When we started this blog, it was to help us keep track of all the things (and there were a million) that needed to be done to bring Charles back to a “better than ever” place, recouping a place of stature on the Urban Prairie that is now Charles Street. Working with the State Historical Preservation office, we documented everything from the big (new HVAC, wiring and roof) to the small (vintage brass drawer pulls and knobs). The method behind the madness paid off. I believe my application to the Property Tax Moratorium program was some 40 pages of documentation, photos and video, but the end result was a financial savings for us on property taxes.
The outstanding part of this Moratorium is that Charles is “locked in” at a low $120,000ish value, while the new assessment and market values are five and six times the amount. We brought Charles from a vacant and dilapidated shell to a gorgeous four bedroom, three-and-a-half bath modernized home, finished with reclaimed architectural items that make it feel authentic. The floorplan was completely swapped around and what used to be a bedroom and living room is now a massive kitchen/dining experience with a beautiful, period appropriate fireplace. The original kitchen is the living room with another Arts & Crafts fireplace, and the dining room is now a stairway to the basement (which didn’t exist before). Charles is the very best version it has ever been. If you haven’t had a tour, visit here Charles and here https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/152-Charles-St-Deadwood-SD-57732/234429139_zpid/?view=public. And that property tax moratorium… it follows the deed of the home for four more years, keeping the taxes due at a significantly lower amount.
In June, we decided it was time to downsize. This is something we’d been considering for a while, so we decided to test the waters by listing our beloved home. We have decided to offer it for sale, mostly furnished. Seriously, walls were built to size for pieces of furniture, which needs to stay with the home. Collectible artwork stays, valuable historic lighting stays, pots, pans, towels, dishes… it all stays. We were very upfront with our Agent, Madison, acknowledging that Charles is FOR SALE, but not on sale. We put years and hundreds of thousands of dollars into her, and we want the next owners to love and appreciate the historical integrity that oozes from the walls. Honestly, reading some of the Social Media comments makes me want to rethink the whole thing… “It’s really nice but I wish it was more ‘wild West'”, or “It’s so formal and fancy?”… Really? It is an 1890 Folk Victorian with an Arts & Crafts addition. It was on a protected class list created by the Deadwood Historic Preservation Office for a reason. It’s not an old saloon. It’s not cookie cutter new construction. It’s not supposed to be on VRBO and it certainly isn’t one of the many (too many out here) DIYer remodel catastrophes! It is a home, filled with integrity and history, beautiful things and love. Ugh, there is proof that some people just don’t get it. That’s OK. We’re not selling to them.
As grandma used to say, “Common sense is not a flower that grows in everyone’s garden”. Amen. So that brings us up to speed. It’s been a minute since I posted to the site, and I wanted to bring followers up to speed on what’s happening at Charles. We are finished with restoration and renovations. We are happy living in this beautiful, historic home, and if/when we find the right buyer, we’ll be happy to move on to something much smaller. For us, retirement is around the corner and we’re looking forward with excitement, while we look back at this amazing project with great pride.
If you’re curious about another project we’re working on, hop on over the www.thelittlecottageonsunnyhillroad.com to see more of the great work Dan does.
Until next time…
