Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Spring Hill Neighborhood
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House for Rent ~ 4 Bedrooms | |
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Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania |
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Spring Hill Neighborhood |
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We are going to Washington, D.C. for a couple of years and want to rent out our house while we're gone. $975+. Below are key features of the house. Photos are available here. A newspaper article about our house is available here.
- Victorian House built in 1898; yellow brick; slate roof; new flashing and box gutters in 2005.
- 10 minutes to downtown and the Strip District. 5 minutes to Route 28 and I-279. I sometimes walk to work downtown on nice days and it takes about 40 minutes.
- First floor: Double front doors with a stained glass transom opens to a small vestibule with an inner door with beveled glass. Spacious foyer with an oak staircase, oak panels, ornate chandelier and a large stained glass window. Ceilings are 10 feet high throughout the first floor. To the left of the foyer through a pair of large sliding pocket doors is the room we use for the dining room (15' x 16'). It contains an 7 foot picture window with a stained glass transom above it, an ornate chandelier, and an oak mantel and fireplace. The next room in (accessible from either the hallway through two different pocket doors or from the dining room through two large pocket doors) is the living room (17' x 15'). The living room also contains an ornate chandelier, an oak mantel and fireplace, as well as a bay window and a built in bookcase with beveled glass doors. Both the Living Room and Dining Room have wood floors. The Living Room is painted a deep, warm red. The Living Room and Dining Room could be reversed. There is also gingerbread above the doors in the Living Room and Dining Room. Across the hall from the Living Room is a bedroom (9' x 13') which we use as a den. It contains 3 windows, original wood paneling 45 " high, a built in bookcase with beveled glass doors, an open bookcase to the ceiling above that, a ceiling fan, a large closet with sliding glass mirrors and shelving for a stereo system and storage. There is wiring for 4 pairs of speakers in the dining room, hallway, kitchen and back porch. Off the hallway is the first floor wallpapered bathroom with a shower/tub with glass doors and two built in medicine cabinets. The kitchen (13' x 15') has been completely gutted and updated. It holds lots of custom built cabinet and drawer space and countertops. There are three large windows. The countertop on the sink wall and the stove wall is white ceramic tile. There is a large walk in pantry with plenty of storage. The floor is a pergo wood plank. There are also some open shelving for display/storage and a closed cabinet with antique glass and wood doors. One side of the peninsula is designed for stools for an eating space. Since there isn't a tremendous amount of wall space, we've just painted them a lively green. The refrigerator and stove are basic - no ice dispenser, etc . The dishwasher is a couple of months old. The sink is white porcelain with one large bowl and a smaller bowl with a garbage disposal. There is a water dispenser with filtered water (the filter is under the sink).
- Second floor: There are 4 rooms and a bathroom on the second floor all with 9.5' ceilings. The first room (above the foyer) is a walk-in closet (11' x 11'). It has original wood shutters over two windows and a large half round window above it. The next room at the front of the house (above our dining room) we use as a family room (15' x 16') but would logically be a bedroom. It has two large windows, a stone fireplace mantel, and a ceiling fan. The master bedroom (17' x 15' - above the living room) has 4 windows - 3 of them in a bay window and a stone fireplace mantel. On the other side of the hallway is a room that Carolyn uses as her office but would also serve as a bedroom (10' x 11'). It has 3 windows, a stone fireplace mantel and a small closet. The bathroom still contains original white and black ceramic tiles on the walls, has a huge tub/shower and a sink with some cabinets underneath.
- Full basement: Contains a laundry room with 2 year old washer/dryer, a dehumidifier and a spare stove/oven and refrigerator which come in very handy. There's also a brand new upright freezer in the laundry room which we've not decided whether we'll be taking or not. The basement has several workbenches and storage cabinets. (There's also a monstrous brick bake oven - not in working condition, but quite a curiosity.)
- A front and back porch.
- A 3 year old high efficiency furnace with an advanced air filter and a humidifier.
- Yard is large by City standards and is landscaped to provide privacy. It's a corner lot and is elevated up off the street plus has trees and hedges for screening. There's a water garden and waterfall right off the back porch. The yard also contains vegetable, herb and flower cutting gardens, shrub borders, azaleas; a magnificent flowering magnolia tree, several pine trees, a European Linden tree, naturalized daffodils, english ivy, holly, many ferns, hostas and other shade plants. There are perennial raspberry bushes (we get about 5 pints on peak days); asparagus; rhubarb; strawberries; and currants. We've had deer, turkeys, owls and hawks in the yard and it is certified as a National Backyard Wildlife Habitat. Hard to believe it's 10 minutes from downtown. The yard is secure enough to contain our dogs. (There is an ornate fence/gate separating the front from the side yard. The side yard is elevated off the street with a wall and shrubbery and the back yard has hedges. We have small fence sections at the base of the hedges, but the yard may not be secure for all dogs.)
- Spring Hill is a historically German neighborhood, but has seen lots of professionals moving into the neighborhood over the last 10 years. The City of Pittsburgh website says Spring Hill has one of the lowest crime rates of any Pittsburgh neighborhood. It's a largely unknown neighborhood as there are very few commercial businesses present (there is a bank, market; hair salon; churches, funeral home) so mostly only residents have a reason to go there. Except when there are fireworks - there's a large hilltop cemetery that is a prime viewing space. You can learn more about the neighborhood at shcl.org. The neighbors are nice and we have several neighborhood functions (progressive dinners, holiday gatherings, parades, etc.). There is a bus stop across the corner.