HPRW 2

I’ve been asked by several to explain the process of remodeling a 65 year old house. In short, it wasn’t easy. At times I lost sleep, hair, and heart. Here’s the run down, chronologically (and in parts since I can’t do this all right away!) 

what we started with

that green plastic chair lasted quite a while through construction - I forget what finally killed it….

the chimney was more liability than anything

a worthless screen porch

lots of evidence of water intrusion and damage, as well as a roofover (or two)

old T111 siding

these windows…..ugh don’t even get me started - I share in another post what we discovered here….

old 8’ ceiling with a nice texture from that time, but the vision for the house including ripping these out (in fact, almost all the ceilings came out)

If I were to write a book on how to buy a home and remodel it, I would spend 5 of 10 chapters explaining how to walk away from most old homes. There are building practices and materials from that era that need to be cut out of the house, like surgery. Cast iron sanitary piping. Dangerous worn down wiring. Cheap copper supply re-pipe. Poor insulation. Asbestos. Mold. Rot. Really stubborn adhesives, nails and staples. One of my laborers kept joking about this house - that “staple guy” must have been angling for a raise because every electrical wire was stapled about 6” apart!  I kept telling him “He’s probably dead take it easy on him!”

It was prior to an “as-is” offer that I investigated many problems with the house that were reflected in a lower purchase price. But we were very excited about the location and about the design that I whipped together prior to making an offer.

early render of kitchen space

eventual revisions during construction

We put in an offer and it worked out! 

Part 2 to follow!