Schoolside San Roque Cottage

Address: 2965 Calle Noguera
Status: On the market
Price: $1,595,000

If you have school-aged kids, you’ve been counting down to this week for quite a while. Whether it’s with relief to have your schedule and sanity back, or dismay to have the lazy days of summer dwindle to a close, the first week of school — this week! — is a red-letter day for families. Even those of us without kids can feel the energy level of the whole town switch gears as we fall into the pattern of the school year.

In the San Roque area, the attention of the neighborhood literally and figuratively circulates around Peabody Charter School. The stately two-story house at 2965 Calle Noguera sits just around the corner from Peabody. When I visited this past weekend, there was a pre-holiday buzz in the air, heralding this change of the season. 

A white picket fence holds in a pleasant array of native plants and trees, welcoming all who pass by. The home’s facade boasts large picture windows downstairs and a row of three smiling dormer windows up above, hinting at the layout within. The front gate opens to reveal a curving red-brick pathway that leads up to a wide porch with blossoming vines winding along the front railing. 

After you cross the threshold, a classic staircase leads up on the left side, with broad white banisters framing shining wood steps. The living room opens to the right of the entryway, with a showpiece brick fireplace on one wall and a large bay window with a cozy window seat on the front wall of the house, flanked by arched built-in nooks perfect for displaying collectibles or treasures. A statement deco chandelier in this room is a unique detail that begs to be planned around.

The house was built in 1945, so it offers more generous storage than its craftsman predecessors. The attached garage with loft space plus extra cubby holes in almost every closet are a testament to such conveniences. It was also extensively remodeled — both upstairs and down — so the flow reflects a more modern floorplan aesthetic.

The formal dining room has built-in cabinets, plus French doors out to the back patio. The kitchen offers additional dining options with a built-in banquette. Call it back-to-school brainwashing, but I couldn’t help envisioning evenings spent doing homework in this spot, while dish-washing or tomorrow’s meal-prepping takes place nearby.

There are three bedrooms on this first floor, including a large master suite, and all have bigger-than-expected closets plus extra storage space. An additional full bath with black-and-white subway tile floor plus a laundry room are also conveniently located on this level.

The second floor of the house is smaller on square footage but big on charm. Two bedrooms each offer window seats looking over the front of the house, sloped ceilings, and details like octagonal-shaped windows up high to let in the light. A full bathroom with dual sinks and a tub is accessed through a space-saving pocket door, and this alluring top floor is filled with light and whimsy.

The house is surprisingly quiet for its location. There is a wide entertaining deck out back, and the large fenced backyard is a veritable maze of fruit trees, native plantings, and bright flowers. Stepping-stones provide a pathway through the flora to one corner of the yard, where a charming playhouse has been transformed into a high-class chicken coop.

The “Chicken Palace” offers nesting boxes with a hinged side door for egg collection, and a walkway for the feathered inhabitants to find favorite roosting spots. This cozy chicken hangout could easily be reimagined back to a playhouse or turned into a potting shed or a deluxe doghouse. No matter what, it will earn its privileged place as a highlight of the fenced backyard.

This home is waiting for new owners to make it their own. The proximity to Peabody will be a delight whether or not they have children, and whether this time of year is greeted with a cheer or a groan, they will always know when it’s time for the first week of school.