An older home on an alley adjacent to a shopping mall
I was helping out the guys who do my bidding. “Hey would you take this house off of our hands? The buyer changed his mind….” “Why not, we’ll take on the challenge” we said. Sometimes a challenge can be a profitable and character building undertaking. It can also be a foolish way to lose a lot of money. A worker’s girlfriend, having labored on several of our projects, stated that this one was just a bad idea. We thought she may be right. Even with its best remodeled foot forward, the home’s location would be a serious drawback to any potential buyer. Not only was the home in extreme disrepair, but it was built directly adjacent to the back side of a shopping mall. The house appeared to have been added on to and its original construction date of 1915 was older than the surrounding neighborhood. It may have been a farm house, built before tract housing and later a busy shopping mall became the neighborhood context.
The home had sat vacant for several years. A new roof had been installed in the recent past by the former owner or the bank. There were several newer vinyl windows but the remainder were aging wood needing replacement. The asbestos siding was very brittle & difficult to repair. The lawn had become weed grass & had grown three feet tall.
Access to the house (photo left) is off of this alley which runs parallel to and behind the main street of tract homes. The shopping mall owner landscaped the back side with shrubs & evergreen trees (photo right). Privacy was non-existent and the house appeared to be vulnerable to thieves with easy access using the alley for a quick getaway.
The gabled projection had a toilet with a derelict water heater crammed in next to it. We relocated the water heater and created a small 1/2 bath, adjacent to the shower room.
The original alley entry screen door, broken railings & old light fixture were removed or replaced. The overgrown lawn cut back with additional plantings installed creating a garden oasis between the home & the privacy fence.
A stair to the attic was replaced with a bedroom closet attic access hatch. The goal was to open up this narrow space as much as possible so a small but functional galley style kitchen & breakfast nook could be installed.
The finished “toilet” bay with a new smaller slider vinyl window, freshly painted asbestos siding & overlayed corner trim boards & craftsman style knee braces painted bright white.
The windows were replaced and the small foyer room divided into an entry on the left & laundry room on the right. A bi-fold door separates the two spaces. A solid cedar wood fence with gates (photo right) was installed between the home & the alley.
The newly installed kitchen with the breakfast eating area and associated pendant lighting beyond. The home’s hardwood floors were heavily damaged forcing the tough decision to install carpet & vinyl over them.
The second window (right side of the window pair) was installed to give greater light and definition to the breakfast area. We were able to harvest additional asbestos tiles from the exterior wall to replace the numerous cracked tiles along the perimeter walls. There is a small planting strip outside and we planted clumping bamboo which will eventually fill the window with its shimmering green leaves.
View of home facing the backyard. The massing & stair stepped porch element suggest that this served as the original entry to the house when it occupied a larger tract of land. Ornamental evergreen shrubs, black gravel & a fire pit where installed helping define an outdoor entertainment area.
Nothing venture, nothing gained (sort of)
The costs to bring this home up to par were extensive. The process took time & patience, relationships were strained at times as this home tested us to the limit. When all the expenses were added up the final profit was…..wait for it…..a $12.00 loss. This was a far cry from a money making deal. However, the project was completed with the satisfaction that perhaps we saved the home from ever worsening deterioration and even eventual condemnation. Seeing the home transformed into a cute, private little garden oasis, albeit adjacent to the mall, gave us the greatest feeling of accomplishment. We didn’t lose our shirts and found a buyer relatively quickly who loved its quirky uniqueness.