Couple renovates home built in 1914

Lisa, 28, who works for the state, and Ryan, 27, who works in medical sales for Team 1 Orthopaedics, chatted about their home, which is about a half-mile from their previous house and is on the May 15-16 Kirkwood Spring Fling and Tour of Homes ($12 in advance, $15 on the weekend; www.kirkwoodfling.com/tour-of-homes.html).

Q: What did the home look like?

A: It was practically falling over. There was mold on all the walls. You couldn't really be in the house for more than 20 minutes at a time without your lungs starting to burn, Ryan says.

Q: Why did you buy it?

A: Despite all of the dirt and the decay, it really stood out, Lisa says. It had a lot of charm, if you could get through the muck.

Q: What were some of those features?

A: One of the things was a big front porch, Lisa says. We have a little couch out there now, and it has enough room for a swing. We have two dogs, so having a big yard was still really important. It had a lot of the historic character that we were looking for. They found pocket doors in the walls, which was a really neat feature. There's these gorgeous transom windows that line our living room. Most of them were missing.

Q: Which original features were you able to keep?

A: Every door (except the front door) is original; they have crystal doorknobs. We have four fireplaces, and all of the mantels are original, Lisa says. The original radiator that would have pushed the heat out from the coal fireplace was still there in a front bedroom. We saved the clawfoot tub. The original hardwood floors are in most of the rooms. They're absolutely beautiful.

All of the siding is original. It was sanded down and repainted. The tile work on three of the fireplaces is original, Ryan says.

Q: How would you describe the market?

A: You still have this idea that it's a buyer's market and you can get a house for nothing, Lisa says. What we saw in Kirkwood was that unless you were purchasing a foreclosure, and even with those, the prices weren't extremely cheap. People really have in their minds the value of the homes in this neighborhood. It is definitely a buyer's market, but I don't think that you, at this point, can get it for as low as you believe.

Q: Why do you love living in Kirkwood?

A: There's a lot of ways to get to know each other. There's so many people walking by and everyone's so friendly, Lisa says. I like to think it brings you back to a time when neighbors looked out for each other and you shared dinners and you hung out a lot. It really is a tight-knit, close community.

At a Glance

Ryan and Lisa Marie Shekell’s home has three bedrooms, two baths and about 2,280 square feet of livable space. They closed in March.

County: DeKalb

Price range: Low $100,000s-mid $400,000s, on average

Homes: About 2,000

Square feet: About 900-3,000

Lot sizes: Less than a third- to a half-acre, on average

Standard features: Hardwood floors, porches

Schools: Toomer Elementary, Coan Middle, Grady High

More on schools: schools.ajchomefinder.com

Getting there

Take I-75/I-85 to Exit 248C (GA-10 E/Freedom Pkwy/Carter Center). Merge onto Freedom Parkway. Turn right onto Ponce de Leon Avenue N.E. Turn right onto Moreland Avenue. Turn left onto Hosea L. Williams Drive and travel less than a mile into Kirkwood.

For Sale

$232,500: 132 Murray Hill Ave., Atlanta 30317. A two-bedroom, two-bath bungalow built in 1949 with updated bathrooms and hardwood floors.

$349,000: 38 Clifton St. S.E., Atlanta 30317. A new three-bedroom, 2 1/2-bath (half) bungalow with hardwood floors and a screened-in porch.

Recent Sales

$282,500: 2254 First Ave., Atlanta 30317. A three-bedroom, two-bath bungalow built in 1928 with granite countertops, hardwood floors and crown molding in the kitchen.

$204,000: 2095 Delano Drive, Atlanta 30317. A three-bedroom, two-bath brick bungalow built in 1926 with a deck and a front porch.

Source: Community information provided by Vicki Wardle and LaJan Howard with Bo Bridgeport Brokers and compiled by Delaney Young.