Orange County Historic Homes

1338 W 9th St – Santa Ana, CA

When you think of historic homes for sale in Orange County, 99% of the population thinks of a Craftsman Bungalow. While these are the most common historic homes located in OC, they aren’t the only kinds. Today we’re featuring a Tudor style home. These homes often have complex, sweeping rooflines, covered entry areas, and bricks!

Like many of Orange County’s historic homes, this one started off as a two bedroom one bath. At some point, a master suite was added (you can see it in the approximate floorplan to the right). Additions are a bit funny because they can add a lot of utility for modern living, or they can be an eyesore that lowers values. There are really 3 things I look for in additions to decide whether or not they “work:”

1. Does the addition ruin the curb appeal of the house? [this one is off the back, so it's invisible from the street]
2. Does the addition add actual utility to the house? [another bedroom and an ensuite definitely adds utility]
3. From the interior, does the addition naturally flow with the original floorplan? [located at the end of a hall, it fits in]

So in this case the addition works for the house and adds value rather than takes it away. Unfortunately, that isn’t always the case. Sometimes you end up with a 70s stucco box tacked on the side that sticks out like a bump on a pickle.

This home has recently been remodeled. Sadly, they did not keep the original wood-framed windows and ended replacing them with the white-framed vinyl in most locations. While this is a bit tragic, there are a number of other improvements to the house and cool features preserved. The home has been completely drywalled, but the ceiling details have been preserved. The kitchen is not historic, but it does fit with the house and the island really a makes a big difference in functionality. I’m very glad to see that the ceiling beams in the living room have remained. These beams really make the living a special place in this house and are a key element of the Tudor style. I’m also very please to see the original front door and door hardware in place.

Normally here we don’t give much attention to the garage space but this one deserves special mention. In addition to the normal garage space, this garage has a room in back as well as a sizable loft and bathroom. Per the listing, this area totals around 1,000 square feet. What makes the space especially cool is the construction method. The garage and extra space are constructed using the post-and-beam method, much like an old barn or most of the old Tudor style buildings in Europe. I love finding cool little details like this and I’m sure there’s an interesting story behind the garage’s construction. It’s unknown whether this space is permitted (and how old it is — permits might not have been required at the time).

Up until now, I haven’t mentioned anything about the neighborhood. This home is located in Santa Ana in an unnamed neighborhood. This isn’t French Park, Floral Park, Park Santiago, or Heninger Park. But don’t let that scare you away. This home is a great value and would easily top $600k, if located in Old Towne Orange. It’s on a nice tree-lined street with homes that are generally well-maintained.

If you would like to tour this home (or information on other Orange County Historic Homes for sale), please do not hesitate to contact me, email us at OCHistoricHomes@MeadeFirst.com, or call (949) 200-7795. This home is not my listing, but we know and love historic homes!

FULL LISTING