10/28/2023
Hello we are Justin and Elena, welcome to our home! We bought this property in 2012 it is an acre lot in the middle of the Historic Westside in Springfield, IL. There’s a house and a duplex on the property. The house had been abandoned for almost two years when we bought it. We gutted the house down to the studs and rebuilt it from the foundation up. My husband and I did most of the work ourselves…and are still doing it! :)
The house was originally built in eighteen fifty-nine as a single-family home. Over the years several additions were built on to the original structure. Sometime in the late nineteen thirties it was converted into a triplex. When we renovated the property, we left it as a triplex. The dragonfly apartment is the front apartment, my husband and I live upstairs and there is another short term rental, Hermit’s Hideaway in back. About two years into the renovation we ran out of money so to finish the project we had to get creative. This apartment was finished with; second hand finds, scavenged and repurposed items, hope and prayer. :)
We allowed ourselves to be creative and have fun and this apartment is the result.
Almost every item in the apartment has a story.
We poured our hearts into this apartment, we love it and have loved sharing it with people since 2018. But, we are very strict about the no party/no outside visitors without prior approval policy. There is a calm and tranquil environment here.
There will always be projects going on in and around the yard, always a bit of controlled chaos. Our yard is all about natural landscaping, pollinator plants and gardening. Elena works from home and Justin’s home is the work! :) We have 10 very friendly semi-free ranging chickens in the backyard. 2 cats: Zoro, Mr Z Kitty and Sir Oliver Butterscotch, the Belligerent. We also have 2 65 pound dogs; EmmaJane NaughtyPants and Link Underfoot. They are friendly in your face kind of dogs. We do our best to keep them away from guests, but they are around. We hope you come stay with us and don’t forget your slippers! :)