My Mom's Temporary Home

My mom and her boyfriend, Tom have found a temporary home to rent, not far from the old one that Tom grew up in, in Berkeley. This is convenient considering they have to spend the next six months clearing ash and debris out of the old house and rebuilding two thirds of it. The old house, if you saw it, was a 9 out of 10 - beautiful view (except for that one tree), huge living room with a vintage round orange sofa, cozy guestroom complete with 1970s desk lamp and an electric blanket, two bathrooms, the guest bathroom featuring a travel size Scope which expired in 1998. The kitchen was the one sore spot - tiny, a garbage disposal that hadn't worked in about a year, cabinets full of vintage canned foods with archaic label designs whose layouts were done in the old fashioned way, with rulers and gouache. The washer and dryer fit perfectly between the refrigerator and the toaster oven, and the cupboards were filled with the slightly odd collection of dishes that appear when two people who have led very different lives fall in love and combine their collected items. The previously white carpet had become a muddled off-white over the years since my mom and her passion for hostessing had been introduced. Indeed, the house was top-notch, with both character and history.



The new temporary home is so far rather bare, so an update may be needed once the decorating is complete. But there are a few comparison points. The highlight of the house is not one, but two brand new decks, one accessible from each floor, AND an extra balcony off of the master bedroom. That was the main thing missing from the old house. The recently remodeled guest room resembles a large closet, and though it lacks the character, size, lamp, and electric blanket of the old one, it will soon feature a well-arranged bedclothes ensemble (which I helped pick out today) and a rug of some kind. The twin bed is embedded into the wall, as if it was a decorative item on a shelf. I hope they don't have to have a couple over for a night. The kitchen is ugly and small to be frank, and would be adequate for a lesser cook - but my mom is not known for her one-frying-pan meals. One of her favorite past times is making simultaneous pumpkin and apple pies from scratch. Even Tom has enjoyed making homemade marmalade from the (now singed) lemon trees that grow in the front of the old house. Few people have made homemade marmalade, and i am not one of them, but I have heard it's a messy, lengthy process, and requires a very large pot.
There is a small stone-tiled entrance way with one of those glass brick walls, after you come in the front door, which I think has some potential for making a good first impression.
The living room has a cozy fireplace and features a rather nice view, which would be a better selling point if not compared to the sprawling wall of windows in the old living room, from which you could see three bridges and at least 7 official fireworks displays. The furniture in the living room is something I honestly didn't want to sit on, as I have an irrational fear of bad taste rubbing off on me. It came with the house and will probably not be replaced, as my mom and Tom will only be there for about six months. I like that the room is centered around a fireplace and not a TV.
The yard is larger, flatter, and more usable than the old yard. A cute stone walkway lead from a white picket gate to the front door, and there are similar steps going up from the driveway. These, and the assortment of fruit trees surrounding the house, give the overall impression of cute little cottage.

In it's current condition, I give the house a 2 out of ten.

As for it's potential, I give it 6.8 out of ten.