Somewhere upstairs in this updated 1939 Idylwood home, a hidden staircase leads to the upper level’s “extra room.” The property’s listing this week, asking price $269,995, appears to keep the secret, however: No photos of the access or space are included.

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The hardwood floors are original throughout much of the 2,612-sq. ft. home, which now features both cutouts (above) and built-ins:

The grain changes direction (and color) in the study, however:

HCAD dates some remodeling to 1990.

The home has 3 bedrooms upstairs; one of them has access to a balcony at the front of the home. A closet outside the master bedroom (not pictured, alas) contains the secret staircase, which leads to the possible fourth bedroom (or den or office or MAN CAVE, the listing notes). There’s a single step between the master bedroom and its bath:

Mirrors are available for the tall and the less tall:

The second full bathroom upstairs comes with a tub shower displaying a little attitude:

This section of the back yard looks all decked out:

The 5,750-sq.-ft. lot also has a spit of driveway behind a gate off the detached, 2-car garage, facing Wayside Dr. near Lawndale St. That places the property across from the grounds of the Villa de Matel Convent, near the Gus Wortham Park and Golf Course, and 2 blocks from Brays Bayou.

Back in 2005, the property sold for $169,000. Two years later, it sold for $127,000. Since then, it’s appeared on the market a few times: In late 2007, it went on the market for $259,900; that was raised to $299,900 before the listing was terminating in January 2008. In 2009, a re-listing enjoyed a May to September romance at $239,900.

• 6602 Meadowlawn St. [HAR]