401 Johnston

About

Two families have owned this house over 116 years and have taken excellent care, especially in structure and mechanics to keep it purring along. Built of rock-solid old growth fir sourced locally, this five-bedroom three full bath house is a testament to the way homes used to be built. No snap-in, cheap quality laminate flooring like you see today, but solid 3/4'' red oak floors downstairs and beautiful heart pine upstairs, the latter having mellowed to a deep, honey gold/ red over the decades. Separate hv units feature upstairs (3.5 tons, brand new with new ductwork) and 4 tons downstairs. Many plumbing and other improvements over the years as well. Stoll through the house and you'll see many details of a by-gone era.The 2 x 4s inside and out actually measure 2x4. Look out through the old, wavy glass downstairs at the century old camellias. The brick patio is built solidly of c. 1900 nine-pound pavers that were hand selected from the Charleston salvage yards decades ago. The home has excellent flow for entertaining downstairs with double French doors, in beveled glass and a single French door on the other side of the dining room, both leading to the massive 22 x 24" living room. Overhead lights throughout downstairs are 1910 restored mission hanging lamps that were converted from gas to electricity. Very large mudroom in the back entrance with washer/dryer and a porcelain laundry sink from 1910 makes for convenient and flexible living space. The entire inside fir trim was stripped to the bare wood, sanded and repainted years ago, as was the outside siding. The home sits on a generous .59-acre corner lot in a great neighborhood in town, a block away from town hall and down Johnston Street from the County Services Building, building renovated years ago from the 1923 St George School. The back yard, featuring a large live oak and several old growth pines create a cool space, perfect for pets to run or put in a pool down the road. Blue berry bushes more than enough fruit for a family, and its fun to share with friends and neighbors. The solid garage is about 600 sq feet and is attached to the home through a breezeway. This area, along with the deep front porch, have new roofs. The garage would make an excellent shop and gardening outbuilding. Come be a part of this exciting neighborhood, where neighbors walk each evening and sometimes bring their dogs along to socialize. Pick blueberries from your own private 'orchard' which are more than enough for your family, enabling you freeze others or share them with you friends and neighbors.