House of the week: A three-bedroom Colonial in Swarthmore for $579,000

Some people view spending more time with aging parents as a challenge, but Scott Morrison found an unusual way to bond with his dad.

“I wanted to find a way to spend more time with him rather than just hanging around in front of the TV,” Morrison said.

So the brewery and distillery consultant worked with his 89-year-old widowed father, a retired carpenter, to renovate a three-bedroom, 1½-bath 1948 Colonial that “needed a good bit of work.”

“He hung some doors, did trim, a little bit of anything,” Morrison said. “He moves a little slow, but he gets it done.”

Morrison’s wife, Daria Duda, who is in marketing technology for start-ups, says her father-in-law is “a perfectionist.”

The couple bought the 1,884-square-foot house in February 2023, and “it needed a little bit of everything,” Morrison said, including all new electrical and plumbing.

They ripped off shingles and put in a new roof, using contractors in trades other than carpentry, redid the kitchen, put in a new half bath, and rebuilt the second-floor deck.

The couple had lived in Swarthmore for 13 years before and thought it had been a great place to raise their daughter.

The kitchen has quartz countertops, a backsplash, new appliances, and abundant cabinetry.

Just off the kitchen, the family room opens to a large deck and backyard.

The main floor also includes a laundry room with a washer and dryer and a half bath.

Upstairs, the primary bedroom has a Juliet balcony. There are two additional bedrooms and a hall bath with a tub-shower combination and dual vanity.

There is ample closet space throughout with additional storage in the fully floored attic and the basement.

The house offers easy access to regional rail and downtown Swarthmore and has a private off-street driveway.

It is in the Wallingford-Swarthmore School District.

It is listed by Joymarie DeFruscio of Keller Williams Realty Group for $579,000.