2603 Orchard Ln, Lawrence, KS 66049

Sauna gardenWall of windowsBig bay windowRiver-rock pathTowering oaksGrilling spaceExpansive patio

The main level has an entry with a coat closet. The LR has two floor-to-ceiling bookshelves and a big bay window. The LR extends to include a DR area with a built-in sideboard: glass door cabinets above and storage below. The Kitchen connects to a Family Room (vaulted ceiling with wooden beams) with a wall of windows that overlooks the back yard. There are also 3 BR and 2 full baths (MBR bath has two sinks and a big walk-in shower, Hall Bath has two sinks and a tub/shower). A compact upstairs laundry sits between the kitchen and bedrooms. It’s tight but so convenient. Sliding glass doors open from the kitchen to a 3-season porch / room, with big Pella windows. The lower level has 3 more BR (one non-conforming, but with a walk-in closet) and a full bath. One of the rooms is big enough for a rec room/teen hangout and has two distinct spaces. There are 4 closets in the lower level. In addition, there is a large storage area with solid, long and deep wood shelving. Tucked in a back corner is a tornado shelter, with reinforced concrete on six sides. The home is versatile: a 4 BR with an office and rec room? A 5 BR with a music room/hang-out room/guest room? A 6 BR home that could work for multigenerational living? French doors open from the porch to a spacious circle of stamped concrete patio. The ‘yard’ is an oasis: towering oaks, hundreds of perennials, enough trees and shrubs along the back fence that kids can have little trails to a hidden playhouse. There is a fire-pit circle that you can only see after walking to the rear of the yard, a grilling space, a river-rock path that curves from the patio to a hammock or lounge chairs. It is not professionally ‘landscaped"--These gardens are lined with rocks gathered by our hands over many years. It’s a yard to play in, to run through a sprinkler, to hear birds and watch squirrels. And then there is the Sauna Garden. Tucked behind an outdoor storage shed (yes, with even more storage), it’s a totally private space in the middle of suburbia: a barrel sauna with a Finnish stove, a cold outdoor shower, a claw-foot tub you can fill for cold soaks, a small patio with two lounge chairs. There are no windows upstairs on the house next-door, so it really is ‘private.’ At night, with the twinkle lights, it’s magical. Updates: We’ve done much of the work that comes when a home reaches a certain age: foundation work (2019); an expansive patio (2020) that invisibly slopes just a fraction so that water always flows away from the house; a new roof (2021); new gutters (2021); plumbing work to put in new connection for home to street (2023); interior plumbing updates (2025); replacement of the electrical box and system (2025). Each bathroom has been remodeled or updated. The kitchen has granite countertops but the original classic wood cabinets. The home was inspected in anticipation of selling, and we’re currently addressing remaining suggested updates and changes. We have receipts for work, and the totals for big ticket items over just the last five years is 6 years is $50,000 +/-. 2603 Orchard Lane, Lawrence, 66049 1st Floor: 2006.32 sq. ft. (LR, DR, FR, 3 BR, 2 BA, Kitchen, Entry, 3 Season Room/Porch) Lower Level: 1253 sq. ft (4th BR, 1 BA, Rec room or 5th BR, Music room or 6th BR non-conforming, 4 closets, Tornado Shelter, storage area) Total Living Spaces: 3511 sq. ft Lower Level Unfinished: storage area with permanent shelving Storage Shed attached to home: 130 sq. ft (outside entry) Garage: two car garage (with built in shelving/storage); driveway that can accommodate 4-6 cars Expansive Patio Sauna Garden (barrel sauna/ Finnish stove, cold outdoor shower, lounge area) Extensive perennial plantings (hostas, iris, daffodils, tulips and more). Towering oaks and other trees. Fire pit area. BBQ prep area.

What the owner loves about this home

2603 Orchard Lane is functional. It provides one-level living, but with a spacious lower level for adolescent kids or guests... or music rooms or offices. Visiting family or friends can have their own space. On the main level, every room is used every day: morning coffee on the back porch room or patio in summer, or by the sunny windows in the living room in winter. Family dinners around the dining table that seats 8-10 (dining table included.) It's a home where people come to gather--- great for parties and extended family. Location! Location! Location!! One of the best ‘features’ of the home is the location: K.U. is a four-minute drive; elementary and middle schools, Sunset Hill and West Middle School, are an easy walk. Kids can safely walk to school from K -to -8th grade. The Lawrence Transit Center is down the hill at Crestline and Bob Billings. The West Campus “Crossroads,” currently being constructed by KU at the corner of Iowa and 23rd -- with a new Dillons, restaurants, coffee bars, nightlife bars and shops – will be a five-minute drive. The Lied Center is just down a hill, one light, and up a block. In sum: If you are looking for a house that screams “New!” then this is not the house for you. If you dream about a XL master BR with a jetted tub—not happening unless you remodel. But remodeling, making interior changes and adjustments, is doable. What cannot be created are towering 70-year-old oak trees, or the abundance of bushes and trees and perennials. The daffodils that poke up at the first warmth of spring, then tulips, then iris, hostas and bleeding hearts. And Ginny the Giraffe –-- a 6 ft. high piece of folk art? She comes with the home. She belongs here.

2603 Orchard Ln, Lawrence, KS 66049

What's special

What the owner loves about this home