give us a peek into the history of our city and the surrounding area.  Some of them have been restored to their original grandeur, some have been completely modernized and some are waiting for the right person to come along and give them a facelift.

When looking for a home in a historic area, don’t dismiss the potential of converting a double into a single family home.  At the time these homes were originally built, most people didn’t live in really large houses and the kitchens were not the center of the home like they tend to be now.  The process of converting a double to a single allows you to increase your living area by rethinking the entire footprint of a home and how the spaces are used.  Kitchens and bathrooms can be relocated to more convenient locations, rooms expanded to accommodate our desire for open floorplans and updated mechanical systems can be installed.

There are some great local places that carry architectural items that can be used during renovation to maintain that old New Orleans look and feel.  Some sources for replacement architectural items include:

• Crescent City Architectural Salvage
• Ricca’s Architectural Sales of New Orleans
• Carrollton Lumber & Wrecking Company

What is available in the historic housing market?

There are currently over 60 historic homes for sale on the West Bank of New Orleans, with the majority of them located in Algiers Point.  Since Algiers Point is the second oldest neighborhood in New Orleans, it makes sense that they have the largest number of historic homes available for sale.  However, Gretna, Marrero and Westwego also offer a few of these gems for sale as well.  Whether you are looking for a home that is ready to move into, or one that you can put your own personal stamp on, there is a historic home for you.  Call me today and we can get to work finding the perfect one.

Copyright 2007. Lisa Heindel, All rights reserved.