That house that Jason built

From "The Gossamer Trunk" by Jason Wendleton:

"The Glynn house leered at him with its grimy, vacant windows. Half of the house seemed to be swallowed up by thick, wild ivy. A few forgotten hedges were now running amuck at the edges of the property, their leafy tendrils criss crossing each other at bizarre angles. A handful of skeletal trees dotted the landscape, their gnarled branches looked like fingers trying to grab hold of the pale gray sky.
What still remained uncovered of the house was brown and faded. Most of the windows had no shingles, those precious few that remained limped and sagged. It was as thought the house had exhaled deeply.
Walking up the uneven stone steps to the glossy metal door, he noticed a line of crows peering down at him from the crest of the roof. Their black, shiny feathers provided a stark contrast to the dull home.
A fat bronze knocker rested at eyelevel on the door. Grasping it with both hands, he knocked three times. The loud clinging sound startled both him and the birds. They hastily abandoned their lofty perch and flew off into the hazy distance. From behind the door, Harper could hear a muffled shuffling of steps and a barely audible “Just a minute!”
Harper ran a hand through his hair quickly and cleared his throat. Then he waited. Small, half frozen drops of rain began to fall lightly on his shoulders. From behind the door he could still hear someone moving around. He cleared his throat again. A loud metallic click sounded within the heavy door. It creaked open slowly, revealing a small wrinkled figure..."