You could be stepping into a different time or onto the set of a turn-of-the-century 1990s sitcom.
Inside this home in northwest Barrie, with a little imagination you can almost see actor Topher Grace bounding down the stairs to the front door.
Playing the role of Eric Foreman, Grace — along with Mila Kunis as Jackie Burkhart, Ashton Kutcher as Michael Kelso, Danny Masterdon as Steven Hyde — fronted the popular sitcom That 70s Show, which ran from 1998 until 2006, and would’ve fit right into the decor of the Letitia Street home, according to local realtor Matthew Kindou.
Kindou says he wasn’t quite ready for what he found when he saw the listing for the house built a half-century ago this year.
Four bedrooms, three washrooms, 2,240 square feet, a huge double garage with a walk-down to the basement. All standard fare for a detached house from the period.
But, oh, what a period.
You couldn’t have too much wood panelling and wallpaper, hanging lights, colour combos, wrought-iron railings (inside and out) and shag carpeting as the coup de grace.
The longtime owner — the home recently sold — had been there since the 1979 or '80.
“I would describe it as a meticulously maintained and a never-touched '70s style,” Kindou says of the house built, appropriately enough, in 1971.
There has been a bit of painting in the formal dining room and living room as well as some crown moulding and such, says the Sutton Group Incentive Realty agent.
“But the kitchen, the carpet — a lot of shag-style carpet — (and) the bar. Everything is pretty much original, even the bedrooms and the bathrooms, and the tile in the bathrooms,” Kindou says. “It’s all original, the vanities, the lights, the countertops.
"Even some of the furniture is original '70s.”
When Kindou made his way to the lower level, he says one thought came to his mind right away.
“One of the shows I watched growing up was That 70s Show,” he says. “That basement literally put me in the scene. It was like I was on an episode of That 70s Show.
“My favourite room, by far, is the basement bar. The texture, the fact that it’s nice and curved. Very retro.”
A lot of people who toured the home were thrown off by how much work was needed in terms of it being outdated, says Kindou.
“But a lot of people appreciated the outdatedness of it and how well it has been maintained. It was a very 50-50 split, I think. It was probably the most fun I’ve had in a listing.”
