Find out what it’s like to live the old-house dream in Everett

EVERETT — Susan Mausshardt always wanted to live in an old house.

“It’s been my dream my entire 25 years of living in Washington,” the California native said as she showed visitors the 1909 home in Everett’s Port Gardner neighborhood that she shares with her husband, Ted. “I would drive around the neighborhoods in Everett, looking at all the old houses, and saying, ‘Someday, I’m going to live in one.’”

Now, Susan Mausshardt is sharing her dream with the community. The couple’s residence is one of six early-1900s homes featured on the annual Historic Everett Home Tour, set for 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sept. 14.

They became the home’s fourth owners eight years ago. It sits on a double lot, giving the Mausshardts a spacious half-acre in the heart of the city.

In at least one aspect, it’s an unusual home for its era. The living and dining area is open and filled with light, thanks to windows (all original) on three sides. The wood trim, mouldings and other detailing are of a dimension and quality that today’s homeowners can only dream about, unless their pockets are deep.

One of Susan Mausshardt’s favorite rooms is an eating nook off the kitchen. She thinks it probably was a mudroom in an earlier life. Another favorite spot is a small room upstairs that likely was a dressing area. It boasts a perfectly placed window that looks down on the property’s extensive gardens.

And a third favorite place is a spare bedroom that Susan has turned into what her husband calls the “war room.” That’s where Susan, 65, indulges her passion for gaming, which she says has been a welcome escape from the stresses of her work as a psychotherapist. She’s mostly retired now; husband Ted, 63, also a psychotherapist, works in Everett.

Far from a fussed-over period piece, the home is a comfortable, lived-in place. The couple love its 1909 architectural details, but have installed modern materials when they make sense, such as the laminate floors in the living area — they have two Labrador retrievers and a young grandson, after all.

Another home on the tour, a 1910 Craftsman in northwest Everett owned by Stephanie and Sheldon Anderson, recently was treated to a year-long remodel. The couple’s aim was to retain the home’s original character and tradition while preparing it for the next 100 years, Stephanie Anderson wrote in an email.

“We salvaged many items to reuse,” she said. “Original built-in linen cabinet pulls were used in the kitchen nook and inspired the pulls for the traditional craftsman cabinets, rebuilt to match the originals.”

Tile from the 1980s was removed to expose an original brick fireplace. Sheldon Anderson, who has a background in construction, built a new mantle for it, as well as all the other trim work in the house.

“We love our house — its history, its character,” Stephanie Anderson said. “It was a true labor of love and we are so thrilled to share a bit of it with the Everett home tour.”

Another couple whose home is on the tour, Tammy and Mic Caldwell, bought their 6,000-square-foot American Foursquare in the Port Gardner neighborhood a year ago and have embarked on some restoration work, including refinishing the original floors and entry stairway.

“After years of pursuing the perfect home in this area, this one became available at just the right time, in just the right neighborhood,” Tammy Caldwell wrote in an email.

The 1911 home boasts an upper balcony well on a corner that highlights its beauty from all sides, she said.

Like all the homes on the tour, the Mausshardt home is a labor of love and the realization of a long-held dream.

“I would love to live here the rest of my life,” Susan Mausshardt said.

Then she glanced toward the stairs.

“Somebody said, ‘Put in a lift.’”

If you go

The 2019 Historic Everett Home Tour is set for 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sept. 14. Tickets, $20, are available at J. Matheson’s Gifts, 2615 Colby Ave., Everett, via Brown Paper Tickets or on the day of the event at the Van Valey House, 2130 Colby Ave., where the tour begins. You will be asked to remove shoes at some homes, so slip-on footwear is a good idea. More at historiceverett.org.