Time Travel to Houzzers' Childhood Homes, Part 2
by Becky Harris · 22 photos · 19 comments
Dorset, England. "I had the pleasure of growing up in the house in the middle of the island (Portland, Dorset, England), whose community I didn't fully appreciate at the time, that is now the subject of a novel I am writing," says Houzz user deniseqaqish. The decoration was all my mother's (complete with multicolored plastic stripes as a door decoration — very '60s), the alleyway was my play area, and the store next door was where I worked!
houzzer houses
"The island is connected to the mainland by a narrow causeway and steeped in history," deniseqaqish adds.
Houzzer childhood homes
West Hartford, Connecticut. "This is the house I remember the most fondly, from when I was about 5 to 13 years old, back in the mid-1950s," says Houzzer emsbutler. "This is a recent photo, but it looks the same, except the new owners turned the screened-in porch into a room. My mom planted lots and lots of rhododendrons in the front yard, which are gone now. The memories of playmates, our dog, a pet rabbit, playing in the leaves and skating in the little pond nearby are so much a part of that house."
Houzzer childhood homes
Baltimore, Maryland. "The house I remember best we lived in for eight years. At the time I thought it was enormous, though it seemed smaller than I remembered when I returned as an adult," says christina.
"It was built in 1880, and it was a constant project removing layers and layers of paint and wallpaper, refinishing the wood floors, fixing the old slate roof," she says. "Still, it was a great house, with pocket doors and rooms tucked here and there.
My brother and I had the whole third floor to ourselves (which had a very narrow, winding stair, so the adults didn't like coming up!). I remember when the two of us discovered a hidden staircase that went from the kitchen china closet up to the linen closet on the second floor. We loved that house, but I think our parents were happy when we moved to a more modern house that didn't have quite so many issues."
Houzzer childhood homes
"It was built in 1880, and it was a constant project removing layers and layers of paint and wallpaper, refinishing the wood floors, fixing the old slate roof," she says. "Still, it was a great house, with pocket doors and rooms tucked here and there.
My brother and I had the whole third floor to ourselves (which had a very narrow, winding stair, so the adults didn't like coming up!). I remember when the two of us discovered a hidden staircase that went from the kitchen china closet up to the linen closet on the second floor. We loved that house, but I think our parents were happy when we moved to a more modern house that didn't have quite so many issues."
Gates, North Carolina. "My father was in the Marine Corps for 30 years, so I really didn't have a 'family' home, but I remember my mother being skilled at turning any place we lived into a comfortable home," says Houzz user caci. "This included a World War II Quonset hut in Adak, Alaska! I married a farmer and now live in an 1889 farmhouse in Gates, North Carolina, that reminds me so much of my grandmother's house in Harrisonburg, Virginia."
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Bellevue, Washington. "It's funny how you remember things — I always thought the house I grew up in was huge! It was a nice, comfortable size but wasn't as huge as I remember it," says Sammi Thielen. "My bedroom was the one on the left, and I remember when it snowed, which wasn't too often in Bellevue, Washington, I would sit and look out my big window and watch the snow fall under the streetlight. I remember it being so peaceful and quiet. The house was a trilevel and had, at the time, the most beautiful gold shag carpets — we had a small shag carpet rake to keep it looking nice! Lots of wonderful memories in that house."
Houzzer childhood homes
Waynesboro, Pennsylvania. "I grew up in a Sears & Roebuck kit home," says Houzz user hjracer. "My parents lived in their forever home for 45 years and just sold it to move into a retirement community. It was built in 1929. It was sad to say goodbye to my childhood home, but another young family purchased it to continue many happy memories in a little piece of Americana history." Hjracer's childhood home was called The Crescent.
Houzzers, you may recognize some of the kit houses seen in these childhood home ideabooks; they were built all over the country. I know there's a Crescent somewhere around my neighborhood; I'm excited to go find it now.
houzzer houses
Houzzers, you may recognize some of the kit houses seen in these childhood home ideabooks; they were built all over the country. I know there's a Crescent somewhere around my neighborhood; I'm excited to go find it now.
Laguna Beach, California. Houzz user joymaker and her husband love to drive by her husband's childhood home. "It's on High Drive in Laguna Beach ... we always drive by when attending annual high school reunions. It was built using many different bricks and is loaded with charm," she says.
Houzzer childhood homes
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Sometimes, you can go home again. "I left Ottawa 15 years ago. I was fortunate on my last trip back (only the second in 15 years) to be able to walk through my childhood home (sooo grateful to the new owners)," says Cathy. "This three-story house was spectacular — there was a living area on the first floor, bedrooms on the second and my dad's office library on the third floor," she describes. "My dad built that front porch, and he also built the covered indoor pool out back. The new owners have maintained it beautifully. It will always feel like home to me!"
Houzzer childhood homes
Medford, Oregon. A well-known local architect built this Pacific Northwest home. "Bob Bosworth designed our house in Medford, Oregon, and it was built in 1959," says Houzz user chrdan.
Houzzer childhood homes
Birmingham, Alabama. "My family lived in at least five houses in three states when I was growing up," says beverly_crawford. "The first house I remember living in was in Birmingham, Alabama, on top of Shades Mountain in an area called Bluff Park, from 1966 to 1974. Our house was a brick ranch with three bedrooms and two bathrooms. I wish I had found a picture of the silver aluminum tree with the color wheel spotlight that was displayed in our living room window. As children we played outside from sunup to sundown. There were no fences in anyone's yards. There was a creek that ran through our neighborhood and a hill so steep at the end of the street that we were forbidden to ride our bicycles on it."
She adds, "The first house my husband and I bought was in Houston, Texas — a three-bedroom, two-bathroom ranch. It took me a couple of years to realize that the two houses resembled each other on the outside."
Houzzer childhood homes
She adds, "The first house my husband and I bought was in Houston, Texas — a three-bedroom, two-bathroom ranch. It took me a couple of years to realize that the two houses resembled each other on the outside."
Highland Park, Illinois. "The first house we had was a fabulous 1930s Tudor with nooks and crannies, sloping rooflines and window seats," says lilybeach. "The second was a hideous ranch house my parents adored, built in 1968. They loved having a new house. I hated sleeping on the first floor, and missed all the architectural surprises of the first place. As a result, I've loved and lived in old houses ever since. My oldest house was built in 1787; my newest, 1930."
Houzzer childhood homes
Also in Highland Park, Illinois. "The house I grew up in was a midcentury modern in Highland Park, Illinois, built in 1957," says Carol Moses. "My father is an architect and designed the house. They have lived in this house for 55 years and still love it."
Houzzer childhood homes
"I was so influenced by the house I grew up in that I became an architect," Carol Moses continues. "I like clean lines, lots of light and still believe less is more. The little girl on the rocking horse is me."
houzzer houses
Yukon, Canada. "I grew up in a 1960s house in a great neighbourhood in the Yukon," says Houzz user tourere. "The house didn't look big from the street, as the lawn came up to cover the bottom level, but it had four bedrooms, a large second living area (my father's study) and a large room that housed the freezer, camping gear and all sorts of canned goods. There were two bathrooms, one with toilet and shower/tub and the other with only a toilet. This was problematic when there were three teenage girls (plus their friends) needing to shower in the morning."
Houzzer childhood homes
"But as a result I've never been that keen on the en suite idea, as I liked that it was an area that we all had to share," tourere continues. "It is where I watched my dad shave and learned how to floss my teeth. The two things I appreciate as I look back are the great food storage/pantry and the big picture window. As I child and still when I go home to visit my mom, I love looking out the window and seeing what the neighbors are up to — who has a new baby or dog and who is learning to ride a bike. I now live on a farm in New Zealand, but from our deck we can see down the road, and my son loves looking at the tractors and trucks drive past. If I were to live in a city again, I would have to be on the street with a view."
Houzzer childhood homes
Austin, Texas. "I recently remodeled and moved into my childhood home in Austin, Texas," says katrina50. "My parents built the house in the early 1960s. I remodeled the master bedrooms, bathrooms and added hardwood floors; however, I did keep the pine family room."
"It did have a Nutone intercom system that has now been replaced with newer technology," katrina50 says.
houzzer houses
"It did have a Nutone intercom system that has now been replaced with newer technology," katrina50 says.
Cincinnati. Michael Long of Ridge Carpentry is also happy to be renovating a childhood home. "I'm lucky enough to have purchased my childhood home in the Pleasant Ridge area of Cincinnati and am in the process of restoring it," he says.
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It sounds like Ridge Carpentry's remodel could make for a great future Houzz Tour. I'll be keeping my eye on it.
houzzer houses
Detroit. "I grew up in a house in Detroit which is very similar to the one I live in now in Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan," says Houzz user ruthie11. "They call these Cox and Baker bungalows, and it's not that I love them, but my husband and I are doing a great job renovating it piece by piece to make it fit modern needs! We got it for a great price in great condition during the bank-owned phenomenon." Ruthie11's current home is only about 5 miles from the one she grew up in.
Thanks so much to all of you for sharing your stories. Please keep them coming!
houzzer houses
Thanks so much to all of you for sharing your stories. Please keep them coming!
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Sold 2 houses within 2 years...
The family house I grew up in and my mom died in 3 years ago. A split level with a converted garage, certainly needed for the 9 kids, 2 parents. And it really only had one complete bath, the other never fully finished. Funny - I remember fighting over who got to sit in front of the heat register more than over the bathroom.
In horrible, neglected shape, a construction guy bought and totally updated it. We peeked in the window - WOW. Never got up the courage to knock.
We sold our house of 18 years last year. I loved that house, though it was too small. It's the house my daughter grew up in and the 2 boys until 14 and 11 so they will remember it well, I hope.
2 things I love about my new house? It doesn't have the symmetrical double windows in the front like Bellvue (they always remind me of 'eyes'- shudder) nor a garage in the front. Pet peeves, I guess.