"What I'd really like to do," RAH said when it became apparent that we would have to move after the Teton Dam Flood of 1976, "is to build a home with a rental apartment in the basement. That way we would earn a little extra income each month."
So, he built the home: (NOTE: a car was not usually parked on our front lawn, we just had a lot of company on this day, so someone parked there.)
top floor, five bedrooms for all of us; middle floor, living, dining, kitchen, great room, sewing room; bottom floor - rental apartment.
For 25 years, we had young married students living in our basement. It was perfect.
And, on the first day of each month, they would come to the door and pay us THE RENT.
RAH always kept THE RENT low for two reasons; he wanted to help the married students out, and he didn't want them to be looking for a cheaper place to live and then always be moving out. It worked, as we were always blessed with great young couples.
THE RENT was always lower than most other places in town, and it was a very lovely furnished apartment, with two bedrooms, storage space,laundry facilities, big back yard they could use anytime, and as an added bonus; the overhead noise from our happy family of five lively kids, their friends, kids practicing musical instruments (including a drum set), various yapping dogs over the years, etc.
THE RENT paid our taxes each year, so it was a great, great blessing in our lives for 25 years.
When we bought a new home just a mile away, we considered having an apartment in the basement, but neighborhood covenants prohibited it, so we no longer had extra money coming in via THE RENT.
When I see pictures of that lovely, big home on Steiner Avenue, I am always reminded of and grateful for RAH's insight and wisdom in building a basement apartment, so that each month we could collect THE RENT.
So, he built the home: (NOTE: a car was not usually parked on our front lawn, we just had a lot of company on this day, so someone parked there.)
top floor, five bedrooms for all of us; middle floor, living, dining, kitchen, great room, sewing room; bottom floor - rental apartment.
For 25 years, we had young married students living in our basement. It was perfect.
And, on the first day of each month, they would come to the door and pay us THE RENT.
RAH always kept THE RENT low for two reasons; he wanted to help the married students out, and he didn't want them to be looking for a cheaper place to live and then always be moving out. It worked, as we were always blessed with great young couples.
THE RENT was always lower than most other places in town, and it was a very lovely furnished apartment, with two bedrooms, storage space,laundry facilities, big back yard they could use anytime, and as an added bonus; the overhead noise from our happy family of five lively kids, their friends, kids practicing musical instruments (including a drum set), various yapping dogs over the years, etc.
THE RENT paid our taxes each year, so it was a great, great blessing in our lives for 25 years.
When we bought a new home just a mile away, we considered having an apartment in the basement, but neighborhood covenants prohibited it, so we no longer had extra money coming in via THE RENT.
When I see pictures of that lovely, big home on Steiner Avenue, I am always reminded of and grateful for RAH's insight and wisdom in building a basement apartment, so that each month we could collect THE RENT.
3 comments:
I'm surprised my car wasn't parked in front of the house when you took that picture.
RAH built that himself? He also made an amazing backyard. I will forever love 241 Steiner Ave.
Thanks for the memory lane trip today.
That house on Steiner is the very address that I came to visit you one year when I brought my youngest son to EFY. As there was no answer, I left my business card at the front door. I always wondered if you ever got it or if a big wind blew it away. I'm trying to think what year it was, but about 1991 or 1992. Does any of that ring a bell?
One of the great neighborhoods in Rexburg! I loved looking at the pictures. It was really fun to see the back yard in both seasons. That is truly amazing that RAH built that beautiful home. And so INGENIOUS to build it to accomadate a married couple in the basement.
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