Saturday Shelterporn

There's something about the Old Sixth Ward that we really like. Maybe it's the charming old houses, or maybe the fact that the neighborhood feels like a small town even though it's barely outside downtown — or maybe it's that the OSW is so close to the bumpin' nightlife of Washington Avenue. (No, wait, it's probably not that last one, come to think of it.) Anyway, the point is that we really dig this Decatur Street home, which dates to 1883.

From the outside, the house is pretty standard Old Sixth Ward, with clapboard siding, lots of windows, a front porch and a bit of charming Victorian woodwork. Inside, things have been modernized a bit — think lots of light and white walls — but historic features like hardwood floors, transoms and beadboard wainscoting have been preserved. There's a great open living and dining area, a small but bright kitchen with modern stainless steel appliances (no granite countertops, amazingly enough — what, doesn't anyone watch HGTV?), a master suite with study downstairs and two bedrooms with a shared bath on the second floor. Out back, a comfortable porch leads to a wooden deck, which we imagine would be an ideal place to spend a lot of evenings.

True, this isn't the largest house, and it isn't on a very big lot. But there's a lot more to it than that: charm, comfort and the chance to own a unique part of Houston history — and as we've seen, those are getting fewer and fewer. Bedrooms: three. Bathrooms: two. Square feet: 1,782. Price: $260,000.