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There’s something about an old house. Whether you grew up in one during that period between two world wars, or pretend you did, it touches your heart. You sit on the front porch overlooking the street and wonder about the families that lived there and knew everyone else in the neighborhood. Then you imagine life without television, computers and cell phones, and you’re in no hurry to leave this retreat.

That’s one good reason people buy old houses in old neighborhoods today. They offer an atmosphere of peace and a solid sense of community, plus the comforts of the 21st century. But most of these homes don’t come cheap.

Don McLean Design-Build has just finished renovating an 88-year-old two-story Colonial Revival at 2112 Myrtle Street, in Raleigh’s Bloomsbury historic district, which is on the National Register of Historic Places. The home is listed by York Simpson Underwood Realtor Tiddly Whitehead for $1,125,000.

Built in 1920 for Frank E. Jones of Jones Bottling Works, the house originally measured 1,600 square feet. McLean, whose company Metamorphosis Development bought the house for restoration, added two bedrooms and baths as well as a bonus/entertainment room upstairs, and the home now measures 3,843 square feet — close to the size of other homes on the street. McLean also gave the house a new hip roof that, he points out, feels much more in character than the old roof. “We have tried to retain the authenticity of the house while expanding it — anything that was altered was replaced with what was appropriate for that period,” explained McLean.

The original oak floors downstairs remain but Frank Jones would find the new kitchen with top-of-the-line stainless steel appliances, granite countertops and a central island incredible. And the 90-percent-efficient heating and cooling system wasn’t even imagined when Jones built his house.

Remarkably, the street hasn’t changed much over the years, despite home renovations and modern technology. The neighbors are friendly and children laugh and play. But there was a period when kids were missing from the scene.

Will and Pat Sims remember that time. They were both 26 when they moved to their present home across from the Jones house in 1972. According to Will Sims, a retired First Citizens bank executive, nobody on the block had moved for years. “They just grew old and stayed in their homes until they died,” he said. In fact, Sims recalled, there were no young children on the block until the young professionals began buying homes there 15 years later. “The biggest change since we moved in was that the kids were back on the street.” Not only were plenty of children there in 1995 when Bob Cuirzak and his family moved into 2112 Myrtle, there were also parties and football bonfires. By then, the Bloomsbury community was well on its way to becoming the vibrant, eclectic and sought-after neighborhood of today. When hurricane Fran tore through the street and destroyed most of the trees that gave Myrtle its name, everyone on the block bonded.

“I bought a generator and shared it with families on the street; it was a wonderful bonding experience,” recalled Cuirzak, who owned 2112 for 13 years before moving out of state. He still misses his old home. “I never considered it a house,” Cuirzak explained wistfully. “I always thought of it as a home; it had a lot of charm and character.” Those attributes as well as friendly neighbors and a sense of community are reasons today’s buyers choose old neighborhoods, but there are others. “They appeal to many buyers because of their convenience and close proximity to Glenwood South and Five Points, only minutes from all the fabulous downtown amenities,” noted Whitehead, who recently sold a 1,456-square-foot home on Wills Forest Street in the Glenwood South district. “This home has maintained the integrity and charm of yesteryear but now has the luxury of an updated kitchen, master bedroom and baths” she noted. The home listed for $400,000.

Stew Miller, the renovator and former owner of the charming bungalow, added 80 square feet, a striking new bath and see-through gas fireplace. The home now has a newly appointed kitchen with granite countertops, stainless steel appliances, refinished heart-pine floors and glass-face cabinets. Miller kept the old mantels, but some of the most charming fixtures that complement the house were added by Miller’s wife Cathy, including a pewter pedestal sink and a quaint bathroom counter created from a sewing machine table.

Fay Sugg lived in the Wills Forest home owned by her parents, Pearle and Lyle Hofmeister, between 1943 and 1952. She recently drove by her childhood home with her brother, Charles. Sugg said much of the home looks the same, although her old bedroom area has been expanded into a large master suite. “The main change I noticed ” Sugg recalled, “is that we had no railings when I lived there and no steps between the driveway and porch.”

In those days she said everyone had a front porch and neighbors would visit one another during the evening. “It was a happy neighborhood mix of young families and retired couples, and we had plenty of playmates,” she said.

The family moved in during World War II. “Dad thought he was going to be drafted and it would be easier for mother to manage if we lived closer to the school,” Sugg explained. She remembers gas rationing during those years and the chiming church bells that heralded peace.

There’s something about old houses and old neighborhoods.

E-mail Iris June Vinegar at risjune11@aol.com.