How they met:
Through Harbor City Church and mutual friends
Living here since:
All three since October 2019, when Katie moved in. Madison since February 2019, and Mackenzie since 2015, when she moved to San Diego on a whim with her two best friends—they both got married and moved out, and Mackenzie rotated through three other roommates before Madison and Katie.
How they divvy up bills:
Mackenzie pays electricity. Madison handles internet. They split the cost three ways and settle the balance via Venmo. They pay rent individually to Mercer Properties through an online portal.
“Family” dynamics:
MK: “I’m in a new season where I just got a boyfriend. I’m like the elusive dad that comes home just for dinner or maybe just the night.”
ME: “I’m the little sister who’s like, ‘Let’s go do this. Let’s go do that!’”
KM: “I’m definitely the mom.”
Who cleans:
KM: “I’m the most anal, so I’m in charge of the plants and cleaning. I just do it, because I like to clean.”
MK: “She loves to clean…”
ME: “… and we hate cleaning.”
Conflict resolution:
They call house meetings when necessary. A few outcomes from those: A 72-hour rule for doing dishes; a midnight curfew for boyfriends; all three roommates have to approve new decor in the common spaces.
Best parts of the bungalow:
The living and dining rooms for entertaining. Here, they host Bible studies, Bachelor watch parties, and other celebrations. Also, its central location—they can walk to Normal Heights and University Heights in 10–15 minutes. And the neighbors. “There are families and a lot of protective dads,” Mackenzie says.
Quirks of a 1929 home:
KM: “If there’s a sinkhole, I’m going in first. My room’s slanted.”
MK: “All the door frames are off. They just keep shaving them down. And we have plant roots that have come into our pipes. Every time that drain clogs, the plumber is like, ‘Oh, you’re the house with the roots.’”
Homeowning goals:
ME: “I would love to own. My dream house is two blocks away, and it’s $1.3 million.”
MK: “I don’t think I’d ever buy here. It’s so expensive and all of the houses are falling apart. I’m fine with renting. I know everybody says it’s throwing away money.”
KM: “I want to work on something old. I would buy this house and redo it. I mean, how cool would that be?”
Left to right: Katie McDonald, Madison Elick, Mackenzie Kuehn
Sydney Prather
