SOUTH SIDE SPECIAL
4 townhouses range in price from $249,000 to nearly $450,000
When they started house hunting on the South Side, the Bentzen family was looking for a single-family home. Then they toured the townhouse at 1032 Bradish St.
“It was about 70% finished when we bought it, so we were the first owners,” said Constance “Connie” Bentzen.
“We really liked the design, smart use of space and we were able to customize it to our tastes. And it was Amish-built.”
Now the three-bedroom, 3½-bath townhouse is back on the market for $449,900 and listed with The Bingham
Team’s Lynn Bingham (binghamteamrealty.com or 412-855-9154). It’s one of four homes on the South Side that will be open from 1-3 p.m. Sunday. The other three are 8 Uxor Way, 121 S. 11th St. and 1923 Wharton St. More on them in a minute.
At 1032 Bradish St., one of the three bedrooms is on the first floor; the other two are on the third floor. The second floor contains the living, dining and kitchen areas plus a powder room in an open plan.
What makes this townhouse really unique is the rooftop deck.
“We took the spiral staircase up to the deck. It’s got a 360-degree view of Pittsburgh,” said Mrs. Bentzen.
The view includes the South Side Slopes and Flats, the Downtown skyline and Acrisure Stadium on the North Shore. The deck is perfect for entertaining, she said.
Another bonus is the townhouse’s first-floor garage. It’s deeper than most and has space for storage or a sizable home office.
“It easily fits one car but could fit two smaller cars,” she said.
Because the townhouse was still under construction, the family was able to change some of the design details. They decided to install hardwood floors
throughout.
“Scraped hardwood, that was one of the upgrades,” said Mrs. Bentzen.
The red oak floors by Kestner Wood Products of Portersville, Butler County, are ¾-inch thick and were installed everywhere but the bathrooms and first-floor bedroom, which is carpeted.
The kitchen has darkstained, Shaker-style cabinets, granite counter tops and stainless-steel appliances. Recent upgrades include a quiet dishwasher and French-door refrigerator. Behind double doors are a pantry and washer and dryer.
The townhouse’s living spaces are filled with natural light from patio doors on the kitchen and bedrooms; the rear bedrooms also have small decks.
The Bentzens’ son lived in the townhouse for six years.
“After he moved from the area, we went with River Ridge [Property Management],” she said. “We wanted professionals, not college kids. We had 2½ years with them and they were wonderful.”
The Bentzens, who are moving to Chicago to be closer to grandchildren, are South Side boosters.
“Ten years ago we bought the place not knowing Duquesne [University] was going to start a med school or that UPMC was going to invest in an eye institute,” she said. “All along the river, it’s not only a great place to live and work but to buy.
This is a high-growth area and only positive things are going to happen.”
8 Uxor Way
The three-bedroom, 3½bath townhouse at 8 Uxor Way is priced at $449,900.
The new building has two master suites on one floor and a third bedroom suite above, a great option for a home office. It also has a roof deck with views of the city and open-plan living on the first floor. The kitchen has a peninsula and is great for entertaining.
The ground-floor garage has room for two cars and the laundry and powder room are on the first floor.
121 S. 11th St.
Heading east on the South Side, the two-bedroom, 1½-bath townhouse at 121 S. 11th St. is on the market for $249,000.
Made entirely of brick, its first-floor living space has a wall of exposed brick, adding texture to the interior.
The kitchen has granite counter tops, stainlesssteel appliances, a mosaic stone backsplash and lighter-stained Shakerstyle cabinets.
The master bedroom has a gas fireplace tucked between two closets. There is a loft area set up with a wet barand the second bedroom is spacious with nooks created by the roofline.
There is a large back patio with a brick wall on one side and a fence on the other. It’s perfect for parties and there is room for a small garden.
1923 Wharton St.
The two-bedroom, two bath townhouse at 1923 Wharton St. on the market for $249,900.
The living room features a tray ceiling and ventless gas fireplace with a brick chimney.
The kitchen has stainlessappliances and ceramic tile flooring.
Recent updates include a
new roof, furnace, hot water tank and carpeting.
There is a second decorative fireplace in one bedroom and a deck with city views.
The owner has used real wood and exposed brick to add texture. On the second floor, the wood ceiling follows the roofline to create a one-of-a-kind space that could be a home office or bonus room.