For Sale By Owner

OWNER HISTORY: The house was designed by artist Linda Houston Harper to be her residence and studio. The original two-story portion of the house was completed in 1976. Linda's contractor husband Jack built the addition in 1988. The trompe l'oeil paintings on the interior walls were done by Linda. The antique poplar doors and facings and the double oak mantle with its beveled mirror were salvaged by Jack from a house his company demolished and installed in the new addition to their home. We bought the house from the Harpers in 1997 and converted it into a gift shop, specializing in handcrafted things. The property is zoned light commercial which means that you can live in it as a residence, have a business on the premises, or any combination of the two.

HOUSE DESCRIPTION: The house sits on 1.3 acres with a mature fully landscaped yard.  It has 12 rooms with 3,253 square feet of interior living space.  The 24'x23' Great Room has a wood burning stove with the antique mantle, antique doors and woodwork, built in bookcases, and French doors which open onto a deck.  Beyond the deck is a 39'x32' shaded courtyard, enclosed by a 6 foot treated wood fence.  The Game or Recreation Room (22'x14') was designed to hold a full-sized pool table, the family's computer set-up, and a gaming table with ease.  It has 10 foot ceilings and an 8 foot wide bay window with a storage window seat.  Its large (11'x4') closet held sporting and hunting equipment.  It is a large fun room for family use and entertaining.  It could be used as a fifth bedroom. The kitchen has a dishwasher, an electric stove, both new in September, 2009, two built-in pantries, a built-in desk with open shelves above and mustard colored cabinets.  The built-in intercom system has monitors and speakers in most rooms and on the front porch.  The breakfast area has parquet flooring and opens to both the Great Room and the kitchen.  It is one step up from the Great Room and on the same level as the kitchen.  The laundry room, opening from the breakfast area, has built-in wall cabinets and hookups for a washer and dryer.  It also houses the 50 gallon gas hot water heater (purchased in 2008), one of the two gas furnaces, and the electrical breaker panel.

There are two bedrooms on the first floor, both on the back of the house.  The corner bedroom measures 14'x16'; it has a wood burning fireplace with built-in bookcases surrounding it.  This room could be used as an office or den.  It has recessed lighting and a Shaker style rag rug carpet.  There is an oak floor underneath this carpet.  The second downstairs bedroom is 14'x13' and has a large closet and new carpet.  The two bedrooms are connected by a hall.  The downstairs bathroom opens off this hall.  The room (14'x11') to the left, just inside the front door, was used as a gallery for Linda Harper's artwork.  It could also be used as an office, a sitting room, or a formal dining room.  It has oak floors and cream walls with a chair rail.  The mudroom connects the Great Room with the 2-car carport.  This room contains a large storage closet and has plenty of space for a hall tree or bench and pegs for storage.  The carport is 22'x21' and has ample room for two large vehicles.  It has a wooden storage cabinet with a countertop and space for a freezer.  A gate from the carport leads onto the deck in the private courtyard.  There are two bedrooms and a bath upstairs.  One bedroom is 18'x14'.  It has two large closets (total 14'x4') and French doors that open onto a balcony.  The second bedroom upstairs is 15'x12'. It has a large closet (15'x4').  Built-in bookshelves line its east wall. The upstairs bathroom is shared by both bedrooms.  A walk-in attic opens off of the upstairs hall.  This storage area is 32'x 4'.

HEAT and AIR: The house is heated by two gas furnaces; it is served by natural gas.  It has a wood-burning stove, a wood burning fireplace and an auxiliary electric heating/air-conditioning unit in the game room. There are two central air conditioning units (the younger purchased in 2008).  In the summer of 2007, eighteen inches of fiberglass insulation was blown into all the attic spaces  The house also contains five ceiling fans.

SIDING and ROOFING: The siding on the house is board and batten bald cypress.  It has been allowed to weather to its natural gray color.  Bald cypress is a wood that requires no paint or stain and is impervious to rot and resistant to most insects.  The roof is fiberglass shingles and was last roofed in 2004.

OUTBUILDING: The barn-styled workshop is 410 sq ft inside and has an attached storage porch of 199 sq ft.  It has a concrete floor, telephone hookup, electricity and built-in workbenches on three sides.  It has double barn doors which open wide enough for a car to be driven inside to be worked on in comfort.  The porch provides ample storage for a boat, trailer, or a lawn mower. A new roof was installed in July, 2009. 

MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION: The house is serviced by the Ballard Rural Telephone system and has toll free calling to Paducah and Ballard County.  DSL Internet service and cable TV are both offered through the telephone system, as well as through Comcast Cable.  All windows are by Pella in both casement and double hung designs with double glass and muntin inserts.  All have screens. All the downstairs windows have mini-blinds.  The house is in the McCracken County School System www.mccracken.k12.ky.us, Heath School District.  McCracken County is building a new consolidated school just 3 miles from this location.  Kelley Road (Hwy 726) is 7 miles west of the I-24/US60W interchange, Paducah's growing shopping/entertainment/dining area, and two miles west of Barkley Field (Paducah's airport). It is 5 miles east of Kevil, just off of US 60.

REASON FOR SELLING: We retired and no longer need our shop.