The Difference is Donnie - Donnie Dowell, Realtor

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The Difference is Donnie - Donnie Dowell, Realtor

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09/18/2026

A happy and enjoyable to those of you that celebrate! 🎉

I’m not sure why, but circular rooms really appeal to me. I can imagine how clever one must be when placing furniture and how specific that furniture must be. Juxtapositions, contrast, and irony appeal to me, too. So the notion of having rectangular books in curved bookcases sounds like something I could really get into. 🤓

We have much to appreciate in this one. A carriage port. Two parlors. A kitchen pantry separate from the butler’s pantry. Two porches in addition to the veranda. A main level water closet that isn’t on the back porch. A dumbwaiter. Pocket doors galore. And, I would imagine, exquisite woodwork.

While it is described as a “desirable colonial,” I see Queen Ann elements and a nod to Victorian. It’s more fussy and ornate than stately to me. I probably shouldn’t split hairs nor should I argue with the architect. 😃

Have you ever wondered why the bedrooms in these old homes all seem to adjoin each other? Mainly, it was for air-flow. No fans, no central heat (or AC), no ductwork. Open doors and transom windows helped air circulate.

I wish we had the basement or 3rd floor plans. I can’t wait for you to see what some of those looked like. Maybe a future post will include some!

Thanks for enjoying these old homes with me!

09/17/2026

On sale now!
1310 Mockingbird Lane in Mt. Vernon is an exceptional value due to its extremely high energy efficiency, thoughtful amenities, build quality, and square footage. You really have to see it!

🤩 4 beds / 3 full baths
🤩 2.5 car garage
🤩 HERS rating of 53
🤩 Parade of Homes WINNER

Link in the comments.

09/11/2026

Welcome to another !

Have you ever looked at a home whose style changed depending on which side you were looking at? If not, now you have!

In the image with the floor plans, we’re actually looking at the side view, which has a Tudor inspired feel. But in the second image, which has the door detail, it looks very Colonial.

Curious indeed. 🤔

Otherwise, we have a very fine 1920’s home with over 52,000 cubic feet. Isn’t it interesting that for a time homes were advertised in cubic feet? Some homes in the US were built with 6.5’ ceilings at different points in time and in different areas, so it does make some sense. But still.

The main floor is quite nice with the living room and study at the front of the residence and kitchen and dining in the back. The courtyard to the side would be a fantastic entertaining space and the gardens in the back must’ve been gorgeous.

You’ll notice that even though there are 3.5 baths, none of them are for guests. The maid gets the half bath on the main level. The reason they only get a half bath is because they likely didn’t live there full time and many people at the time only bathed once a week. So, when the maid went home for the weekend, they probably enjoyed their weekly bath there. This was the 1920’s after all.

The second floor offers us a nursery, a jack-and-jill bath, and a sleeping porch. No air conditioning meant that hot, stuffy nights required outdoor arrangements.

Can you believe someone could have this built for only $12,500??? Maybe one day we’ll look back and think $500k was an outrageous bargain!

Thanks for enjoying!

09/04/2026

This is an incredibly hot so I have a cool bungalow for you today!

Built in 1924, this E.W. Stillwell design is somewhat of a harbinger of designs to come. For example, the dining room is particularly small for the era. Interestingly, it has swapped places with the kitchen, which had been more commonly seen at the back of the home. As neighborhoods grew, yards shrank, and kids played in the street more, looking out over the kitchen sink into the front yard became trendy. You also could enjoy that view seated in your “breakfast alcove.” Above all, houses were getting smaller.

The possible Murphy Bed in the main level bedroom allowed for options and helped that room seem larger and more utilitarian.

Upstairs, two relatively spacious bedrooms were separated by an additional room that was likely used as a study or play room. Or, it could’ve been a nursery. Another sign of things to come was the large walk-in closet in the bigger bedroom. On a day like today, though, this level would be unbearable in 1924, when there was hardly any central air conditioning to be found. 🥵

Thanks for reading! Stay cool!

08/28/2026

We’ve made it to another and I have a big ‘ol brick beauty for you. You’ve earned it!

How impressive! It feels very castle like and I only wish we had interior renderings. Luckily, I have an excellent imagination. But since we have two exterior elevations, let’s discuss! 🤓

When looking at the front, I’m struck by the dual balconies and enormous windows that illuminate the stairwell. Zooming in, it looks like a geometric leaded glass design and I love it. The overall façade is striking. All of the lines are crisp and stately. Even the hipped dormers are rigidly ornate.

Check out the double vestibule at the entry. It’s like an air lock for the cold Connecticut winter. I appreciate how it is balanced by the little nook in the living room. The alcove in the main hall has its own fireplace and built-in seating. a great place to warm up after braving the cold. Did you notice the car port? I did! 😜 The office is made more regal by having its own hall. There’s no such thing as wasted space when you have so much abundance. It’s interesting, too, that there’s a waiting room accessible by a side porch. I’m guessing this is a doctor’s home and you’ll see why when we get upstairs.

I was going to describe the rest of the first floor, but I’m impatient and want you to see upstairs!

At the very back, you’ll notice a large laboratory! This why I think it was a doctor’s residence and private practice. I think the good doctor may have been a researcher or a pharmacist, or both! Anyway, every bedroom has a fireplace and one of the bedrooms has an en suite bath that joins with another bedroom. Since this bath is also accessible via the hallway, I wouldn’t call this a jack-and-jill bath. However, if the smaller room were a nursery and the larger room the parents’ room it could be ideal. Who am I kidding, the parents probably used these as separate bedrooms. The doctor stays up too late on the lab and doesn’t want to disturb the slumbering spouse so they decided to have these individual rooms… ok, I’m just wildly speculating now. Please forgive me. 😅

What a grand home! Thanks for reading along!

08/21/2026

It’s a beautiful and I’ve got a unique little home for you all today. Let me preface this by saying some homes don’t make practical sense as homes.

There is a similar home on the north side of Evansville that I’ve been fascinated with for a long time. It’s unusual and would only work for certain owners. I showed it a few years ago and it needed plenty of repairs. Some of the original charm was salvageable, but many aspects just needed to be updated/upgraded.

This is a smaller version and I’d say even less appealing to most buyers. However, there’s somebody whose living situation would fit this perfectly. It could also make a cool cabin or vacation home in the right setting.

You know I love an integrated carport. This one is so interesting because it separates the bedroom with the en suite bathroom from the rest of the house. Could this be a great place for your college age student to live? Sure! Maybe an AirBnB situation? Maybe so! Would it be a drag to walk from there to the kitchen in inclement weather? Very much so.

The dining area is really odd because when not in use, I guess people would close the bi-fold doors. Seems so foreign in today’s open concept era, but the upside is kind of a best of both worlds situation.

The little “study” is also odd. I’d need to see it in person to figure out its practicality. It could be a cool little hideaway for reading or planning. Or it could be a tight afterthought of a room with built-ins anchoring its definition and usage.

The kitchen is a galley style, but I do appreciate the window above the sink looking out at the carport area. Did I ever mention I’m a carport enthusiast?

If I had unlimited funds and time, I’d turn this entire home into a recording studio. It wouldn’t even take much reconfiguration and if it was in the woods or overlooking a lake, even better!

Thanks as always!

08/14/2026

Hello, and welcome to this week’s !

I want to first apologize that whomever first uploaded this cut off the main level sunroom. However, there is a photo of it, so they are somewhat redeemed. 🧐

Anyway, wow, what a house! The description is impressive; poured concrete foundation, wire lathe and stucco exterior, weathered oak inside, and a slate roof that probably still exists today. I wish the photos were in color because I’m certain it looked incredible.

Inside, we see some real forward thinking as well as opulence. The powder room (herein referred to as a “dressing room”) off the entry meant even guests were pampered. Also, the maid or butler could tidy themselves before receiving guests. Fancy!

The breakfast room wasn’t a new development in this era, but it also wasn’t commonplace. I really like the passage way from dining room to living room, too.

Upstairs, there are 3 full baths! This is noteworthy to me because in the era this was built, a homeowner had to have quite a bit of many to afford that.

What an impressive home!

Still wish I had dimensions to that sunroom! 😕

08/13/2026

West side, 3 beds, 2 baths, full walk-out basement!

This home is truly a hidden gem! Up on a hill, on a no-outlet street, this wonderful property offers a huge, privacy fenced backyard with deck, a movie room with screen and projector included, and so much more! Check it out!

08/07/2026

It’s a sunny and I have a summeriffic sensation for you today!

Let’s start right at the front! When your guests enter what from the street appears to be a regular front door, they’re greeted by an enchanting courtyard and a covered walk to the actual front door. Or maybe you’re sitting out there, enjoying the flowers and sunshine, and you offer them some lemonade and conversation. 😋

Inside, the public, private, formal, and informal spaces are nicely divided. The living and dining rooms are perfect for certain guests and occasions, while the family room is better for…well, family. The bedrooms form a wing where everyone gets a terrace except the smallest of the bedrooms which gets… nothing actually. Why isn’t there a window to the courtyard? 🤔 The primary bedroom has a fantastic en suite bath and the hall bathroom gets the view of the courtyard.

Let’s talk about the pool! Guests can park in the driveway and walk straight back to the pool where they’ll enjoy use of the cabana complete with 2 full baths. I love how private and secluded the pool feels with the home, garage, and cabana acting as barriers. Add some trees and a privacy fence (or wall if this were out west) to the 4th side and you’re in your own personal retreat.

Building this home today might be cost-prohibitive for me, but a boy can dream, right? 😍

08/03/2026

Come see us tomorrow for FREE ice cream!

You don’t have to be a client, you don’t have to pay a penny, and you don’t even have to talk to us!

But it would be a lot cooler if you did! 😎 🍦

Address

8788 Ruffian Lane, Suite A
Newburgh, IN
47630

Telephone

+18124498026

Website

https://www.atproperties.com/site/DonnieDowell

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