But suitable is in the eye of the beholder. "She wanted move-in condition," says Dolores, 74.
Eventually, the Brownes found something for the daughter, but in looking they also discovered a 1948 Bauhaus in Merion Station that converted them from city dwellers into suburban residents. It was in anything but move-in condition - let's just say there were animal droppings in at least one room, and gloss over the other details.
But Dolores and Warren, 79, didn't smell the putrid smells, or cry over the plumbing costs or the cracked tiles or the other issues.
"The structure was wonderful," Dolores says. "The hardwood floors were wonderful."
So, at a point in their lives when others are winding down, the Brownes geared up for another renovation. According to daughter Allegra, they moved in soon after settlement, slept on a blow-up bed, and washed in the only usable sink. With the trash bin rented, the deconstruction started.
Out with the old plumbing, in with the new. Cracked bathroom tiles? Gone, though Dolores maintained as many of the originals as she could in the three bathrooms.
Ceiling tiles in the basement were removed, exposing beams to match the mahogany steps leading from the kitchen.
The basement is worth a visit. After old tiles came off the basement floor, Dolores painted a dark- and light-gray rose design on it. A washroom is separated from the rest of the room by smoked-glass partitions, as is the heater.
But on the other side of the mahogany stairwell is the original bar and knotty-pine paneling. Dolores says she liked the paneling but hated the traditional holes, so she filled them in and put polyurethane on, for an updated look.
It took about a year to peel off the decay and expose what Dolores and Warren saw in the house. Today, white paint covers the walls, and polished hardwood covers all the upstairs floors.
