Wednesday, December 7, 2016

Project Number 10: The Ugly Duckling

Yup - that's our next project.  And without a doubt, our biggest project yet!  

It's created quite a bit of conversation, so I thought I'd start with the FAQ's:  
  • Was it in a fire?  
    • Surprisingly - no.  The top of the house has shingles that were painted black.  As shingles age, they start to curl up, so that's what you're seeing.  I guess black shingles were popular at some point in time.
  • Did you start to knock it down and then changed your mind?
    • Again - no.  Someone else had bought it and had completely stripped it, inside and out.  They also dug for an addition.  But they had a change of plans and they called me about buying it as-is.  I'd seen the house a year earlier, but couldn't buy it at that point in time.  But was happy to snap it up this time!
  • So you bought just a shell of a house?  With a big, big hole in the ground?
    • Yup!  AND, I'd excited about it (yes, call me crazy!)
  • Are you going to tear it down?  Doesn't look like it's worth saving!
    • Well that's a good question.  As we started looking at it, we realized there are some serious challenges.  Some of the foundation is questionable.  The staircase would never pass code.  The floors are over spanned and need to be reinforced.  We will be moving every window location in the house.  And economically, it's probably cheaper to build new.  BUT - it has some architectural charm and we would hate for that to disappear.  We hate to tear down old houses.  
  • Does it have water views?
    • Maybe.  We are close to the water and up on a hill.  We think it might, if we expand.  More about that later.
  • Will there be a Before Open House?
    • No!!!  Our insurance company would never allow that.  Only licensed contractors are allowed in.
So, we're calling it the Ugly Duckling (that black and yellow combination makes me think of a duckling every time I see it!).  And we hope it will be a swan soon.  Stay tuned to see our plans!
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4 comments:

  1. I am so excited to see you work your SoPo magic on this one!!! Brilliant nickname, btw. Definitely a swan in the making.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I love following your projects! If anyone can make magic, it's you and your team.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I'm sure this will be one of your most interesting renovations yet. Will be an interesting one to watch.

    ReplyDelete

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