On the market: A three-bedroom home on a cul de sac in Northwest Philly for $519,000
Two generations of one family have owned the home, which was built in the 1950s.
The large house in the Andorra section of Northwest Philadelphia has served Donna Boccella well at two distinct times in her life.
First, it’s where she grew up. Then, as an adult, she bought it from her father and moved there with her husband.
Now, though, widowed and living there with an adult daughter, she says it’s time to downsize.
Boccella’s parents were the original owners of the house, built in the mid-1950s, and she lived there until she was 19. She then got married and lived with her husband in the Roxborough area for 10 years.
But after her mother died, her father decided to sell the home.
“My husband and I loved the neighborhood,” says Boccella, office manager for a property management company. “It’s so quiet and friendly.”
She notes that several homeowners on the wooded cul de sac also bought from their families.
Boccella’s husband, Bob, was both a professional chef and a contractor, she says, and he almost doubled the size of the house before he died in 2006.
“He rehabbed it to the point that it doesn’t look like the original home,” she says.
The three-bedroom, 2½-bath home is now 2,292 square feet.
The living room has glass inlaid French doors leading to a dining room that can be formal or more casual. That, in turn, leads to a kitchen designed by her husband.
It has a full sink and prep sink, a large island, stainless steel appliances, and a professional six-burner stove with separate griddle.
The second floor has two bedrooms, a newly renovated full bath and a hall laundry area.
The third floor has the primary suite, with a separate office/sitting area, walk-in closet, and wet bar. And the primary bathroom has a large Jacuzzi tub and stall shower.
The finished basement has a family room with wet bar and wood-burning fireplace.
There is a detached two-car garage, which Bob Boccella also used as a workplace, and ample off-street parking.
The yard is fenced and has a large patio with retractable awning and mature garden beds.
Boccella, who plans to remain in the area, says, “I want a family to move into my home.”
The house is listed by Holly Reynolds of BHHS Fox & Roach Chestnut Hill for $519,000.