Just Listed! 10 Things I love about 136 Dover Lane

Ten Things I Love - 136 Dover Lane

This edition of Ten Things I love is extra-special because 136 Dover is my personal home. We made some school changes during the pandemic and have been looking for a year for a home in our new school area. It has taken a year to find something that wouldn't leave us heartsick to leave Dover Lane as it is a truly special, livable home that is very hard to leave. I think I could write a hundred things I love about Dover, but will keep it to ten, focusing on the details that might no be obvious from the listing and photos. Enjoy!

   The View. OK. this one is pretty obvious from the photos, but there are details about the view that might not be apparent on first glance. First of all, as a Boise native and a 20-year real estate veteran, I feel that this particular view from the bench looking toward downtown and the foothills is the best view in Boise. While homes across the valley in the foothills have great downtown views, they also largely face west or south which means that evening hours are in direct sun, making it challenging to enjoy the view in the summer months. For homes like Dover Lane, evenings are shady which is perfect for enjoying the daily show that mother nature presents in the form of the play of light on the foothills and weather patterns. It is AMAZING. Nights bring moonrises and city lights. Mornings bring glorious sunrises. It never, ever gets old. 

   The Kitchen. This kitchen checks every possible box. The work triangle is efficient and makes cooking and preparing food easy and enjoyable. The double ovens are a kitchen feature I will never live without again. The island features a prep sink which makes the island super functional but also allows for two people to cook at the same time easily. The extra long counter below the windows is ideal for huge baking projects and also for buffets for entertaining. 

   The Parties. This house entertains like no other. Hosting 50-75 people is a breeze. We had an epic birthday party once with a live band in the sunroom. People flow and gather in all of the various spaces - extraverts gravitate toward the kitchen and introverts cozy up in the living room. There's overflow parking across Federal Way, too. Viewing is perfect from the deck for July 4th Fireworks and the Spirit of Boise balloon festival. 

   The Garage. The garage is massive. It was a four-car garage before the previous over extended it forward to make it even larger. There is room for everything, including cars, and it even has a furnace which is very handy for large craft projects or sewing projects. The previous owner was a car aficionado so has the garage plumbed with central vac, a dedicated hose spigot, and utility sink. 

   The Layout. When we first looked at Dover Lane we anticipated "opening up" the floorplan but living at Dover Lane, we fell in love with having living spaces that each had a function of their own. Each space is large enough to enjoy on its own and the spaces flow together beautifully with the view unifying them all. We love that the bedrooms are apart from the living spaces. It makes for a home where different occupants can be doing different things and not disturbing each other. Night owls can make noise and the bedroom side of the house will never hear them. Early birds can enjoy morning coffee and the sunrise while not waking the rest of the house. 

   The Location. Aside from the view, the location at the end of Dover Lane is wonderful. Since Dover is a dead-end, the location functions like a cul-de-sac with zero traffic from outside the neighborhood. While many bench area view streets are also traffic thoroughfares (Crescent Rim, Mountain View, Randolph, etc), Dover Lane is a quiet little side street that is apart from bustle. The large lot and hillside and homes below create a beautiful greenspace below the property, lending to the feeling of oasis. Yet, the home is literally walking distance to downtown Boise. We've gone out to dinner before a concert and parked at the Morrison Center. Afterwards, one person has driven home and the other walked and the walker made it home faster than the driver. The new restaurants and entertainment center at BODO makes even more dining options on "our" side of downtown. 

   The Living Room. This room is do delicious. The wood walls are three-quarters of an inch thick-real. solid, hardwood. This makes for a quiet space with the coziest, calmest vibe in the world. When we purchased the home it had a wood stove insert that was horrible. We converted to gas and chose the largest, quietest, most dramatic gas fireplace we could find. In the winter months, with the leaves off the trees, the downtown Boise Skyline is in full view. With the fireplace going, the space is perfect for visiting, reading, lounging and unwinding. 

   The Sunroom. The added countertop and beverage fridge have made this room the hub of any party. The comfy furniture and huge windows make it the go-to space for morning coffee and evening cocktails. Opening the full wall of windows expands sun room to deck. Keeping them closed makes the space the sunny escape we all need in the winter months. We do have a screen that velcros into place that is down for listing the home but will convey with the property. In the summer months we have the room open all the time and the screen is nice for day-to-day. 

   The Master Bedroom Shower. I know that the shower is not as large as some of today's showers and the tile is a bit dated, but the water pressure in that shower is glorious. With the Kinetico water softener we installed, the effect is definitely a 10/10  in terms of shower experiences. 

   The Yard. This yard is quite low maintenance. Other that mowing the tiny patch in the front and having our lawn folks do a mow on the hillside a couple of times a summer, the yard doesn't take a lot of work. We normally have tomatoes planted in the beds next to the lower patio along with other veggies. The hillside is a kids paradise - there has been a lot of playtime on the hill as it's the perfect place for forts and imagination. There are sweet little brown bunnies to be found, too. Otherwise, the hillside is a wild, green bit that is beautiful in the background. Note, there is a dog door from the office to the back side yard which provides an easy spot for dogs.