Century-old Shaler house with stucco, 2 roofs priced at $159,000
Over the past few years, Thor Chandler graduated from Grove City College, got a great job and bought a house that was a short commute to work.
Then 2020 brought COVID-19 and changed his life and everyone else’s. His commute got even shorter, from his bedroom to his living room. And his employer isn’t talking about returning to the office anytime soon. So he’s looking to moving a bit farther north.
“We’re working from home so I want to step back from the city, maybe buy something like a duplex — rent one side and live in the other,” Chandler said.
So he has put his three-bedroom, two-bath house at 1055 Geyer Road in Shaler (MLS No. 1481982) on the market for $159,000 with Howard Hannah Real Estate Services agent James Baker (724516- 5183 or www.howardhanna.
Chandler wanted a move-inready place, no work or updates needed. What he got was a nicely renovated house with extras. The exterior of the two-story house has a stucco finish and newer windows.
“It was remodeled three years ago, all nice hardwood floors, granite counter tops,” he said.
Engineered hardwood flooring runs throughout the first floor, including the eat-in kitchen. It has newer stainless-steel appliances and was updated just before Chandler moved in. There is a Frenchdoor, bottom freezer Samsung refrigerator, a Whirlpool microwave and stove and a Frigidaire dishwasher.
There is room for a table in the kitchen and a breakfast bar topped with the same white granite with black and gray veins that was used on the counters.
Several rooms have ceiling fans and there is central air-conditioning and gas heat. The heating and cooling systems were part of the recent rehab.
“The windows are only a few years old, all except an odd little
one, a tiny window from when the house was built in 1910, maybe 8 or so inches,” Chandler said.
There is a 12- by 10-foot bedroom on the first floor and two more upstairs measuring 13 by 12 feet and 11 by 10 feet. He turned one into his home office.
The first-floor bathroom has a walk-in shower and large ceramic tile in the shower and on the floor. Two bands of mosaic tile wrap around the shower, which has a large square rainfall shower head.
The second-floor bathroom has a shower tub combo, brown tile on the floor and white porcelain fixtures with brushed nickel. The medicine cabinet hides behind a frameless mirror over the singlesink vanity.
Chandler was surprised when he saw the roof — or two roofs. The previous owner left a flat roof intact when he added a peaked roof to give the house some character.
“I thought about building a deck up there,” he said.
There is an unfinished basement, which he said is dry but he runs a dehumidifier just in case. It holds a newer Samsung washer and Maytag dryer.
The .07-acre lot slopes up toward the rear and has room to park two or more cars on one side.
“Honestly, I really like the location — 5 minutes from town, 5 minutes from Ross Park Mall and Millvale with its new boutique restaurants and shops, bars,” Chandler said.
“Rita’s Italian Ice is a 1minute walk down the road and I probably spent way too muchmoney there,” he said.
Chandler said the street is quiet and never busy.
Over the past four years, four houses have sold in the 1000 block of Geyer Road for prices ranging from $57,000 in September 2020 to $145,000 for this house in March 2020.
The property’s 2021 Allegheny County assessment is $30,000 (www2.alleghenycounty. GeneralInfo.aspx?).