We’ve been in Helena for about 7 months now and have spent most of that in an apartment on the east side of town. If we were sans kids and without pets, it wouldn’t have been so bad, but we have two kids and a dog that needs exercise. It was next to Walmart, in the middle of an industrial area. Before you say being next to Walmart must have been nice, we don’t shop there. We won’t judge those that do, but we would rather support industries that better integrate into their communities. It wasn’t near trails or parks and it’s saving grace was it was convenient to get on the interstate and therefore other areas in town. To say the we were a bit stir-crazy, would be an understatement.
We scoured the market for a few months, and looked at a dozen or so homes. We had a pretty simple checklist.
- Does it need a lot of work? No fixer-uppers!
- At least 3 beds/2 baths, a master suite would be nice.
- Near parks and trails and closer to my office.
- Large yard for the kiddos and dog.
- Garage or space to build one.
- PLUS: Apartment or ADU potential.
A few homes came close, but one finally ticked all the right boxes! The only thing was, it was OLD! We bought an 1880 farm house located in central Helena. It’s close to a park and trail access is just a few blocks away. It has 4 beds, 3 full baths with one of those in the master suite! It’s on a large corner lot and the kicker, it was just remodeled! On the garage front, it only has a carport but it does have an apartment on the backside of the property.
We closed on it the last day in January and have been in it for two weeks. We love it! It has great character and it feels like home. It’ll be nice when we start hanging pictures and art and getting some furniture. We sold our couches when we left The Dalles and have a new one on the way. It has a large fireplace in the living room that we look forward to relaxing in front of. We’ve already spent a couple nights sitting on pillows and playing games to the crackle of a warm fire.
Being an old house, there will be some projects. The furnace is pretty old, so that’s due for replacement and the heating system in general needs some optimization. Many of the windows have been updated, but a few single or storm-paned windows remain, so those will be on the list to replace. The upstairs outlets are un-grounded, so some electrical work is needed there. A fence will be among the first outside projects, with a deck to be built, renovations to the back porch and a GARAGE! The apartment is on the run-down side and there is an old building that was once a carriage house that has dilapidated. The plan is to demolish both of those buildings and replace them with a 2+ car garage with apartment/studio space above.
For the next couple months, we are just going to enjoy the place as it is. Come late spring, expect a deluge of projects. The Montana Powells don’t sit still long!