Edwin Reno

When we began renovating homes, we identified neighborhoods that we would like to work in, and one of the most important considerations is the proximity to our own home. We often work early and late, and on weekends, so it just makes sense for us to be close to our project

Once we find a home, we consult with an appraiser to see if the purchase price is in line and to gauge the current interest in the neighborhood. We consider recent comparable home prices, both improved and unimproved. If a property passes this test, we make an offer, contingent upon inspection. The inspection is so important as we need to see just what are getting into as it guides and provides an outline of necessary improvements. We use the purchase price, a guesstimate of the improvement costs, and the anticipated finished price per square foot to decision as to whether we will take on a property.

Timing is everything. We found the Edwin property in January. Although we purchased the home at the first of the year, we had to wait to begin renovations until our project on Lundee closed in May when there would be enough time and money available.

The Edwin property had been a rental for a number of years. Several updates had been made, and most of these “improvements” had to go. The layout was just odd and did not take advantage of one of the home’s greatest assets, the large, private patio in the back. The kitchen had been cobbled together with all sorts of materials.

In these smaller homes every inch counts. After going through several possible kitchen layouts, we landed on an open concept design that would allow easy access to the back patio. To do this we had to completely gut the kitchen—the walls, part of the ceiling and the floor. We removed the East wall door and replaced it with a window, removed the large north window and added in a door to the patio, and lastly, removed the South kitchen wall. Because this was a load bearing wall, we had to obtain a building permit and have a structural engineer design a beam and posts to carry the weight. This required work in the attic and under the house and once completed, an inspection. We also pulled permits and passed inspections for the all the plumbing and electrical work.

This house had three bedrooms and one tiny (mildewy, slightly scary) full bath that had seen better days. After consulting with the appraiser, we believed that a great two bedroom, two bath home would sell better than the current three-one floor plan. From our work on previous homes, we have found that bathrooms are only second to kitchens in importance. The existing bath, which had undergone some not-so-wonderful renovations, had a linen closet just outside its entry, and a small closet within the space that backed up to one of the bedrooms. Because of this, we could give up one of the closets and repurpose it as an entry from the bedroom.

To update the existing bath update, we replaced the vanity, removed the tile floor and laid a new, period-appropriate one. We removed the tiny window in the shower and, because we believed the room needed the light, we made it into a stationery one. The wall tile was mostly in good shape, so we repaired it where needed, and then had it painted with a special epoxy paint formulated for this purpose. A new exhaust fan, a new light fixture, a new toilet and a whole lot of paint completed the work.

Bedrooms with ensuite baths and large closets are also deal makers. For this house, we captured the space in one of the small bedrooms and converted into a full bath and walk-in closet. To do this, we had to close one hallway door, add a door from the bedroom, build partition wall, convert a small closet into a toilet area and build a floor-to-ceiling wall. We added the double-sink vanity with medicine cabinets, the tub with a pretty tile surround (check out the seashells in the accent tile), an exhaust fan, and appropriate lighting.

Adding the second bath increased the demand on the plumbing system. To pass current plumbing code, we had to install a new waterline to the street. This was an unexpected, but necessary expense. Fortunately, we build contingency funds into the renovation budget.

There were many more improvements. The electrical service was upgraded. The HVAC system checked and serviced. Every square inch of the interior received one, and sometimes two, and in a few places three, coats of paint. Trim was restored. Windows were repaired and made functional. The ceilings and walls were repaired. Light fixtures were replaced throughout.

Details are important. Some of the doors were in rough shape, and we found that there were three types of doorknobs installed. We settled on one crystal type.

As always, there were a number of hiccups that caused delays. We thought we would be able to refinish the existing wood floors, even though they had cupped some over the years from water being underneath the house. However, after he started, our refinisher said the floors were too damaged to save. We had to scramble and quickly find a Plan B to keep the project moving—the floors had to be completed before the plumbing work could be finished. On our Idlewild project, we had used a pre-finished hardwood and fortunately the vendor still had some is stock. We installed it, along with a vapor barrier under the house and gutters on the outside to keep this from happening again.

On the exterior, we made several improvements. First, the porch ceiling had to be repaired and painted. The existing ironwork was encased for a more updated look, and we repaired bricks on the steps.

We also had to find creative ways to repair the exterior where the door and the window were removed. Using data provided by Zillow on cost versus return, we decided to paint the exterior brick and chose a color that would complement the other homes on the street as well as the existing roof. This also allowed the exterior modifications to be less obvious.

In the yard, we reclaimed (read pruned the fool out of) several overgrown bushes, restored (read dug up a bunch of grass, put down landscape fabric and added plants) two beds, uncovered the patio from the tangled, weedy mess it had become, cleaned up the fence and the trees and edged up the sidewalk.

The garage was in great shape. All we had to do was replace one door, trim away an overgrown poison ivy bush, and pressure wash the outside.

All this work took place from May to mid-August. John and his son Evan, along with a number of sub-contractors do the construction work on our projects. (Evan captured most of the construction photos.) For most of the summer, James Townsdin, an interior design student, also worked with us. My jobs are planning, design, clean up and marketing. (They don’t let me paint because I make too a big mess.) Or as John says, I am the picker and he is the putter.

When a project is underway, the days are long, and the work is labor intensive. We are glad this one is ready for its new owner. Thank you for your interest. Jane Pate