saving historic Seattle bungalow a “no-brainer”

reader Keith Harrison forwards this article about a fellow preserving some of his own neighborhood's character by saving an historic 1917 Craftsman home that was slated for demolition. Nicole Tsong has the full story at the Seattle Times; here's a short excerpt:

Frank-Michael Rebhan was not looking for a new house when he walked his dog past 6317 Phinney Ave. N. in late January.

He already owned a small house a few blocks away. But this sandy-gray beauty was a 1917 Craftsman-style home with leaded stained-glass windows, dark wood built-ins and box-beam ceilings. And a notice said it was slated for demolition.

Rebhan had an outlandish idea: What if he saved the home by moving it to his own lot?

Rebhan hadn't even been inside yet, but the 37-year-old quickly did some intense calculations. He added up costs for moving the house, demolition of his own home, excavation and the other issues involved in moving a house.

He figured out how much it would add to his current mortgage and realized: "It's a no-brainer."