Amazing What A Bit Of Old House Soul Can Do

As featured in Preservation Nation, part of The National Trust For Historic Preservation Blog site. Here is a loving example of what  time and money can do to  transform a neglected  old Victorian house and a neglected , old house neighborhood in Akron, Ohio.  In this crazy economy , with depleted home values, time is of the essence... ~Nadia

BEFORE

Written by* Breanna Boulton and Sara Hobbs *

When they found the property in the heart of the neighborhood, the original one-family house had been turned into a three-family rental property with one unit per floor. The property was in foreclosure.  Our new owners squarely faced the challenge of returning the 2,800 square foot structure to its single-family configuration. Our staff helped to create a scope of work that included facilitating window repair and reconstruction throughout the house, extensive carpentry to repair or replace damaged exterior woodwork, the rebuilding of their badly deteriorated front porch, designing a historically appropriate color scheme for exterior painting, and replacing the old asphalt roof with a slate-colored dimensional shingle and new gutters and downspouts.

When the project was finished, the homeowners not only restored the home, but part of the original fabric of the neighborhood by reversing the trend of rental conversion.  They showed their neighbors that it was possible, and by doing so, they took the property from a purchase price of $42,000 to an after-rehab appraised value of $180,000 (the middle to upper end for prices on the rest of the street).On the interior, the house was fitted with new mechanical, plumbing and electrical systems. Features such as the hardwood floors, baseboards, mouldings, and built-in cabinetry were repaired and refinished with sensitivity. Interior walls were selectively removed and spaces rearranged in order to reverse some of the alterations made when the property was previously converted to a multi-family.  As a result, the original dining room and sitting room were restored, the kitchen was enlarged and remodeled and a half bath was created on the first floor.

When the project was finished, the homeowners not only restored the home, but part of the original fabric of the neighborhood by reversing the trend of rental conversion.  They showed their neighbors that it was possible, and by doing so, they took the property from a purchase price of $42,000 to an after-rehab appraised value of $180,000 (the middle to upper end for prices on the rest of the street).

Our homeowners have done a superb job and we congratulate them on bringing the life back to a house that had suffered numerous unsympathetic changes.  It was our pleasure to be a part of returning this deteriorated house to its former glory as a contributing place in Akron’s cityscape.

AFTER

Breanna Boulton and Sara Hobbs are Partner in the Field representatives for the Cleveland Restoration Societyand the National Trust for Historic Preservation.