The Project

[TheNiche]

After three full months of having this deal pending, all the while discussing it in various threads on the forum, I finally closed on this Eastwood home a couple weeks ago. I've had requests for photos, so here are my exterior shots. The interior shots will be posted shortly.

Note that the last ones show where a garage apartment used to stand...it burned down under questionable circumstances back in the 90's, but was only officially demolished recently. As large and ugly that back corner of the lot is, I'm wondering whether a single townhome, designed tastefully, might go over with the neighbors.

[TJones]

Nice ! What's the Square Footage ? I'm a little apprehensive about the security gates. Love the lanscaping, I see the potential ! First thing you need is a garage for that Audi.

[TheNiche]

Interior shots are as follows, with brief descriptions shown above each photo.

The big room. Used to be a day care facility, but was built to be a flower shop. It has three doors leading to the outside, but only one has not been covered up. The room also used to have many windows which have been covered up. The big window panes that remain are plexiglass that has turned translucent over the years. Initially, I'll use this area as a workshop, but I have no idea how to market the space for use to the next owner. On account of the fact that this room is the furthest out toward the corner, that there is a large plexiglass surface area, and that there are many doors which don't have a seal with the frame, traffic noise is really bad. METRO busses are the worst offenders.

This area used to be a wrap-around porch, but it was enclosed when the addition (shown above) was built onto the home. It is sort of a dead space, unfortunately, and is connective between a study (not shown) and the addition. I suppose it is most like a secondary sunroom to the one on the 2nd floor.

The living room. The doors and fireplace surround are all that is worth saving in this room. It could also stand to be more insulated for sound, as traffic noise is pretty loud during the day.

The dining room. One of the nicest rooms in the home. The walls, ceiling, and doors are definitely keepers. The floors are not.

Kitchen. Cabinets are salvagable, although they'll need new countertops. Kitchen will need major updating.

Stairwell. The upper level isn't quite as daunting a challenge as is the first level.

Master Bedroom. At night, with the doors to the adjacent sunroom open, the streetlights cast shadows onto the walls of the bedroom that show the impurities in the glass. Psychedelic.

Sunroom.

Secondary Bedroom.

One of two upstairs bathrooms. The upper level will need updates to the bathrooms, which have no showers and no electrical outlets.

[TheNiche]

Nice ! What's the Square Footage ? I'm a little apprehensive about the security gates. Love the lanscaping, I see the potential ! First thing you need is a garage for that Audi.

Harris County says its 2,088 square feet, but based upon the survey, they seem to be very very wrong. That is probably only the size of the original home without the enclosed porch or addition added on. In reality, based upon the survey showing the exterior walls, I'd say that it is likely between about 2,400 and 2,600 square feet of open living area. They were also 3,559 square feet shy on my lot size. I'm almost afraid to protest my taxes. In reality, it seems that I've got one of the largest homes in Eastwood on one of the largest and most visible lots in Eastwood. All for a VERY acceptable price...so I'm very happy about this.

The Audi (not mine) will have to make due with a chain link fence, shown behind it in the photo, for the time being. The placement of the garage will depend on how I end up using the remainder of the lot.

[TJones]

Harris County says its 2,088 square feet, but based upon the survey, they seem to be very very wrong. That is probably only the size of the original home without the enclosed porch or addition added on. In reality, based upon the survey showing the exterior walls, I'd say that it is likely between about 2,400 and 2,600 square feet of open living area. They were also 3,559 square feet shy on my lot size. I'm almost afraid to protest my taxes. In reality, it seems that I've got one of the largest homes in Eastwood on one of the largest and most visible lots in Eastwood. All for a VERY acceptable price...so I'm very happy about this.

Knock that half wall out and make this your new Master with a suite, wake up and have coffee in the Sunroom (now sitting area) in the morning. About another $35-$45k remodel and you will have a showplace. I like it, fixer-upper, HELL YEAH !

[Scharpe St Guy]

Niche,

I love that dining room ceiling. Floors look pretty good as well. Can't wait to see how you fix it up.

Scharpe St Guy

[torvald]

of course i am envious of your new house...

although the kitchen shot made me laugh out loud.

the good thing about that is you'll get a really powerful

before and after shot with that one.

thanks for letting us in on your new project!

[Guest danax]

Cool house, Niche. 4 squares are such classic American architecture.

I would demolish all traces of the insensitive business addition, which symbolizes what caused some of the decline that occured in Eastwood. That was once a fine home and grounds in a fine neighborhood. Is that stained beadboard in the shop? If so, let me know if/when you want to get rid of it.

I'd definitely bring back the wraparound and do a period restoration......all of which I would expect to be your best bet to maximize profit since your buyers are going to be mostly old house types. True old house types will pay extra for things done right and will outright reject a house on the basis of mildly insensitive changes like modern windows.

Great wainscotting and woodwork in the main rooms downstairs. Hopefully the wood floors under that other garbage are still sound. I love the tile work in the upstairs bath with the Greek key design. The sink and toilet are obviously a spiff-ups from the 30s/40s, when everyone remodeled their bathrooms. The medicine cabinet looks original.

Townhouse? Do you think it's the place for it? A period two or three car garage, maybe with a nice garage apartment, would be my choice.

[TheNiche]

Cool house, Niche. 4 squares are such classic American architecture.

I would demolish all traces of the insensitive business addition, which symbolizes what caused some of the decline that occured in Eastwood. That was once a fine home and grounds in a fine neighborhood. Is that stained beadboard in the shop? If so, let me know if/when you want to get rid of it.

I'd definitely bring back the wraparound and do a period restoration......all of which I would expect to be your best bet to maximize profit since your buyers are going to be mostly old house types. True old house types will pay extra for things done right and will outright reject a house on the basis of mildly insensitive changes like modern windows.

Great wainscotting and woodwork in the main rooms downstairs. Hopefully the wood floors under that other garbage are still sound. I love the tile work in the upstairs bath with the Greek key design. The sink and toilet are obviously a spiff-ups from the 30s/40s, when everyone remodeled their bathrooms. The medicine cabinet looks original.

Townhouse? Do you think it's the place for it? A period two or three car garage, maybe with a nice garage apartment, would be my choice.

The only reason that I'd consider demolition of the business addition is that the slab under it is badly cracked and that I don't have a clue what it would ultimately become, other than this gigantic 'bonus room'. But I'd prefer to keep it, actually. Considering the shape of the lot, like a right triangle with bases of about equal length and one end jutting out into the intersection, the addition adds a kind of balance to the yard. If it were gone, there'd just be way too much open space without so much as a nice big tree to keep things aesthetically balanced.

And yes, that is stained beadboard. Not all of it is salvagable due to water damage, but probably over 75% of it is good stuff. I don't plan on throwing it out, even in a demo.

I'll preserve what I can that is tasteful and intact. The original wood floors on the 1st level aren't salvagable, and are not stable in places. Unfortunately, about one in every five or six glass panels in the home is cracked, partially broken, or missing. I expect that it'll be tough (if possible) to find replacements that match the existing glass...and I'd really like to keep what's there, especially of the old beveled glass in the doors.

If you trust HCAD, the home was built in 1945, so the bathroom fixtures would be original. But there's certainly a wide margin for error if you rely on HCAD... I don't suppose that you'd have any pointers when it comes to authenticating the year of construction, would you?

I would rebuild the garage apartment, but they don't seem to add too much value to the bottom line, so that's not really an option worth much consideration. I'd really like to place the garage so that it is either attached to the kitchen door or to the addition's back door. That'd be a desirable feature that most homes in Eastwood would not have.

[Guest danax]

I'll preserve what I can that is tasteful and intact. The original wood floors on the 1st level aren't salvagable, and are not stable in places. Unfortunately, about one in every five or six glass panels in the home is cracked, partially broken, or missing. I expect that it'll be tough (if possible) to find replacements that match the existing glass...and I'd really like to keep what's there, especially of the old beveled glass in the doors.

If you trust HCAD, the home was built in 1945, so the bathroom fixtures would be original. But there's certainly a wide margin for error if you rely on HCAD... I don't suppose that you'd have any pointers when it comes to authenticating the year of construction, would you?

I would rebuild the garage apartment, but they don't seem to add too much value to the bottom line, so that's not really an option worth much consideration. I'd really like to place the garage so that it is either attached to the kitchen door or to the addition's back door. That'd be a desirable feature that most homes in Eastwood would not have.

1945 is way too old for that house, unless someone built on the last vacant lot there and intentionally went "old-fashioned" all the way to match the rest of the nabe. Four squares were pretty much out of style by 1930. With the bathroom fixtures and glass block in the flower shop it looks like it was remuddled in 1945.

The tile work in the bathroom actually looks like 1910-20 or so. The Franklin Lofts building has about the same pattern, and it's from 1908. I saw another house on the Eastwood tour that also had an original bathroom with the same tile pattern so I would say that it probably continued into the 20s. The wooden medicine cabinet would've been pretty quaint in 1945 too. You could take some of that stained beadboard and use it to wainscot the bathroom, which would give it an original look. The kitchen looks like it has a box beam or two which, along with the doors, built-in around the fireplace, door and window casings and wood paneled ceiling are Craftsman style. The house looks like 1920 to me.

I'm assuming you're talking about the original glass being "wavy". You can find wavy glass but it takes a little effort, but french doors with all wavy glass are stunning, ones with half wavy and half not are......half assed looking. Trust me, I had the latter and now have the former. Full wavy glass french doors are beautiful. If you do find the wavy glass, make sure the "waves" all run the same way once installed in the door. I've found all of my wavy glass on the side of the road in Magnolia Park mainly. Oh how they love to tear out old windows over there.

Frankly, an attached garage is goofy in Eastwood. If you're planning on reselling, I think the convenience factor will be way outweighed by the inappropriateness of it. And, I don't know how bad those 1st floor floors are but there is likely old replacement wood available. Maybe it would be cheaper to repair and the result might be more desirable. Classic Hardwoods on Almeda has old flooring.

My humble opinion only; take some time in the beginning to do structural and systems before getting into the other as you will probably gain some more understanding and appreciation for the finer qualities of the home's original features and might regret later any rash moves. It's happening to many.

[rps324]

Historic Houston's salvage warehouse might be worth checking out for windows & other pieces.

[TheNiche]

My humble opinion only; take some time in the beginning to do structural and systems before getting into the other as you will probably gain some more understanding and appreciation for the finer qualities of the home's original features and might regret later any rash moves. It's happening to many.

Well you can be sure that structural systems are at the top of my priority list. Phase One consists of foundation, termite control, and roof. Emergency brickwork may also be necessary as a result of leveling. Phase Two begins with the destruction of sheet rock in the foundation repair process. I'll use that opportunity to take care of electrical, plumbing, re-sheetrocking, and A/C installation. In Phase Three, I finally start looking at architectural details and finish, including kitchen and bathroom remuddling. But that's a long ways off. Phase Four is the 'cherry on top', consisting of landscaping and a nice classy sculpture or fountain of my design out on the corner. Probably abstract and minimalist.

I actually agree that an attached garage may be a bit goofy for Eastwood, but then there are a lot of really goofy buyers out there. Besides, I've got a goofy lot. If I weren't on this weird triangular corner, I'd be much more concerned with fitting the pattern. But think of it this way: if I go for the townhome design, the garage for the home will need to be tucked close to the home in order to make way for another unit. And if I end up preserving the yard for the sake of having a yard, I'm still going to want to have enough space set aside in that back corner to do a good landscaping job in a way that creates a functional outdoor space. I'd probably end up putting in a walled/landscaped buffer in order to create a sense of privacy and intimacy back there. But the garage would need to be somewhat closer to the home in order to accomodate the larger green space.

I'll post a modified image of the survey at some point to give you a better sense of what I've got to work with.

Thanks for the input on structure age and on where I might find original glass and hardwood flooring. I'd gladly welcome any further input you've got...there'll certainly be plenty of opportunity over the next year or so.

Knock that half wall out and make this your new Master with a suite, wake up and have coffee in the Sunroom (now sitting area) in the morning. About another $35-$45k remodel and you will have a showplace. I like it, fixer-upper, HELL YEAH !

Actually, there's a bedroom on the 2nd floor that I hadn't shown you. Very very small, yet is the only bedroom that has its own bathroom. The floorplan would be much more forgiving if I combined the Master, 3rd bedroom, and 2nd bath into one Master suite.

I'm going to have to sketch out floor plans at some point pretty soon. I'll post them when I get a chance.

[gnu]

I don't suppose that you'd have any pointers when it comes to authenticating the year of construction, would you?

I concur with Danax. definately pre-1925 and i would say late-teens with that woodwork and the bathroom tile. The Flower shop addition was probably where HCAD pulled the 1945 date.

The quickest way to get an approximation of the age would be to run by the texas room at the ideson library and look though the city directories and see how far back your address is listed. it would probably take you 10 minutes at most.

Good Luck on the project. Looks like you have a great specimen to start with.

[silverartfox]

Niche, you have received some good advice about taking your time before making major changes to that fine house. Someone told me that living in an old house for a year or so before beginning a major renovation is a good idea because the house itself will "tell" you what it needs. This may sound crazy, but it's true - as I am finding out from my own small place.

Because dialup is all I can get right now, I was unable to download all your big pictures. From what I could see, restoring that porch would add immensely to the original character of your house. !f you can possibly track down pre-1950's photos of your place. exterior and interior (perhaps from a previous owner), you would have a chance to see how it looked originally.

Getting the infrastructure work done first is usually the best way to start. I'm guessing that you have old (possibly K&T) wiring and wornout plumbing, minimal insulation, no central ac/heat. If you can pretty much finish a bathroom and one other room of your choice, dealing with the rest of a work-in-progress house won't drive you nuts.

Good luck on The Project! Please keep us posted. Just curious - what was the reaction of your family and friends when you told them that you were buying an old house to renovate/restore?

[musicman]

Well you can be sure that structural systems are at the top of my priority list. Phase One consists of foundation, termite control, and roof. Emergency brickwork may also be necessary as a result of leveling. Phase Two begins with the destruction of sheet rock in the foundation repair process. I'll use that opportunity to take care of electrical, plumbing, re-sheetrocking, and A/C installation. In Phase Three, I finally start looking at architectural details and finish, including kitchen and bathroom remuddling. But that's a long ways off. Phase Four is the 'cherry on top', consisting of landscaping and a nice classy sculpture or fountain of my design out on the corner. Probably abstract and minimalist.

I actually agree that an attached garage may be a bit goofy for Eastwood, but then there are a lot of really goofy buyers out there. Besides, I've got a goofy lot. If I weren't on this weird triangular corner, I'd be much more concerned with fitting the pattern. But think of it this way: if I go for the townhome design, the garage for the home will need to be tucked close to the home in order to make way for another unit. And if I end up preserving the yard for the sake of having a yard, I'm still going to want to have enough space set aside in that back corner to do a good landscaping job in a way that creates a functional outdoor space. I'd probably end up putting in a walled/landscaped buffer in order to create a sense of privacy and intimacy back there. But the garage would need to be somewhat closer to the home in order to accomodate the larger green space.

I'll post a modified image of the survey at some point to give you a better sense of what I've got to work with.

Thanks for the input on structure age and on where I might find original glass and hardwood flooring. I'd gladly welcome any further input you've got...there'll certainly be plenty of opportunity over the next year or so.

Actually, there's a bedroom on the 2nd floor that I hadn't shown you. Very very small, yet is the only bedroom that has its own bathroom. The floorplan would be much more forgiving if I combined the Master, 3rd bedroom, and 2nd bath into one Master suite.

I'm going to have to sketch out floor plans at some point pretty soon. I'll post them when I get a chance.

Niche I know the exact house you purchased. Because of the location your noise levels will be higher but hopefully it wont be too loud to make it a home. i think you have an ambitious project ahead of you but area definitely doing it right by correcting the house system stuff first. I'll have to make a bet that with the age of your house, you'll have shiplapped walls therefore your sheetrock damage will be minimal after the leveling. due to your window trim i think the estimate from the 20's is correct.

I think your a/c installation will definitely be the most difficult part initially because it can affect aesthetics, particularly in a two story structure. the supply and return ductwork will present a challenge in that it will be visible unless some major thinking is done prior to installation.

your "shop" will be great for the remodeling, but i'll bet once you've tackled the interior of the house youj'll want to tear it down.

[RedScare]

Congrats, Niche. That is a beautiful four square. As you might guess, I concur with danax and musicman on the "shop". However, I don't think you will need our advice on what to do with your house. If you have decided to keep it, instead of bulldozing it, it will tell you what to do over time.

Two things I will throw out there. Garages are a big deal. So are yards. A garage with a gameroom/apartment upstairs will make that house big enough for anyone. And, people with money will pay for that yard. If you clutter it with a townhome, it will decrease the value of the main house. But, since that would be last on your list of improvements, the answer will become apparent over time. So, will the decision on a garage.

For sanity's sake, rehab a couple of rooms that you can hide in when the renovation is getting to you. It may be a bedroom, a bath or a living room. When you are ready to torch the house due to the frustrations of an in-home renovation, that one clean room will be a lifesaver.

Good luck.

[TJones]

I'm betting the flowershop was added in 1945, hence that would be when HCAD came out to do a NEW survey for the add-on, and updated their files, and it was probably a filing error. Johnny comes home from the war and wants to open a business, just do it right there, makes sense.

[RedScare]

I realize this thread may have gone up before the editor created the Home Improvement section, but I think Niche's project would be right at home in the section he helped create.

Mods?

[jm1fd]

Wasn't that one in the MLS for a while? Seems like I pulled up the HCAD records on it, which listed quite a bit of land square footage, but the listing made it sound like the previous owner subdivided the lot and was keeping most of the land.

[TheNiche]

Niche, you have received some good advice about taking your time before making major changes to that fine house. Someone told me that living in an old house for a year or so before beginning a major renovation is a good idea because the house itself will "tell" you what it needs. This may sound crazy, but it's true - as I am finding out from my own small place.

Because dialup is all I can get right now, I was unable to download all your big pictures. From what I could see, restoring that porch would add immensely to the original character of your house. !f you can possibly track down pre-1950's photos of your place. exterior and interior (perhaps from a previous owner), you would have a chance to see how it looked originally.

Getting the infrastructure work done first is usually the best way to start. I'm guessing that you have old (possibly K&T) wiring and wornout plumbing, minimal insulation, no central ac/heat. If you can pretty much finish a bathroom and one other room of your choice, dealing with the rest of a work-in-progress house won't drive you nuts.

Good luck on The Project! Please keep us posted. Just curious - what was the reaction of your family and friends when you told them that you were buying an old house to renovate/restore?

I'm lucky that the 2nd floor is so fully intact. Allows me to start immediately on systems without any need to start immediately with any remodeling jobs.

No photos and no way of tracking down previous owners that'd have pre-1945 photos. The oldest that I've seen are 1992, and the place was almost unidentifiable, mostly covered up by overgrown vines and shrubs. I've got K&T, but it isn't hot. Some subsequent renovation of the electrical system bypassed it for some reason. Plumbing isn't in bad shape, but it is a mix of all sorts of pipe materials, including lead, copper, and PVC. Practically no insulation at all. No central A/C and even the window units are fried, so all I've got are box fans.

My mom is excited; my dad is apprehensive. She wants to have as many excuses as possible to escape the RGV. He doesn't like that I'm going in on this as a partnership because of the risks that such an arrangement entails...especially considering that my partner on this is a former long-time g/f. I haven't gotten much of a reaction at all from the extended family.

[TheNiche]

And, people with money will pay for that yard. If you clutter it with a townhome, it will decrease the value of the main house. But, since that would be last on your list of improvements, the answer will become apparent over time. So, will the decision on a garage.

For sanity's sake, rehab a couple of rooms that you can hide in when the renovation is getting to you. It may be a bedroom, a bath or a living room. When you are ready to torch the house due to the frustrations of an in-home renovation, that one clean room will be a lifesaver.

Good luck.

"People with money" may be willing to pay for the home with the yard, but "people with money" can be difficult to come by. Instead, having the home on one site and a townhome on the next allows me to cater to the "people with less money" in each case. As long as the total market value of the house and townhome exceed what I've put into it and the value of the house and the yard, then it seems like the townhome would be a good investment. But...as you suggested, this is something that will become apparent with time. Right now, for lack of reliable sales comps for detached townhomes in Eastwood, it'd be difficult for me to reliably estimate the market value of the additional unit.

Btw, this probably won't become my primary residence at any point, so I'll always have my condo to retreat to.

[TheNiche]

Wasn't that one in the MLS for a while? Seems like I pulled up the HCAD records on it, which listed quite a bit of land square footage, but the listing made it sound like the previous owner subdivided the lot and was keeping most of the land.

Yeah, it took a while before they backed off their initial high-ball ask price. At that point, I outbid the standing offer and latched onto it. I'd rather not go too far in depth because this deal was just so screwy, but needless to say I got the full lot and didn't pay any more than my initial offer price.

I don't think it would've been possible if I hadn't strategically violated the informal rule that you aren't supposed to let their realtor represent you. A calculated risk, but it worked strongly to my advantage several times over during the deal. IMO, it paid off.

[mpbro]

Thanks for posting--you've got some work on your hands, but a very cool structure indeed. The landscaping actually looks good to me, but I suspect you'll add some more flavor.

[TheNiche]

Thanks for posting--you've got some work on your hands, but a very cool structure indeed. The landscaping actually looks good to me, but I suspect you'll add some more flavor.

The front of the home is very well landscaped. In back of the home is nothing but concrete, dirt, sand, grass, and a distressed oak tree. But both the front and back are extremely visible from the streets given the shape of the lot.

A friend of mine suggested yesterday that I might start 'branding' the property by putting out a notice to local sculptors looking to gain some recognition that I'll provide them with a free and visible site at the extreme corner of the property if they'll provide me with something non-kitchy to put there until I'm able to get around to something more permanent. I'm not sure about this, but am giving it some strong consideration.

[west20th]

The pink sink in the bathroom is a bit scary but the bathroom floor looks great. Any chance you'll get a nice suprise under the black and white tiles in the living room?

[TheNiche]

The pink sink in the bathroom is a bit scary but the bathroom floor looks great. Any chance you'll get a nice suprise under the black and white tiles in the living room?

No. Its all just plywood painted white. And there are only black tiles. The downstairs floors are shot...that's just what happens when water is allowed to collect under the home for so many decades. The only redeeming point is that many of the floor trusses had been recently replaced.

[TheNiche]

Harris County says its 2,088 square feet, but based upon the survey, they seem to be very very wrong. That is probably only the size of the original home without the enclosed porch or addition added on. In reality, based upon the survey showing the exterior walls, I'd say that it is likely between about 2,400 and 2,600 square feet of open living area.

I was more than a little bit off. I looked back over the appraisal, and they estimated about 3,100 square feet from their sketch, including the addition and enclosed porch.

[mpbro]

I'm surprised to see a concrete slab under a structure of this era. Is some of the house up on piers & beams? Did your inspector find any leveling problems?

[TheNiche]

I'm surprised to see a concrete slab under a structure of this era. Is some of the house up on piers & beams? Did your inspector find any leveling problems?

The original home is on a true pier and beam foundation except for the enclosed porch, which is entirely concrete. The addition is on a slab that has cracked into quarters with an upward bulge in the middle.

Several of the stations under the home have fallen over or are misaligned, but the wooden trusses are mostly in good shape or have recently been replaced. Also, the concrete porch is leaning a bit toward the street, so that'll need to be propped up.

[Montrose1100]

At night, with the doors to the adjacent sunroom open, the streetlights cast shadows onto the walls of the bedroom that show the impurities in the glass. Psychedelic.

!

marry me!