Amenities include new kitchen flooring and appliances, two completely remodeled full bathrooms, new finished basement, a new roof, hard surface floors throughout the main level, and two custom built-ins with shelves and cabinets.  The new bathroom includes heated porcelain tile floors, curbless shower entry, tile shower walls and ceiling, and a rain shower head.

You’ll appreciate the oversized, fully-insulated 2-1/2 car garage with internet-controlled door opener and tons of storage.  Enjoy instant hot water everywhere from the hot water recirculation system, and breathe better with a fresh air intake, AprilAire high-efficiency filter, and whole-house humidifier on the furnace.

The root cellar, currently used as a tool crib, is a great little space that you can continue to use for your tools, a hobby room, lockable storage, or even a root cellar, its original use.  An oversized laundry tub next to the washer in the upstairs laundry room is built-in with cabinet space below.  Upper and lower cabinets in this room provide lots and lots of storage.

The floor-to-ceiling wrap-around built-in unit in the living room was constructed between the front door and the large bow window.  The unit blocks cold winds from the living room while providing a convenient place to sit and tie your shoes and hang your coat.  On the living room side, 20 cubby shelves of various sizes provide ample room to display your books, DVDs, photos, and artwork.  Hang your TV on the large flat surface of the unit, then run all the wires secretly through a cable chase to your Roku, cable box, and gaming console.

Six lower cabinets with slow-close doors hold toys, games, and electronics, and each features an outlet at the bottom to run power up hidden chases to your Christmas village lights, Alexa, and shelf lamps.  The upper receptacle of the outlets are switched with the rest of the outlets in the living room.

The back bedroom built-in unit has 18 shelves, 6 cubbies, and a desk with an overhead light; perfect for studying or as an upstairs office area.

A newly constructed 39′ x 11′ carpeted family room in the lower level has ample lighting and outlets, and is ready to be set up as a second living room or entertainment area.  The 12′ x 11′ separate room in the back has a ceiling fan/light, double closets, and a legal egress window with a cellular shade.

All new electrical systems with a new sub-panel have been installed, and two doors lead to the storage and utility areas of the basement.

• Real Estate Taxes, 2019:  $4,358.66.
• Alliant Energy (natural gas); furnace, water heater, range, dryer:  $38/mo (budget billing).
• Stoughton Utilities (electricity, water, sewer, trash):  $146.25/mo (average last 12 months).

Some people are readers and find out what they want to know by delving into the written word.  If that’s you, the rest of this section may be right up your alley because is all the geeky details about the property.  Everything you never wanted to know about a house may be included below.

Others may see all these geeky details and say Too Long; Didn’t Read (TL;DR) and miss out on the fun.  If that’s you, just Click Here to scroll down to the virtual walk-through videos, which are more or less just as geeky, but may be more entertaining.

And we’ve split the virtual walk-through into multiple videos so you can just watch what you want.

TL;DR warning: If you are someone that appreciates the geeky details about a property, you will appreciate the in-depth descriptions in the rest of this section.  Otherwise, you may just want to jump over to the videos to get a walk-through view of things.

• 2×6 exterior walls.  While not unheard of, the practice of using 2×6 framing for exterior walls was not yet common in the 1980’s.  Normal 2×4 walls provide a 3½-inch cavity for insulation, resulting in an R-Value of 11.  The 2×6 walls provide 5½-inch space for insulation, which results in an R-Value of 18; a significant increase in thermal and noise reduction properties.
• 38 inches of blown-in cellulose insulation in the attic.  While rendering the attic unusable for storage of any kind, this amount of insulation ensures that heating and cooling are as efficient as possible.  In 2015, the current owners did the same thing over the entire garage ceiling, producing a much warmer (winter) and cooler (summer) garage.  It helps that all the exterior walls of the garage are insulated as well.
• Main floor joists at 16″ on-center.  Conventional framing puts joists at 24″ on-center, which is a wider span for the sub-floor.  As a result of 16″ spacing, the floor is more rigid and vibrations from walking are less than with wider spacing.
• Extra wide and deep garage.  Being a builder, the original owner wanted to be sure that there was ample room for storage in addition to having a parking place for the family’s vehicles.  Typical 2-car garages are 20 feet wide by 18 feet deep.  This garage is 25 feet wide by 27 feet deep.
  BONUS:  The garage door opener is internet connected so you can monitor it and control it from your phone, and get notifications when it is opened.  Also, it has settings to turn on the lights when you walk out to the garage, and automatically close the door after a programmable amount of time.
• Interior drain tile with sump.  The house has both exterior and interior drain tile that run around the inside and outside of the footings.  These drains run into a sump in the corner of the basement.  Even during the heavy rains over the last 5 years, the current occupants have never seen enough water in the sump to pump out.  The basement has never had water.

There are two functional built-ins here.  The first is in the living room and the second is in the back bedroom/upstairs office.

Living Room Built-In

This unit was constructed to create a hallway/foyer at the front door, shielding the living room from cold winter winds.  On that foyer side of the unit, there is a cubby with a built-in bench to sit on for putting on or taking off your shoes.  That cubby has hooks for coats and a space below the bench to keep your shoes out of the way.  The hall closet is directly across the foyer from this cubby.

It is 8 feet long and goes from floor to ceiling.  The lower cabinet portion is 18 inches deep and the upper shelving portion is 12 inches deep.  There are 20 shelves of various widths and heights to display your art, your books, and whatever trinkets you may enjoy.  Special short shelves to the left of a blank space are suitable for TV-related electronics.

The blank space is for mounting your TV, and secret channels inside of the unit route your wires invisibly from the TV to the electronics.  The RG-6 cable for TV connections is routed to one of the shelves from the basement where the cable enters the house.  There are hidden wire chases all over the unit so that you can run wires for your electronics and a decorative lamp or two.

The 6 cabinets have slow-close doors, and at the bottom of every cabinet is an electrical outlet next to the hidden wire chase port.  These are for whatever electronics or lamps you may want to have on the shelves.  The top receptacle of all the outlets is switched on the same circuit as all the other outlets in the living room.

Back Bedroom/Upper Office Built-In

This unit is situated in the back corner of the room, and consists of a corner desk flanked by floor-to-ceiling shelves on both sides of the desk.  As a bedroom, this set-up is perfect for your studious teen who wants their own private space for studying and organizing.  As an office, it compliments other office furniture and file cabinets.

All the windows and doors of the house were replaced in 2014.  The windows and the extra-wide sliding patio door are provided by Thebco Windows and Doors of Madison, and come with a lifetime transferable warranty.

The glass in the windows and sliding patio door are all double-pane thermal, with solid vinyl frames.  All the windows except for the large bow in the living room are removable double-hung sashes, and both the upper and the lower sashes go up and down fully.  The windows tilt in for cleaning and can be entirely removed if desired.

There is an open-lock on the sashes that allows the windows to be cracked open about 5 inches and locked in place to prevent intrusion.  This is not a concern in this neighborhood, but it is available for your peace of mind.

The 5-panel bow window in the living room covers most of the front wall of the house, bringing in massive amounts of light, and affording a wonderful view of the lush cul-de-sac island outside.  The two end panels are crank-out casement windows that allow great ventilation into the space.

There is a 54 inch Hunter Original oil-bath fan in the living room.  Manufactured to exacting standards, the massive 65-pound motor turns the fan rotor shaft and pumps oil up the shaft through a spiral channel, making this the quietest fan available.  It has 6 speeds; 3 forward and 3 reverse, and a light fixture mounted on the bottom.  The fan and the light are turned on and off from individual switches on the wall in the living room.

The master bedroom fan is a Hunter ceiling-hugger, also with 6 speeds (3 forward, 3 reverse) and a light fixture.  Like the living room unit, the fan and the light are individually turned on and off from wall switches at the bedroom door.

A Hunter classic ceiling fan hangs over the dining room table.  It also has 6 speeds like the other fans, and is controlled with a wall switch.  The control for this fan operates the speed of the fan and the brightness of the light at the wall.

The lower level bedroom/office fan is a compact unit with a light fixture as well.  The fan also has 6 speeds like all the others, and the fan and light are each controlled with their own switch at the doorway.

There is nothing more frustrating that turning on the hot side of the shower faucet and waiting for a minute as the cold water blasts down the drain.  OK, there probably are more frustrating things, but this one is high on the list of many homeowners.

Regrettably, you will not have that experience here because this house comes with a hot water recirculation system.  What this means from the faucet side is that you get hot water within seconds of turning on the hot water at every faucet in the house.

How it works is that a return hot water pipe comes from the farthest point of the house back to the water heater, where there is a small recirculation pump.  This arrangement slowly pulls water from the hot water pipe as if the faucet had been turned on at that farthest point in the house.  But instead of wasting the water down the drain, it is pumped back into the bottom of the water heater to be re-warmed.

A thermal switch is located at that farthest point, monitoring the temperature of the water.  When it reaches 120°F, the switch kicks out and turns off the recirculation pump.  The pump itself is also equipped with a built-in timer so that it operates only during times when hot water may be needed.

A comfortable living space is a key factor for any house.  This house is equipped with three furnace add-ons that make your sensory comfort even better:

• AprilAire Space-Gard 2200 High Efficiency Air Purifier.  This unit takes the place of the conventional 1-inch thick furnace filter, and instead is 20″ x 25″ x 6″, with high-efficiency pleated-paper filter media.  Offering supreme efficiency in particulate removal, this whole-house filtration system allows for high air-flow through the furnace.
• Controllable Make-Up Air System.  A 6 inch duct brings fresh air into the furnace to eliminate stale air and replace the air pulled out by the kitchen and bath exhaust fans.  There is an automatic damper that opens when the furnace turns on and closes when it shuts off to keep unwanted air flow in check.  There is also a manual damper to control the amount of outside air that comes into the furnace for different seasons.
• AprilAire 600 Series Whole-House Humidifier.  This unit eliminates annoying static electricity shocks and dry skin in the winter time when the furnace is running a lot.  A settable duct-monitoring system controls the humidity levels to your preference.
• Central Air Conditioning (Cooling).  Because of the extreme amount of wall and ceiling insulation, the house stays relatively comfortable and at a fairly constant temperature.  On those days when the ceiling fans and open windows aren’t enough, the A/C quickly removes heat and humidity.

Plumbing from the City of Stoughton is a 1 inch copper pipe on the East side of the house.  There is an outside shutoff valve in an underground box between the house and the street; it requires a special shutoff tool to operate.

All of the water plumbing in the house is copper.  Most of the main feed lines to the fixtures are ¾ inch, transitioning to ½ inch at the fixtures.  The drain plumbing is mostly ABS plastic; newer drain lines are 1½ inch PVC except for the bathtub, which is 2 inch PVC.

There is a high-volume water softener on the line that feeds the water heater and most cold water outlets.  The kitchen sink cold and the outside faucets bypass this and are not softened to accommodate plant watering.

As mentioned in another section, there is a hot water recirculation system that keeps hot water right at the furthest outlet so that you don’t waste a lot of water (and time) waiting for hot water to actually get hot.

There are four exhaust fans in the house.  Each of these fans pulls air from a specified area and exhausts it out of the living space of the house to the outside.  We already talked about the make-up air system in the geeky furnace details above, in case you were wondering how that air gets replaced.  Here are the exhaust fans:

• Main (front) bathroom.  This is your usual bathroom ceiling exhaust fan for venting steam from showers and odors from, well, you know.  It is controlled by a timer switch that allows the fan to run for 1, 5, 10, 15, 20, or 30 minutes with a push of a button.  You can also turn the fan on without the timer so that it just stays on.
• Kitchen range hood.  This stainless steel Broan range hood vents outside as well, and is both manually controlled and thermostatically controlled.  There are three fan levels that you can select from the control panel.  If the temperature gets too hot over the stove, the fan will automatically turn on or it will shift up to a higher speed until the temperature is reduced.
• Back bathroom fan 1.  This fan is identical to that of the main bathroom, and controlled with the timer switch in the same way.  It is located in the toilet area of this bathroom and mainly used for that purpose.
• Back bathroom fan 2.  Located inside the shower stall, this fan is used to exhaust the steam from a hot shower.  It has the same controls as all the other bathroom fans.

The main (front) bathroom has been recently remodeled, with a new high-efficiency toilet and countertop, new faucet and lighting fixture, and new luxury vinyl plank flooring.  The drains for the sink and tub have been upgraded to 1½ inch and 2 inch PVC pipes.  All the walls have been painted.  The Kohler blue bathtub has been epoxy-coated in bright white.

The back bathroom was recently expanded to include a curbless walk-in shower with a linear floor drain and a ceiling rain shower head.  The Moen temperature-controlled faucet prevents changes in water temperature during your showers, and allows you to select between the rain shower and the hand-held unit, or a mixture of both.

There is an awning window high up in the shower space that allows light and air into the bathroom.  The floors throughout are 12 x 24 inch porcelain tile with a thermostatically-controlled floor warming system built in.  The shower area walls are floor-to-ceiling porcelain tile, and the ceiling is also tiled.

A new cultured marble countertop has been installed, as well as a new faucet and lighting fixture.  There are three ceiling can lights in the new shower area.  The sink and shower drains are 1½ inch PVC, mostly eliminating annoying clogs.

The upper and lower cabinets in the kitchen and laundry room, and the cabinets in both bathrooms are all the same; they are ¾ inch solid oak framing and doors.  Because the cabinets are so solidly built, we chose to re-paint them rather than replace.

The paint used on all these cabinets, and much of the trim and doors throughout the house, is PPG Breakthrough Satin.  This top-line paint is the most durable on the market, and provides a plastic-like coating on the surfaces where it is use.  Extremely scrubable and hard, it is perfect for these high-use areas.

The whole yard has been nicely landscaped; in particular all the grounds immediately touching the house on all sides.  Solid brickwork edging has been installed across the front of the house, around the side, and across most of the back.  There is a raised-box garden area just outside of the back door of the house coming from the garage.

Two areas of the garden are serviced by underground plumbing to provide convenient faucets for watering without having hoses strung across the yard from the faucet on the house.  This plumbing is drained in the wintertime to prevent freezing.

A good-sized garden shed sits at the back of the property and has been recently rehabbed.  The walls and door were all torn off, new sheathing was applied to the framing, and new cedar board siding was installed on the sheathing.  Two heavy swing doors were site-built to custom sizing, and offer a secure, weather-tight seal for the shed.

While part exterior and part interior, a code-approved egress window was installed for the lower level bedroom/office.  On the exterior, a direct-backfill window well manufactured by RockWell contains a built-in step that allows for easy escape in case of emergency.  There is a screened drain down to the foundation drain inside the well.