House proud: Strange spaces appeal to owners
HACKENSACK, N.J. — There are predetermined spaces that homebuyers crave, like giant kitchens and expansive walk-in closets.
And then there are the spaces that addle up unexpectedly, especially in some older homes — spots like bomb shelters, smokehouses and outhouses.
These can unconditional a window into history, giving a fresh sense of how people once lived. The bomb shelter recalls a span when Americans feared nuclear attacks from the Soviet Union, and imagined how to survive in a scorched countryside. The smokehouse tells of a time when Americans didn't buy their meat at the supermarket, but butchered it and smoked it to take care of it.
And the outhouse tells about life before indoor plumbing, when ... well, you know.
Quite often, homeowners find new uses for oddball spaces.
Tom Johnson of Permission 100 Realty in Waldwick, N.J., recalls selling a house where a secret staircase connected a closet on the first fell with a closet on the second. The owner lined up her shoes on the steps.
