The bungalow project

[eclecticcottage]

No, that house is truly beyond saving even in my generally optimistic opinion. The roof on the ell collapsed and the one on the main part of the house has a pretty serious sag. Also, most of the windows have been broken for many years. It might have some salvage value, especially in the bricks themselves, but it's a lost cause as far as being saved as a whole structure.

Greek Revival is a very popular style in the semi rural areas here. A lot of cobblestones are built in that style, as well as numerous brick homes and a couple stick built as well (but more popular in cobble or brick).

The one I stalked out the plaster/drywall guy at was a double. The ell was one unit and the main house was another. The main part of the house was in fairly good shape. I think (although I could be wrong), the issue for the ell stemmed from that ever present evil-water. I believe there was a missing downspout for MANY years (we looked at it about 5-8 years ago and it wasn't there then, it was in a weird position with the owner owing money to the IRS but not so much that they wanted to take the house, despite having a lien on it-and they wanted $30-40K for it, which was too much given the area and condition so it just sat there, vacant) on the corner and it just took a huge toll. By the time it went up for tax foreclosure at auction you could see inside from outside on that corner as many of the bricks were now on the ground. She said she bought it for around $13K. She's had the remaining structure all reframed inside the brick to add insulation (this was what I said would need to be done with the huge brick farmhouse I looked at)-basically the outside shell is the old house (including windows and side lights, but new doors) and the whole inside including the framing is new. I'm going to try to keep up with her to see what she does inside. All of the (window, base) trim was off and I didn't think to ask if she had saved it, but I think it's very possible since the door trim was still on (buried a little by drywall, but still there). I think it's going to be a little like my own project-save what's possible of the original and replace what needs to be. The kitchen when I saw it was an 80's update so no loss there. I don't actually remember the bath (it's upstairs) at all-I am wondering if for some reason we never went upstairs-maybe seeing the ell did it and we didn't bother (the floor was sagging and it was absolutely FULL of junk-although I do remember it had a great avocado wall mount rotary phone lol).

[eclecticcottage]

Found this under the wallpaper in the hallway. I think the official build date is off by about 5 years



More wallpaper is off



Drywall is finally up around the and above the fireplace



And I found this, it's what's left of a cottage I looked at before the Bungalow. I knew it was rough, but wow

[eclecticcottage]

I guess I should mention when I looked at the above cottage, it was intact-as in, roof, walls, windows, etc.

I finally heard on the trim and it is NOT a match

I know I can probably find someone to mill it but I am a little scared of the cost.

I went back out by the wreck of a arts and crafts mutt over the weekend and found I actually COULD see the roof. And it doesn't look that bad-it's architectural shingles so it can't be that old. However some of the chimney bricks were sitting on it! I walked around the outside again and noticed there was a "ghost" of an old door in the one side, where the clapboards were patched. It's an interesting place. Never heard a peep from the bank and I am pretty sure I'm done with it. Maybe I'll throw a $5K offer at them again later if it's still on the market and I want to stress myself out lol.

Looked at and bid on another property but the bid was rejected. Too bad, the inside was pretty decent, only ONE room had the trim painted and it was mostly original (except the kitchen and bath)-with a perfectly working pocket door! It needs a roof and it's a big one...and it's still got the shake-and the spaced deck boards so it would need a complete tear off and plywood on the whole thing. Big $$$ there, plus it needed porch repair and paint (still had wood siding but it's peeling in big flakes), and the better part of the garage roof was on the garage floor. Super cute, intended this to be a "cash only to mortgagable" type flip-fix the windows that needed it (ropes, glass), do the roof and paint, upgrade the electric panel, fix the garage and porch, but leave the rest because it didn't need to be messed with. Hope whomever gets it keeps it basically as it is. Especially the windows-it's in an area where replacing them is HUGE but they are in very savable condition, just a couple need some glass and ropes. It's got aluminum storms on it so they've been a bit protected from the elements. The fronts had pretty leaded accents and the front door was full length glass with a bevel-just lovely.

In the mean time, just about every scrap of wallpaper is off the hall and stairwell at the Bungalow. A bit more drywall has gone up.

[eclecticcottage]

Drywall remaining: closets in all rooms, 3 pieces of ceiling in the pink room and the walls in the "kitchen" bedroom. And the mudroom, I am still trying to decide what to do in there.

All the wallpaper is scraped off.

Most everything needs mud/tape/sand and painters caulk, then it's on to trim and door repair prior to priming and painting. A little denatured alcohol says the trim is latex, at least the two layers exposed in the kitchen. I hung a flag back in the bracket on the porch since it's been like spring. The been like spring part has been holding things back a bit-weather ups and downs lead to migraines, some of which I can work through and others make me ill enough that I cannot.

I am also now under contract on a new project, MUCH smaller (800 sq ft), after a quick bidding war that ended promptly when the seller decided she wanted me to have it. An old cottage <3 that needs a bunch of work, but will make a lovely rental when done. I love these big old houses but I need a little one for a change! Just doing a quick punch list on it with how few doors (it has none) and lighting fixtures was amusing after the long list for this place. I tried to grab a second cottage in similar shape in a different spot but the sellers are not quite on the same page price wise. It's ok, I can wait them out. I didn't really want a third house without the bungalow done but cottages are getting in short supply sadly-so many are bought and torn down to be replaced with big new homes-and it's just about impossible to build a small cottage sized home anymore with new rules in the towns here. A neighbor or two was after the one I am under contract on-to tear down for the lot. They are part of the history of the area and they are slowly disappearing-while I know official build dates are highly misleading, if they are correct I bought the first one build in the community it's in (that is still standing).

[phil]

"cottages are getting in short supply sadly-so many are bought and torn down to be replaced with big new homes-and it's just about impossible to build a small cottage sized home anymore with new rules in the towns here."

maybe thats why they tore most of that house down, so it becomes a new home but it's technically still the same house, just with a whole new everything.

here houses get ripped down left right and center to build larger. I hear some talk of the city allowing special privileges for those who have houses over a certain age. that might include the right to build laneway houses or to allow a larger portion of the land to be built upon if the old home is present.

I think offering incentives to those who keep the structures and rebuild them makes sense. In most cases the buildings are only being replaced because they want to build larger but they could pass laws that if you want to tear your old house down , you can but then you can't rebuild larger, then people start wanting to restore them to make use of as much land as they are allowed. I think it's a good way to approach the issue.

[eclecticcottage]

"cottages are getting in short supply sadly-so many are bought and torn down to be replaced with big new homes-and it's just about impossible to build a small cottage sized home anymore with new rules in the towns here."

maybe thats why they tore most of that house down, so it becomes a new home but it's technically still the same house, just with a whole new everything.

here houses get ripped down left right and center to build larger. I hear some talk of the city allowing special privileges for those who have houses over a certain age. that might include the right to build laneway houses or to allow a larger portion of the land to be built upon if the old home is present.

I think offering incentives to those who keep the structures and rebuild them makes sense. In most cases the buildings are only being replaced because they want to build larger but they could pass laws that if you want to tear your old house down , you can but then you can't rebuild larger, then people start wanting to restore them to make use of as much land as they are allowed. I think it's a good way to approach the issue.

We thought the same thing. As of now, there is one wall left. Which was what we were told needed to be left in order to rebuild on a "non-conforming lot" in a neighboring town. I'm keeping an eye on it. When we looked at it we were nearly run down by an angry neighbor claiming the stairs were hers (they weren't)-until I mentioned I was friends with someone else in that neighborhood, then she was sweet as anything (my friend is a real people person-just about everyone likes her). We then found out that the formerly angry neighbor as well as another one both tried to buy it for the land. So it's possible one did in fact buy it and is just slowly taking it down (given the difficult access it could take a while to remove debris).

I do know that you can only rebuild the same size (footprint) house on a non-conforming lot, at least in the town that one is in. You can go up though-just not out. I don't get the point of that, but it is what it is.

[phil]

Here's a link to a current article about replacing old houses here. I know the circumstances in other areas are quite different but it sort of shows some of the opinions between old house owners, developers and those who wish to buy in.
Some want higher density to support the population but the immigration continues Many older homes get torn down or split into suites. The aging boomers will tax the system as they enter retirement, and they paid their taxes. The government leans on immigration which feeds the building boom. when land becomes an issue they try to split the pie thinner and thinner to the point where people pay like crazy just to rent a condo and developers try to make parcels to build condos on the housing lots. It's a vicious circle. many houses suffer teardown. I guess the ones left get more special. mine was basicly bulldozer bait but through hard work It may put me in a place where it is worth less because a future owner wont' be able to get a demo permit. I'm going to stay in my little bubble and fix it up and if that's the case so be it. it went up 25% last year alone. crazy! I met with the bank yesterday and I'm borrowing more just to stay afloat, which they are happy to do seeing it is worth more.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-c ... -1.3973012

[eclecticcottage]

Here's a link to a current article about replacing old houses here. I know the circumstances in other areas are quite different but it sort of shows some of the opinions between old house owners, developers and those who wish to buy in.
Some want higher density to support the population but the immigration continues Many older homes get torn down or split into suites. The aging boomers will tax the system as they enter retirement, and they paid their taxes. The government leans on immigration which feeds the building boom. when land becomes an issue they try to split the pie thinner and thinner to the point where people pay like crazy just to rent a condo and developers try to make parcels to build condos on the housing lots. It's a vicious circle. many houses suffer teardown. I guess the ones left get more special. mine was basicly bulldozer bait but through hard work It may put me in a place where it is worth less because a future owner wont' be able to get a demo permit. I'm going to stay in my little bubble and fix it up and if that's the case so be it. it went up 25% last year alone. crazy! I met with the bank yesterday and I'm borrowing more just to stay afloat, which they are happy to do seeing it is worth more.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-c ... -1.3973012

Interesting read. Funny how here they lament the loss of population and there it's causing its own issues.

It's not an "issue" here, unless you want to be able to get an affordable house on the water. Where once cottage after cottage belonging to blue collar and middle class families stood, now top of the price point homes are taking over. I belong to a community FB page and someone posting about lack of swimming options just said something to the extent of "unless you are someone of means with a waterfront property". Not all of us are (I certainly am not) but it is getting to be like finding a diamond while digging your backyard garden to find a place under $100K (which in comparison to prices near you is dirt cheap, but considering a place under $100K on the water means a near tear down vs pretty decent house otherwise). The frustrating part is it's not "close" to a lot of "amenities" so many of them build and sell within a couple years. The only other time you find it happening is when developers buy up old farms and tear down the farmhouse and barn (s). It happens in the cities to an extent, but generally the houses being taken down there have been neglected for so long they probably should be. In the worst areas they come up free every so often.

I know Toronto is having a big housing boom. My neighbors on the one side live up there and they are just waiting for a developer to make the right offer on their "city house" so they can cash in and get out.

[phil]

lots here have the plan to cash in and head out of town and retire on the difference and I will likely be one of those. ive got 10 years or so to decide. One thing that makes the properties go up is supply and demand. BC is a huge province. We have lots and lots of land so lack of land won't be an issue for a long time , but half the population in this province is within about 30K of the border and up against the ocean.. luckily there are lots of beautiful mountains and lakes so expansion isn't going to be an issue in the near future. lake frontage is another thing. My parents have some nice lake frontage and it has gone up but property outside the lower mainland is valued differently. many other cities can grow around their circumference so they can't go so crazy as easily.

[eclecticcottage]

SO I've been a little remiss in updates. The drywall, save a couple closet ceilings, is all hung and is in the process of being mudded and taped. Drywall guy has said the ceiling in the "kitchen" bedroom as well as the walls and ceiling in the stairway and hall can be saved. I will see today if he's started that part yet. Most seams are taped as are corners, as of yesterday. In general getting drywall hung has been a bit difficult as it's not a one person job so the closet ceilings will likely be cedar. I can do that myself. Who doesn't like a cedar closet anyway? Next up is trim and door repair, and finally some PAINT! And I might have wavered from my original choices and just going with a nice cream with white trim, except the baths which will be white trim and bead board with a blue gray green on top (maybe sea salt, maybe silver salvia). I am getting frustrated with finding just the right colors that goes with the reddish tone in the floors, flows well with the house, isn't too dark (I know it's a Bungalow, but it's so light and bright I just can't bring myself to make it seem dark in there), matches the other color choices...I don't have the time like it took me to pick the two colors at the Cottage (a sagey green and blue gray I had custom mixed). I'm also pondering butcher block counters-only because then I get to put them in and work with the unusual issues of door trim and window height, vs trying to get installers to make it work and flow with laminate counters. I actually really LIKE butcher block counters (and even more, wide plank ones) but I'm still debating the resale value of them and if it will detract or not.

The cottage pictured above is down to one wall-which survived the big windstorm we just had, surprisingly.

I am awaiting a closing date on my new Project, the little cottage I mentioned. I will get to paint vinyl siding there. I'm NOT taking it down, but it's an ugly beige. Thinking a nice sage green (I have a sherwin williams paint chart for vinyl safe paint colors). Wide plank pine floors. White cabinets, wide plank counters, clawfoot tub and a dresser vanity (actually it has one but the dresser is a mess). It will be a fun project and nice to work with something closer in size to what I am used to (under 1000 sq ft).