South Boston home is nicely renovated

Tudor Street is a quiet, one-way street in South Boston that runs from D Street to Dorchester Avenue, between West Sixth and West Seventh streets.
 
There is room for only one car to travel the street, and the sidewalks on each side, even though normal width, fill the entire areas from the street to the buildings or fences.
 
There is no space for street parking, but some of the homes have parking areas.

The single-family house at 171 Tudor is between E and F streets. The construction application of the original building is not available, but there are some city records about the property.

In 1916 there was a report that boys were smoking in the yard, but the building inspector found no evidence of that. 

In 1917 the building was changed from a single-family to a three-family.  

In 1922 application was made to build a piazza in the back.

The second floor has a balcony that looks down onto the living room. Its ceiling has cedar paneling.

In the 1930s the siding was changed from clapboard to shingles; in the 1950s the siding was changed back to clapboards, and recently the siding returned to shingles. 

In 1994 the house was changed back to a single-family. On Oct. 19, 2004, application was made for new plumbing, and on April 19, 2007, permission was given to rebuild the deck, which appears to be the completion of the renovation project.

Now, the home is on the market, and Bryan McNeill of Jack Conway’s South Boston office has listed it at $599,000.

On the right side of the home is a paved parking area for three cars.

The owner, an avid gardener, has placed gardening soil atop one of the spaces to build a side garden, but the soil could be removed if the third parking space is needed.

The home’s garden is visible through the cast iron fence at the back of the parking area.

A black granite counter wraps around the kitchen and can easily seat five.

The garden has gazebos and freestanding columns that give the appearance of a location for a wedding.

At this time of year, the plants that are visible are the very healthy pacasandra and arborvitae. The patio is paved in brick, and stones surround a raised garden bed. 

Across Tudor Street a chain link fence encloses shrubs and trees that hide a parking lot with access on West Sixth Street that belongs to a nearby condominium.

The recessed entry to the home is inside an arched doorway. The wooden front door is paneled with clear glass in an arched pattern.

The interior is quite different from typical homes.

There are three bedrooms, a powder room and two full baths and a charming study with a railing rather than a wall on one side where it is possible to look down into the living room.

The staircase with an open balustrade ascends three flights against a wall of exposed brick.

The full basement has cabinets and shelving where the owner had a workshop.

An attractive wooden spiral staircase leads from the third floor to a clear dome hatch to the roof.

The home contains approximately 1,868 square feet, and besides the parking area and spacious garden, there is also a two-level deck surrounded by a white railing.

McNeill points out that the home has lots of sunlight. The windows are double paned for energy efficiency.

The current owner did the handcrafted woodwork, and the roof, ceiling fans, decorative lighting, fencing and the central heat and air conditioning systems were installed new in 2005.

McNeill also says that the basement would be a perfect “man cave.”

The flooring on the first and second floors is a slate tile. Radiant heat powered by gas is built into the floors.

An open spiral staircase leads up to the roof deck, accessed via a clear, domed skylight hatch.

The living room fills the front section of the first floor. It has a three-section picture window overlooking Tudor Street.

At the back of the room is the open kitchen separated from the living room by a granite eating area. An oversized arched window is in the sidewall near where the kitchen begins.

At the back of the kitchen, a door paneled with arched glass opens to the large, two-level deck that gives access to the fenced yard.

The kitchen has very attractive wooden designer cabinetry. The kitchen ceiling is paneled with cedar.

Top-of-the-line stainless steel appliances include a five-burner gas cooktop, two wall ovens, a dishwasher and a refrigerator/freezer. A powder room is between the kitchen and the living room.

The three-level staircase has a wall of exposed brick. The second floor holds a bedroom and full bath as well as a study.

The ceiling of the study is also paneled with cedar and looks beautiful from the living room. On this level there is also a separate laundry room with a large-capacity Maytag washer and dryer. 

The third floor comprises the master bedroom, a full bath and an additional bedroom or study. The clear dome hatch cover at the top of the spiral staircase to the roof allows light to pour into this level.

The bedroom windows give views of Boston’s Financial District including the State Street Bank.

The bath has custom wooden cabinets and two sinks in the custom vanity. The walk-in closet in the master bedroom and the walk-in closet in the second floor bedroom have built-in storage shelves and are huge.

DETAILS

Address: 171 Tudor St., South BostoN

BR/BA: Three bedrooms, two-and-a-half baths

Size: 1,868 +/- square feet

Age: Circa 1890; 2005

Price: $599,000

Taxes: $3,778 (with residential exemption)

Features of the home: Three paved off-street parking spaces, large garden with brick patio and gazebo, two level deck with white railing, full basement, radiant gas heat in flooring, central air conditioning, arched oversize window matches entryway and front and back doors, wooden spiral staircase to clear roof dome, views of Boston from master bedroom, exposed brick along the staircase; fully insulated including ceilings and floors for noise control.

Close by: Shops and restaurants of South Boston; historic St. Augustine Chapel and Cemetery; Dorchester Heights Monument; easy access to MBTA bus lines and Red Line stations at Andrew Square and Broadway, Routes 93 and 90 and airport tunnel.

Contact: Bryan McNeill, Jack Conway Company, 739 East Broadway, South Boston, MA 02127. Phones: 617-269-8310 (office) or 617-605-9656 (cell).

Website: www.jackconway.com

An open house at this home will be held Sunday, March 13, from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m.