Under Construction

Friday, March 29, 2013

Trash to Treasure at the Nut House

So I realize I have referred to our house as Tanglewood, but much like a family pet it seems to have several affectionate and not so affectionate pseudonyms!  One of my husbands favorite is "The Nut House!"  As I mentioned before, this house was a foreclosure and to date has been mostly unoccupied for 4 years now.  If this were a play this is the part where the lights come up and enter: squirrels...

These playful creatures have inhabited the house for an unknown amount of time and we have been given a hands-on lesson on the hibernation cycle (not to mention the bonus lesson that bats also prefer abandoned dark places!).  While pulling down plaster and a drop ceiling there were literally thousands of nuts falling on and at us!  Near the driveway is what we were told is a walnut tree and I stand firm on the fact that we had more nuts in our house than there were in the tree at any given time.

Often while working there, by myself I might add, I would hear the patter of scurrying feet above my head with each swing of the sledge hammer.  I kept a broom at arms length in the event that I would have to become a squirrel ninja `a la Chevy Chase in Christmas Vacation

So when my husband and I went there the other day to remove the last of our second hand furniture (originally intended and cheap cottage decor), we hauled it roadside and had an impromptu photo shoot of me kicking up my feet in front of the house (as seen in yesterday's post).  We were shaking our head as we removed the cushion of the faux leather chair only to find a fresh stash of nuts.  We giggled when we came back for our second trip and most of our furniture had already vanished.  Then we downright belly laughed when we saw that our neighbors had "new front porch stairs" and the chair had also walked off!  I guess one man's trash really is another man's treasure.  Enjoy your treasures from the Nut House and be sure to open up the coffee table and look under the cushions.  You never know what may be lurking in there!

Thursday, March 28, 2013

A Labor of Love

We have officially turned over the demolition to the professionals!  This is me kicking up my work boots and retiring my second pair of leather gloves since this project began two years ago.  Many hours were spent in this house at first trying to repair it to use as a summer home, then later to renovate to move into full time.  We have reached the point of no return now that the interior is stripped down to the studs and we are ready to rehab and partially rebuild to bring this modest 1930's shell of a home back to its former glory, with a modern, and hopefully much more energy efficient twist!

After only one day, three men, and a bobcat, this is what I drove up to see....
The entire west side of the house is gone!  Walking on the platform that once encompassed the kitchen and dining room I was ecstatic to be moving forward, but it also caused me to reflect for a moment.  I wondered about the dinner parties that were once held there and what life lessons were passed down in that kitchen.  I recalled the hours, days, and weeks I had spent with my own grandparents pulling down plaster, sanding cabinets, and pulling nails throughout this process. Stories were exchanged, frustrations and dreams were shared, and time was spent together because this house drew me across the miles from Florida to spend my spring breaks and summer vacations making it into a home.

People may think it seems crazy but the current condition of this house makes me indescribably happy.  Tanglewood is representative of who we are.  It sits on a firm foundation and old pieces are being taken apart and new additions are being added.  Though our house is undergoing some growing pains, it is a labor of love and we are looking forward to all of the new memories that will be created here.

Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Tanglewood Gets More Tangled

As you know we were denied financing for our renovation project. It seemed like our best option was a construction loan and after around $3,000 for an architect to draw up our plans and countless emails making sure every last detail was there for our "forever" home (at least for the next 10 years) we proceeded with our local permitting office.  We were once again halted when we were told that if we tore down the existing structure to rebuild and raise the height of the basement and second story, we would have to relocate the home on the property due to setbacks from the property line and street.  Since the house was built 83 years ago we were grand-fathered in with the location, but not if we removed the structure and only kept the foundation.

We once again hit the drawing board and discovered that due to the mixed neighborhood, we were also taking a huge gamble that the property value would not hold in the neighborhood. This made us stop in our tracks and really consider what was important to us.  Did we need an almost 2,300 square foot home?  Would we truly utilize a formal dining room and living room in addition to the family room?  Could I run my home business out of our living space or did I need a separate area?

After much soul searching my husband and I concluded that we were going for champagne taste on a beer budget, when we would actually be much happy with a nice craft brew!  We broke out my husbands construction scales, sharpened our number two pencils, and began the arduous process of drawing then redrawing our plans.  We struck gold when we discovered that by literally flipping the location of the formal dining room and kitchen with the living room and small bedroom we could create two main floor bedrooms, a bathroom, and a kitchen and multipurpose great room.

Our final product is a three bedroom, 2 1/2 bath with and open concept kitchen/dining/living area, mudroom, and two stall garage.  Our square footage is now under 1,600 square feet which will be cozy, minimal, and ultra affordable.  We are able to use high end finishes and get all our must haves without living outside our means. I am able to use the 3rd bedroom (which will be a large studio space) to run my in-home business. The best part is the Location, Location, Location!

We did not downsize, we rightsized, and once we did that everything fell into place.  We found a loan specifically available for renovations, we found a reputable local builder who custom built the scope of work around our budget, we were able to secure a permit since we were keeping the majority of the original house, we are conserving materials by renovating, and we are moving full speed ahead.
My husband and I signed on the dotted line, and initialed, followed by more signing and initialling yesterday.  It's official, we have closed on our loan!   Thank you Wells Fargo for giving us the opportunity to restore this historic house and make it our home!

Monday, March 25, 2013

The Tale of Tanglewood

This is Tanglewood! As you can see it is a tangle of old cedar shake siding and a rear addition that was literally caving in.  My profile picture is of me holding a slab of concrete that we pulled off the floor after discovering that some previous owner had "leveled" the floor with concrete over the wood subfloor and the weight was causing the middle to buckle which was why our floor was sloped.
 
We bought this beauty two years ago with the intention of doing some light renovations and using it as a summer cottage since we were living in Florida at the time.  Fast forward one year, we decided if we were going to start a family we should probably live closer to our own families so we had the extra help (and babysitters) nearby. We sold our southern home, packed up and trucked due north.  This is of course the simplified version, but this is a blog not a novel!
 
A word to the wise, if you are doing a full scale renovation where the house will not be habitable, PLAN AHEAD!!!!! We have built a home before and did not realize how difficult it would be to secure a loan for a full scale renovation of an existing home.  Here are some quick stats:
 
Year Built: 1930
Purchase Price: $40,000 (Foreclosure)
Years owned: 2
Payments missed: 0
Credit: Excellent
Appraised Value: unappraisable
Loan amount: $0
 
It's funny how readily banks will appraise a home for purchase, but not for a renovation.  We were told if we put a temporary floor down (over the water rotted subfloor) in the bathroom, patched the exploratory holes in the plaster (where live wires had been buried), and rebuilt the wall in the upstairs (which was taken down to create a larger bedroom), then they bank would come back and reassess the value to see if we could get a loan. 
 
We were disheartened, but decided the only way to move was forward.  The next post will touch on the architectual process and deciding what our priorities were.