Oregon Hill is a subdivision of Richmond, Virginia, USA. It was built during the Civil War to house the workers for the iron and ammo factories along the James River. One of these factories is now a museum.
What is left of Oregon Hill is now on the National Records of Historical Places which includes this house. What dates this house more then anything are the houses around it. The first ones were built of brick when the Confederates had lots of money. When they started building stick houses the early ones had gable roofs put on them, like this one, and the later ones had shed roofs put on them.
A very unique thing about this particular house is that it has been moved twice since it was built. The first time was around the turn of the century (1900) and the second time was between 1925 and 1928. If you think moving one now is something just think of what it took back then, lots of logs of the same size and lots of horses.
Most of the damage that you will see in these pictures is from the result of not cleaning the V shape built in gutters for over 20 plus years. Damage on the back of the house is from building a bathroom on the back porch without adding more support underneath it.
Now lets see if I can make this work this time.
Dane
PS: I am using Irfanview and am having trouble figuring out how to down size these pictures for the dial up folks.
Replies
Sounds like a worthwhile project. Privately or federally owned? Tell us more.
Betcha it's framed in chestnut 2x4s. Allow lots of time to pull nails from those.
We own it. The last owner died and the kids didn't want it. Most of them are drunks and didn't take care of it. We paid $50 to each of them plus the filing fee and that is all we have into it so far. Most of it is cleaned out now. Just some left in the upstairs bedroom, under the house and in the shed out back that the wife told me will be my shop.
Got lots of tree cutting to do too. There is a walnut leaning against the front porch to the right of the door, when looking at it. The neighbor said that it took about 15 minutes for it to fall over so, therefor, there is very little damage to the porch and none to the house by the tree. Some other trees need to come down too including one that is growing out of one corner at the top of the shed.
This is my first project of this magnitude to ever take on. So I am going to need lots of help from all of you. One nice thing I like about this project is it gave me a great excuse to give to my wife for the need to buy more tools.
Because this house is on the National Record of Historical Places we will be getting lots of tax and loan advantages.
I hope that this answered a couple of your questions.
Dane
"One nice thing I like about this project is it gave me a great excuse to give to my wife for the need to buy more tools."
Lots of new tools. Now you're onto something!
You'll also need lots of good planning, perseverance, and patience with the officials who issue historic district permits. :)
Have you visited any of the historic districts in other Southern towns?
And get a new full size truck (diesel)...and trailer. Generator...oh oh oh, and scaffolding.I think you should also get a W&H molding machine for all the stuff you'll need to match.Airless sprayer too.You get to buy some great stuff! Man, some guys have all the luck...
Hi neighbor,
Historic districts are interesting places. But not for the weak of heart. Last "historic" house I owned, in a hamlet down the road here, was only historic for the foundation brick and the chestnut that nobody could see, I pulled a demo permit a month before the designation. Sold it to somebody else, so it's still standing, still an eyesore with the whole shell covered as cheaply as possible by local low-income grants. The new owner had me build a new house up the hill behind the old house, now home to a food bank.
In Charlottesville, you're allowed to change nothing without lengthy permitting processes. A friend got into serious trouble when he painted his "historic" window trim white. Ended up telling the authorities it was primer and he'd get around to finishing the paint job someday...
Us dialuppers appreciate any help we can get. Here's what happened to your pic when I clicked "half" under resize/resample and also "sharpen". 72 dpi is plenty. It's a lot easier to view now. Clicking "half" a second time would make it smaller file and dimension, but a little more difficult to make out the details.
PAHS Designer/Builder- Bury it!
You don't need tools, all you need is a match!"One measurement is worth a thousand expert opinions"
Thanks for the tip on sizing it down some. I tried the "half size" but was hoping for smaller for the dial ups. Guess that will be about it and still see things.
We have been told that as long as the front of the house remains the same, ie: window and door size and placement, We can do what we want to the rest of the house as long as it cannot be seen from the street running in front of the house.
here are some more pictures of it.
many thanks
Dane
I tried to "halve" the one pic again but when i down loaded it it didn't stay halved that is why it is on there twice. They need a way to delete pictures in the edit mode.
You're missing 1 step. When you halve, or halve and halve, it's only temporary. Then you need to click File and Save it to your Documents or whereever.
Here's the same thing, halved again, which I find very acceptable for this forum.
In a hurry this PM, but us out-in-the-sticks folks would appreciate you resizing. Just remember to Save As, once you have what you want. BTW, under Image, Enhance Colors, it's very simple to lighten details for better viewing. When lightening, also usually you want to increase contrast. Side-by-side pics make it simple to adjust. Not suggesting you need to, as I've only seen one pic, just that it's available.
PAHS Designer/Builder- Bury it!
Tom thanks for the additional step. Let's see if i got it this time.
Hay! This is fun when things go like you want them to.
The first one shows some of the damage to the upstairs bedroom from NOT having clean gutters.
Second one is of a room that was used as a childrens bedroom. Neighbor turned his into a half bath. We are thinking of doing the samething.
Number three and four of the two downstairs fireplaces. One of the kids ripped off the hand carved floor to ceiling mantels and sold them for $50 each. The earge to kill.
The last one is the bathroom that was built on the back porch. When they built it they did not brace up the porch under neath. There for, the joist underneath that cast iron tub with all that tile around it is now broken from the sill.
We are still in the cleaning process and doing temporary plumbing and bracing repairs under the bathroom.
I will keep this thread going as things move along with this project. After I get things cleaned out more pictures will be posted.
Dane
Dane
You need to get a handle on that picture thing! :)
Looks like a very worth while project. Think of all the fun you'll have.
Good luck and post more pictures, preferably ones that we can view!
Doug
I hope that I now have a handle on posting these pictures. When ever I need to show more detail of something I will make the pictures a bit bigger.
The wife and I do think that this is a worth while project too. I have never done this kind of work before, not even new construction. so I will have one heck of a learning curve here. With the help of all of you I am sure that I will learn the right way and in some cases will learn many ways of doing something and then pick the one that will work best for me or for this project. If at anytime any of you wishes to stop by please do. If that big maroon van is park out front then I am there.
Again many thanks to all of you for sharing your expertise and experience with those of us who have less of it.
Dane
Gawd, you must be related to Sphere or Andy (or whomever that other crazy person was).
Here is a resize of the walnut tree/porch. This is 700 wide and in JPG format.jt8
The reason so many people never get anywhere in life is because when opportunity knocks, they are out in the backyard looking for four-leaf clovers. -- Walter Percy Chrysler
You have to quit encouraging the knuckle dragging dial-uppers, evolution is only 10 bucks more a month!Oldest son was born in Richmond in '76, we timed the birth with a trip to Caravattie's salvage yard...is it still there? I used to reclaim houses around Charlottesville and sell the booty... Looks like the kind of place you'd find handy...they had a lot of great mantles from "fan" rehabs...Pierre, I had many great meals at the C&O...used to run a store store there, and sold them herbs & spices...very fond dining experiences.And Floyd Co...used to live right on the parkway at Tuggles Gap...got married there...Mrs 'Snort has cuzes in Indian Valley...anyway, Dane, looks like you've picked up a good cause...and a real good reason to buy a bunch of new tools<G>Best of luck... Don't worry, we can fix that later!
Just got back from Richmond. Spent a week there fixing the plumbing under the bathroom and shoring up the floor under the bathtub. When I wasn't doing that I was cleaning out the upstairs bedroom. The wife now has at least cold water in the tub and sink in the bathroom. Next time I go back over there I will jack up the floor underneath the tub another 1 1/2'' and reset the commode back on the closet. Then finish cleaning out under the house.
The wife found out from the building inspector that we can take down the old shed in the back and build a new one. The wife said that I should do that first but make it so that we can live in it while working on the house, then convert it over to a wood shop afterwards. Have any of you ever done anything like that in the past?
She also found out that if we put a second floor on the back of the house it would have to be set 3ft from the property line. The original part of the house is grandfathered in and sets right on the property line, but the addition would not be. This would make the second floor look like an addition and not like it was built there when the house was built. Hopefully we will beable to get that law wavered due to the location of it.
When I got the upstairs bedroom cleaned out I discovered 3 rafters have broken off at the sill ( I guess that is what it is called) where the gutters have been leaking for years. Will have to shore that up before I can get into the attic to clean the it out.
Due the fact that I left there suddenly today I don't have any updated pictures. All they would show would be the rooms cleaned out.
I hope that all of you have a nice Easter Holiday.
DaneI will always be a beginner as I am always learning.
Greetings Dane,
In the event you haven't read this yet, it may be informative for you.
http://forums.taunton.com/tp-breaktime/messages?msg=24441.1
is an old thread here on Breaktime that includes a lot of data on posting pics and the Irfanview download.
Dialup patrons of the forum cannot download real large files or will take excessive time.
Two things are necessary to assist the dialups with your photos. Making sure that the set file association is set to jpgs if you are using the Irfanview system.
The other is to keep the KG picture size to preferably under 100kgs.
Cheers.
The wife found out from the building inspector that we can take down the old shed in the back and build a new one. The wife said that I should do that first but make it so that we can live in it while working on the house, then convert it over to a wood shop afterwards. Have any of you ever done anything like that in the past?
We're in ours now, but you're likely in a zoning violation if you don't get a residential building permit for it, which may not be available. Just moving in might be a problem, might not. Depends on your neighbors and the zoning inspectors' attitude.
Best advice is to not make it too comfortable.PAHS Designer/Builder- Bury it!
Didn't think about the zoning issue. Cities can be so restrictive, it is a wonder that any growth happens at all. And having to pay for things that we in the country take for granted, like water, also boggles my mind. Guess that I will have to learn to live with it.
DaneI will always be a beginner as I am always learning.
Situation would be the same in this and contiguous counties. Zoning is usually the most important issue, anywhere. In Albemarle, the inspectors intentionally look the other way, unless a neighbor complains.
Hard to say how many codes I'm in violation of. 4 that I know about. Your idea isn't 1 of them.
You just get a $40k lowball offer on your country place from a Philly resident by any odd chance?PAHS Designer/Builder- Bury it!
Haven't heard from anybody about buying this place. If he is serous he is about 35k short. Does that *^%%$ Yankee city slicker think us hillbillies are that dumb? I have one parcel that is .76 acres I will sell him for that price. It is near Blacksburg. I just wouldn't tell him that it doesn't perk, but it is approved for an outhouse.
I only have one neighbor that might complain if we moved into the shop while working on the house in Richmond. I don't think he would as long as things move in the right direction in the house. My biggest problem would be figuring out how to lock everything up each night when there are openings in the exterior walls.
Dane
I will always be a beginner as I am always learning.
Oops, no. The property they offered on was $40k over their budget, so they offered their budget, somewhere a bit over $100k, I believe. Pretty sure Floyd county. This is from an alt architecture list. They've gotta have a house included, with room for another. Just seemed like a strange coincidence. Believe I mentioned them in a previous post.
Security in Richmond I'd think could concern you. For my money, electronics is the way to go. Can be one room at a time. If you need help purchasing, let me know. My wholesaler's in Richmond.
The reason I mentioned neighbors is that here it's not unusual to move in without a CO. We almost did. Usually not a problem. Another instance was a guy living in a travel trailer while building. He made the mistake of complaining to the county about his neighbor's target shooting. Next thing he knew, he was evicted from the trailer. Inspector knew about it all along but didn't act until forced to. No idea about Richmond inspectors.
There's another Va thread here about land that won't perk. You'd do better not to mention it on the internet. Seems like a lot of money for a small parcel that won't perk. I passed on an opportunity for a neighbor's property, house included, similar price and (unavailable) septic.PAHS Designer/Builder- Bury it!
Well all I leave in the morning for Richmond and find out what that BI is belly aching about. I figure that I will be gone long enough that I plan on taking the cat with me.
While I am there I will get some more up to date pictures of it.
To get on the internet I will have to go to the college that is a few blocks from the house so you may not see me for a while.
DaneI will always be a beginner as I am always learning.
Well I got back Wednesday from Richmond been ever since trying to get the pictures right for posting.
The new mayor gave the order to get the town cleaned up. Meaning that the BI had to go around sticking his nose into every bodies business. Never mind that the city has a lot of work to do on there own stuff, like the street in front of our house and the sewer drain across the street that is all busted up.
I spent a week working on the plumping. Fixing first this leak then finding the next one until the last one was a crack in the tank of the toilet itself. Also had to replace the floor under the toilet and level it up so it would sit on the closet better. Before doing all of that I had to brace up the two floor joists that run under neath the tub where they were either cracked or broken off at the sill. We now have cold running water, no hot water yet.
Then I moved a couple of window sashes from a window, that was in the back wall of the house before the porch was enclosed, to a window that was busted out on the west side of the house.
The rest of my time was spent cleaning out from under neath the house and clearing the brush from around the house. In trips before this one was spent cleaning out the inside of the house. A total of 12 van loads have gone to the dump. 4 from under neath the house. I still have the shed and the attic to clean out.
It seems as though one can not sneeze in this city with out a permit. Just so I can get a building permit I have to first get what they call an Exploratory Demolition Permit. This permit will allow me to remove all of the interior walls so I can determine the amount of damage that has been done to the building. Then I can get a regular building permit to fix everything. I fear that the cost of all of these permits will be more then what the house will be worth when we get done.
As promised I have taken some pictures to show the progress. Most of it is cleaning up with a few showing some of the damage done by nobody cleaning out the gutters for 30 years. One is of an unpleasant surprise when I tore down some paneling so I could clean out a closet in the upstairs bedroom.
Such is the live of fixing up an old house in the big city.
DaneI will always be a beginner as I am always learning.
Dane,
Is this house in a neighborhood where you are going to want to live when you're done? You're going to have as much in this house as you would building from scratch.I didn't suggest this earlier,but,I've helped on projects like yours before,and the only practical option is to gut the whole thing down to the studs.Put in all new electrical,plumbing,HVAC,windows and doors,insulation,drywall, and flooring.Maybe the local government wouldn't even let you do this.If you try to repair your way through this thing I'm afraid you're going to burn out.Good Luck.
Barry
Good question Barry
The one huge benefit of this house that will make it cheaper to restore it is the historical tax benefits. The city will freeze the tax assessment at its current level for 5 years and the state will give us 45% of what we put into the house off of our state income taxes. I don't know yet if there is anything at the federal level.
I just got a call from the wife. She informed me that someone has broken into the basement. No other part of the house has been touched. Nothing is in the basement as I had finished cleaning most of it out while there this last time. It does make me worry about her safety.
DaneI will always be a beginner as I am always learning.
Old house - always a topic dear to me.
To get that tax benefit do you have to incur the costs for authentic techniques? Do you have to ues plaster and lath, that kind of thing?
Dane
I like a project like this.
Someone else asked, is this neighborhood one that you want to live in. Will the neighborhood warrant you fixing this place up?
All those permits are going to drive you nuts. I think I'd gut the damn place and tell them that's the way it was! Screw em.
Course I'm not one to follow the rules on such matters so my advice isn't worth the bandwidth its typed on.
Good luck and keep the pictures coming.
Doug
Doug
Thanks for the encouragement
This neighborhood is worth fixing up and in particularly this house. There is only one neighbor bordering with this house and only four on the street with the street being only as long as the four houses that are on it. On the other side of the house is the Hollywood Cemetery were four Presidents have been buried. Across the street in front of all four houses is a park. It is nice to have a lawn that I don't have to mow. Behind the house is an other park but is up the hill with a concrete bank holding it up there. The house is pretty much isolated even though it is only a few blocks from down town.
The one major rule with doing historic work is that the front of the house has to remain the same as it was originally built. Can not change the size and placement of the windows and doors. From that wall on back you can do pretty much what you want, as long as it can not be seen from the street in front of the house.
If you look in the picture of the waterdamageeastfront you will see the porch ceiling and the way it is constructed. Another house in the area lost there historic benefits because they couldn't figure out how to rebuild that ceiling. They made it flat like most porch ceilings are made today.
As for the basement door being kicked in the police showed up in record time. The wife had them go threw the house to make sure no one was in it that shouldn't be. We have our idea as to who it was but would never be able to prove it in court. The wife said she will nail up a piece of ply over it for now and when I get back over there later this month I can fix it up right.
I hate to see old houses go to waist when they can still be salvaged. This one has its problems but the roof line is still straight and the foundation looks to be in good shape over all.
In this day and age of recycling I don't know why more of them aren't salvaged. If for no other reason then to salvage the materials from them. There is a company in Richmond that does do that when ever they can. They are the ones that I bought the "new" toilet from. To many of them get the dozer, IMHO, because it is easier and yes might even be cheaper.
DaneI will always be a beginner as I am always learning.
Dane
hate to see old houses go to waist when they can still be salvaged.
I'm with you there, cant stand to see old homes being tore down.
Here is a house that I redid way back, it was literally a month or two away from the bulldozer.
My BIL's money and my aching back saved it.
Another house in the area lost there historic benefits because they couldn't figure out how to rebuild that ceiling.
With the collective mind power here that shouldn't be a problem for you.
Doug
Thanks so much for posting pics of this house. I have a very similar house built in 1830 that I have been working on.
I need to replace the non-original front porch and I have been looking for examples that would fit the architectural style of my house and your porch is it.
Do you have any additional photos of the porch and can you tell me a little about the materials used on the porch.
Attached is a picture of my existing porch.Craig
Nice looking brick house.
As near as I can figure out what the old timers did was to build the frame for the porch in a 1/2 hip roof still. Then laid the tongue and grove ceiling over the frame to give it that cathedral look. Then put the standing seam roof over the top of that.
I'll try to get some pictures of it while I am over there this next time. At this time I don't know when I will be back here to be able to post them.
DaneI will always be a beginner as I am always learning.
Craig
I have a lot of pictures of the porch but I'm up here in Iowa and the pictures are on my computer down in Texas, wont be back there for a few weeks, be glad to share them with you when I get home.
Or I could go out and take some photos of the house(its just down the road a few miles from where I'm at) for you!
Doug
Thanks Doug,
Do whatever is easier for you. I really appreciate you offering additional photos. I do not plan on starting this project until September - October so there is no rush.
Craig
Spent nearly a month in Richmond working on this house. Made sure that I got some progress pictures before I left. Well be here for only a couple of days then go back.
We didn't get the second extension that we asked for. The BI said that 1,000 days was to long. Is that to long for a job like this one? It got started when someone butted there nose into our business that didn't need to. An anonymous telephone complaint was filed. I told the BI what he could do with his complainer. Also told him that I was not going to alter my plans to accommodate his.
The first picture shows the that the shed has been removed.
The next one shows the front of the house with the walnut tree that was leaning on the porch is now gone. That old fake brick siding is gone too. I also removed one of the windows.
Before I could get up into the attic I had to brace up 7 of the ceiling joists.
After I got the bracing up I removed the paneling along the front wall. Lots of wood rot. I also discovered that no window headers were installed.
It is a wonder that the roof wasn't sagging more with all of the rot. The top sill is completely gone.
Same area as the last one but looking at it from the attic.
The old tub and insulator wiring is still in use.
In this house the ceiling joists extend out past the exterior walls, then a 1 x on top with the rafters sitting on that. The "on center" of the rafters is not the same as the ceiling joists. The ceiling joists are part of the framing of the gutters.
This picture shows the built in gutters over the porch. The gutters on the main part of the house is the same.
The rotting soffet. This is over the window that has that ac unit in it in that last picture.
One of the things I like about this house is the porch with its cathedral ceiling.
A shot of one end of the porch ceiling and the way it is constructed.
I haul off to the dump 17 van loads of house hold junk and 2 loads for the shed and one load to the scrap yard. Scrap was $1.75 / 100 weight.
DaneI will always be a beginner as I am always learning.
gaaaaawd, better you than me! That puppy would overwhelm me, even if I could work on it full time. What is the BI after? Does he want the house stabilized... completely restored...what?
I hadn't realized that it was faux brick. You're lucky the claps are still there, but I sure don't see any other "you're luck that..." items. Long, uphill battle on that one. But she will be nice when done!
jt8
In an underdeveloped country don't drink the water. In a developed country don't breathe the air --Jonathan Raban
John
Many thanks for the encouragement and support. At this moment it is badly needed.
The project its self doesn't overwhelm me. It is the grief that I am getting from the BI that is overwhelming me. He wants the house to be in good repair and weather tight, and wanted it done in 3 weeks. We got an extension for 4 more weeks but they will not give us another extension. The notice that I got in the mail today said that they will see us in court to show just cause for non compliance.
In the mean time I will keep doing what I can without the need of a Building Permit. Such things as removing that old faux brick siding and all of the nails that is holding it up, remove all of the wall coverings from the interior walls. I am also going to cover the front part of the house with a tarp to stop the water from entering in and also on the back part too.
I will be disconnecting and taking the computer to Richmond tomorrow. When I will be back on the air I don't know, but will be broadcasting from Richmond when I do.
DaneI will always be a beginner as I am always learning.
Good luck, Dane. I've been lurking and watching with interest and I hope that you get the time you need. It must be terribly frustrating to have a BI who apparently has no clue on what an old house restoration like this takes.
Cover it all with a tarpaper tent and call it weather tight ;>
Dane - See if you can get your BI to get in touch with the BI here in New London - everybody could not be greater to work with! (Too bad that wouldn't really work!- but it does make me grateful.)
It's kind of hard to figure out where he is coming from...you could not get closed in in 7 weeks on new construction...
Meanwhile, keep up the good work - it WILL be worth it in the long run.
looked over some of your thread - couple of things to consider - since the property has some historic value/connection, get in touch with the historical people and have them give you some support (maybe contact the national historic preservation trust also - see what support they have), you should also find somebody local to help you do some of the work, my take on things is I get 3x as much done when I work with the right guy (as opposed to 2 guys working separately doing 1x work - get the idea....)
last thing and probably the least popular - do what you have to do to get on the good side of the BI, he's just doing his job and ultimately may have to sign off on your job/work, making him the guy legally responsible for being sure what was done is first safe and then code compliant (realizing that codes are minimum requirements - you can always exceed the code and make things safer) - best defense is a good offense, get the BI more involved and be his new best friend in checking out things with him - and.... document everything, phone calls and content, plans, reviews, etc. And check out what you need for variances for requirements - almost always some "higher" authority to go togood luck
You and I have the same kind of projects going. Fortunately for me, I didn't have to get any inspections except septic and electrical. My house also goes back to the Civil War Era (1850's Inn Trouble thread) and required an enormous amount of time, energy, and money to renovate. I've started to lose track of how long I've been doing this...four years or more (in my spare time). One wall (the least visible--facing the woods), is still in house wrap. Does that count as dried-in? Anyway, I'm glad I have no BI to please, just my wife...wait...maybe a BI is not so bad : ) Actually my wife has been a very good sport. Hang in there, maybe your BI will come around.
continued.
DaneI will always be a beginner as I am always learning.
If you look in the picture of the waterdamageeastfront you will see the porch ceiling and the way it is constructed.
I don't see the pic.jt8
Failing doesn't make you a failure. Giving up, accepting your failure, refusing to try again does! -- Richard Exely
John
It is made like a cathedral ceiling. Instead of a flat ceiling they made the ceiling by placing the T-G on top of the rafter framing instead of making regular ceiling framing. Then placed the roof over the T-G.
We got a letter from the BI today. He is giving us until the 1st of July to get the house weather tight. Never mind that it will take longer then that to get the interior walls down to look at the frame so we can asses the damage. My wife thinks someone wants the house and is using backdoor tactics to try and get it. I am beginning to believe her.
It is no wonder that I like living in the country instead of the city.
DaneI will always be a beginner as I am always learning.
sorry about that I thought I had posted the picture. Here it is.
DaneI will always be a beginner as I am always learning.
You have a really big job ahead of you but I hope you don't give up.
Take your time, enjoy what you can of it along the way.
I'm sure the finished product will be worth it to you when you can step back and look at it.
I invented Coke with Lime.
Good for you and your Civil War House! My husband and I bought a house from the city of New London 6 years ago - it looked a lot like yours. (Still does, some.) I don't have pics to post yet (have pics, not knowhow) but will work on that - in my free time...
Major difference I can see is that the powers that be here have been just great to work with, BI, zoning, everybody.
My best advice is not to panic! Also, sweep the floor, put a tablecloth on the workbench, and enjoy your lives as you go along.
Courage!
Treadhill
My best advice is not to panic! Also, sweep the floor, put a tablecloth on the workbench, and enjoy your lives as you go along.
You couldn't have done a better job of it for your first posting here at BT. Thank You.
If you look at the posts that was made earlier in this thread you will notice that I had a bit of trouble attaching pictures. By reading those earlier posts it might help you figure it out.
I know that you said in your post that you are from New London, CT. If you would please put that in your profile it may help not only you, but others as well, if you should give an answer or ask a question. You may never know but you might meet a new neighbor that lives close by. To get to the profiles, or look at someone else's, click the name at the top of the post, in this case yours. Then click on "change profile" and go from there.
Not only have I learned and laughed a lot here, but I have also gotten a lot of encouragement too. I hope that you do as well.
DaneI will always be a beginner as I am always learning.
Thanks for your information and encouragement. I just tried the profile link, and did not see anything to click for 'change profile'. Maybe there is something else I need to know?
Other posters profile will not show the 'change profile' or 'my prefs' links but you own name will.
If you click on your name 'Treadhill' with the highlighted blue lettering in the From: or To: listing, your profile will come up with those links.
Cheers
A person with no sense of humor about themselves is fullashid
Assuming he/she is signed in at the time.
jt8
Failing doesn't make you a failure. Giving up, accepting your failure, refusing to try again does! -- Richard Exely
Ah yes, we must not neglect that little detail.
A person with no sense of humor about themselves is fullashid
Thanks - I finally figured it out. It wouldn't work from the computer I was using, but does on my own home machine. I've already gleaned hundreds (well, tens) of great ideas from the forum, & am having fun too! What more con anybody ask?
Good for you and your Civil War House
Welcome to BT!
Just for clarity; it's actually DaneB's house.
I'm sure he appreciates your comments. Glad to hear you had good luck on your experience with a vintage house. They can be a source of many emotions.I invented Coke with Lime.
When my grandparents came to America they settled in New London,and I still remember the woodwork in their home.To settle the estate the relatives sold it for 70K,but,the staircase in that house would make anything in a 2 million dollar house today look shabby.On Ashcraft Rd.
You have no idea how much I needed to hear those words.
As long as I don't look at the whole thing at one time and just focus on sections of it I think I will make it.
I don't think that it is the neighbor right next door to us that is causing the BI to act the way he is. That neighbor is glad to see us there and trying to do something with the place. The previous owner was nothing but trouble according to him. Police were called 2 to 4 times a week.
After the old woman died that neighbor did have the place condemned. No body had paid the water and electric bills so they got shut off. Can you imagine a bunch of drunks living in a house that doesn't have water or power. Urinating and defecating every where ( I didn't find any evidence of it having been done in the house ) and lets not talk about the hazards of candles and cigarettes (matches), of which I did find some of. He was understandable concerned about his own house.
My wife wanted me to call him today but I felt it was better if I wait a couple of more days to get cooled down some over it all. I don't want to be saying something that I would later regret having said it.
One of the things that I like about BT is a person can rant a bit with people who know how ya feel.
DaneI will always be a beginner as I am always learning.
Well, I can tell you I know how you feel.
I have an old house that was built in the 1920's; a youngster compared to yours.
It had been a rental for years when I bought it and it still is but I have done what I can within reason to 'put it back right'.
Sometimes when I have to do something I didn't plan on to it my first reaction is ," Let's just call a 'dozer and start over from scratch".
Then, after I get into it I enjoy it and when I'm through I'm kinda proud of what we did with it.
I could make more if I did tear it down and build a duplex or fourplex. But, I just like the old house.
I invented Coke with Lime.
DaneB,
You have a huge (and rewarding) task ahead. My wife and I bought a nearly condemned Victorian in Sacramento, California. It is from 1899 and was a real wreck. We are always working on it and it is starting to show. I have attached two photos for your entertainment. One is the rear "unrenovated" and the other is the front that has had over 5 years and $30K of materials (mostly redwood and turnings). I built the stairs and all the "gingerbread" details. People are pretty shocked to see the contrast between the front and back. Time and budget have been tight but we are proceeding with the rear portion. It has taken us a few years to get through the permitting process for the rear renovation.
Good luck and stick with it!
Steve Kasower
WOW what a contrast.
I remember seeing this house in an other thread. You showed us how you did those stairs.
My father - in - law offered to paint his second wife's house. She told him he had to start at the back of the house. That way she made sure that it got painted as well as the front. She knew that it wouldn't get painted if he started at the front, were every body could see, and tire of the task before he would get to the back.
Mind if I ask if you got any kind of tax benefits and what are they for restoring that house?
DaneI will always be a beginner as I am always learning.
DaneB,
We did not get any tax breaks for this house. It is a mixed blessing. Back in the 1970s when the City of Sacramento was cataloguing the historic houses, they passed on this one. Remember, almost all of what you see on the front is a creation of my imagination. This house was "modernized" in the 1950s from what I can surmise. They removed all vestiges of "old house." Essentially, I created a "Disneyland" version of a Victorian. You are under much more of a constraint with your historic house than we were with ours. The silver lining for us was that when we approached the City of Sacramento with our plans for the rear (they also include a two-story turret on the left side as you view it in the photo), we only had to go through Design Review and not the Preservation Board. Since the PB failed to list this house, they had no jurisdiction. We lost tax advantages and other subsidies, but we side stepped one of the most meddlesome of our local government agencies. And, as you can see, we spared no expense in implementing our "vision" for this structure. It is definately "on the map" here is Sacramento.
Also DaneB, I need to mention to you that I love working on this thing so much that most of my friends and neighbors think that I will never finish!
Take lots of photos and let us see your progress.
Regards,
Steve Kasower
I love older houses, too. Looks to me like you've picked a worthy candidate for rehab, it also looks like after you get her cleaned up, it'll be all downhill from there<G>Is Caravatti's still operating? They were one of THE best salvage yards I've ever been in...in the late 70's a lot of great houses were bulldozed in Richmond, especially the Fan district. Good on you for saving one. Don't worry, we can fix that later!
So I finally got to SEE what ya had gotten into..LOL
I feel the pain brother. I never thought I could say it but..yers is worse than mine ( being as ya have all the "rules" there).
Keep a good attitude, plenty of head scratchin, and work at your best pace for finances and sanity...it ain't going nowhere..still be there after a fishing trip and cold drink.
Keep the pics coming. And..I feel your pain. Again. Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
Insert your favorite George Harrison song HERE.
it ain't going nowhere..still be there after a fishing trip and cold drink.
he he I can see the house from the river while I'm a fishing.
Now how did I manage to get something that is in worse shape then yours? At least mine doesn't have all of those additions going in every which way. But your right about the "rules". I think that will end up being more of a challenge then working on the house itself.
What is it that the one song says? "You can take the boy out of the country but you can't take the country out of the boy." Cities are ok to visit but I want to be back in my own country bed at the end of the day.
DaneI will always be a beginner as I am always learning.
Rules..rules.
That is why my shop is on the back burner..rumour has it...the county is getting out and LOOKING for things to get fired up over..
Neighbor up the road, might be removeing a deck and a 12x24 attached addition..he didn't get a permit or inspections. He is kinda angry.
It also seems my site for my shop is encroaching on MY other parcel setback. So, back to square one. Get the house up to snuff B4 I invite any future inspections. Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
Insert your favorite George Harrison song HERE.
I can understand them making your neighbor take down his addition because he didn't have a permit. But damn! I haven't even lifted a hammer yet and the BI is hounding me.
Didn't they make Bob Vela tare down his house because he didn't have a permit? I think that is why he lost his TV show that he had. I know you will hear him say at the end of his commercials to be sure to get any permits needed.
At least getting that house done first will keep you out of trouble with your DW.
Now lets both of us get off of these machines and get some work done.
DaneI will always be a beginner as I am always learning.
I have a feeling, judging from your attitude here, that you'll be buddies with every BI in Richmond before you're done. They actually can be a great deal of help<G>Hey, I think I remembered another place...S B Cox? Less expensive than Caravatti's, but much harder to find stuff!And, how is the fishin' up there? Don't worry, we can fix that later!
Hay! Snort how ya doing?
Caravatti's's is still there and in the same place since the 1930s. They are in an old warehouse just across the river from us in the Manchester district. It is a really neat place to go threw.
I will be going back to Richmond Sunday or Monday depending on how far I have the paper work done for that house. The BI wants me to make up a schedule of tasks showing the beginning and ending date of each thing that needs to be done. Never mind that I am already a week behind in following it. I am sure that I have estimated to much time for some things and not enough for others and have left some out.
When I get there this time I will be getting an Exploratory Demolition Permit for the house and a Demolition Permit to take down that old shed.
The first permit will be for taking out the interior wall coverings so as to asses the damage to the frame. Then figure up and estimate as to what it will cost to fix every thing and do some renovation too. I don't want to get a Building Permit for not enough and have to pay a penalty for that but also don't want to have to give them any more money then necessary.
There really isn't much of Oragon Hill left from what it was when first built during the Civil War. Most of them got bulldozed to make way for VCU and Ethal Corp. Ethal Corp is building new town houses to replace some of them but it isn't the same.
I will be glad when I can get into the meat and potatoes of this thing. Then I will feel like I am getting something done.
DaneI will always be a beginner as I am always learning.
So it can sit there for 30 years without being weather tight, but 10 minutes after you buy it, all of a sudden they want it weather tight.
Sounds like you might be correct about someone with a mission. You'd better send DW in to find out what the appeal process is, because I'm guessing whomever isn't going to give up even if you manage to get over this hurdle.
jt8
Failing doesn't make you a failure. Giving up, accepting your failure, refusing to try again does! -- Richard Exely
If you have electricity and an old computer you can pick up security cameras on ebay. The software works as a motion detector, that is it records, if there is no motion it writes over the recording, and if there is motion it saves it. You can get pictures the next time somebody breaks in.The inspector MIGHT be responding to pressure to get off his Azz and prove that he has work to do. Not discounting the "outside interested party" though.
Not discounting the "outside interested party" though.
Just thinking out loud here, but if I was that nearby neighbor I might have been thinking, "if that house falls down, I can pick up the place for the price of the ground..or less." Which would let him expand his yard.
And then someone comes along and buys the property to rehab it! That throws a wrench into the expanded yard idea.
Not that I'm saying its the neighbor causing the problems.
jt8
Failing doesn't make you a failure. Giving up, accepting your failure, refusing to try again does! -- Richard Exely
Edited 7/15/2005 9:45 am ET by JohnT8
This is a bit of a highjack, but amusing none the less.During the late 1980's my father worked for awhile at an appraisal company. They did larger properties, often for the local governments (mainly county). One property that was under consideration to be used as a somewhat non desireable way (halfway house or something) got an offer from a private party that was, oh about 3 times the value of the land. Details were not known at the time. My father got the task, did the basic valuation, but concluded at the end something to the effect of "Could someone be trying to avert a non-desirable use?".Turns out that the "someone" was Bill Cosby's mother in law (I think that's who) who lived next to the property and they wanted to buy the property from the county to stop the non-desirable use!
Well since you started the thread hijack, I'll continue it...
It was in the paper a couple months ago that Chicago was exporting sex offenders downstate. They purchased a 'halfway' house for the exports to use as a transitional house (in a so-so neighborhood).
Govt logic there. Since there are more registered wackos in Chicago than down state, they will just export some to level out the numbers. Personally I think Chicago should be made to keep all their wackos.
jt8
Failing doesn't make you a failure. Giving up, accepting your failure, refusing to try again does! -- Richard Exely
My impression is that "down state" is Columbus, Ohio. We have three halfway houses in the neighborhood.Another house that used to be a halfway house (and before that something along the lines of a mental asylum or TB asylum) is an old apartment building. Could be a great apt. building again, if anyone is looking for a project....
Dane,You make a good point about some of the ironies of recycling. People will recycle every bottle, can, newspaper and then throw an entire house in the landfill, go figure.I'm just now catching up on your thread here.Looks like you are in deep too. It is an odd, but determined, cohort we belong to.
Thanks bb - good to hear that fabulous meal was not a figment of my imagination.
Still playing with the sizing.
Here are a few of the inside of the house.
Dane
I had this one all the way down to 72 but didn't download at that size, what am I doing wrong?
Hey VaTom, is the C&O restaurant still in business? Had one of the best meals of my life there many years ago.
I guess you're talking about the upstairs. Last time I looked it was still there but I seem to remember an ownership change a few years ago. The downtown mall keeps reinventing itself, but is always prosperous. Now your sweetie can drop $350 for a cut and color in one of the salons there. <shudder>
I've only eaten C&O a couple of times, a long time ago, and was underwhelmed. Must've ordered the wrong entree. You ever try the Inn in Little Washington? http://www.washingtonian.com/dining/Profiles/LitlWash.html
We only go when somebody else's buying, but it's an incredible experience. Mostly we prefer to make the effort at home, generally successful. The woman who taught us cooking was an old Italian who'd once cooked for a French embassy. We eat well.
You a Hoo? PAHS Designer/Builder- Bury it!
A Hoo? Not likely.
I ate at the C&O in '93 - they were located near the old railway yards, near the dowtown core iirc. The food and service were definitely above par. Someone on another forum recently told me the exact same thing about the C&O that you did. Good things come and go.
C'ville was a nice small town in a beautiful part of Appalachia. I really enjoyed Monticello and the UVA campus; also paddled the Rappahannock(sp?).
With apologies to Dane for the hijack.
At least you left after your enjoyable experience. Major U here and it seems a big percentage of the grads don't ever leave the area. Carps with law school degrees (too many attorneys already), etc. Then there's the U research park that will double the population in the next few years.
Yes, the locals ask where I came from when I open my mouth. At least I don't sound like a Yankee. It's still a beautiful area, no accident that we chose to live here. This is our morning view.PAHS Designer/Builder- Bury it!
That picture of yours more then made up for the hijacking. The project is in Richmond, but for now I live deeper into the mountains then maybe you do. I am about 45 miles to the south west of Roanoke. I have about 3 miles of dirt road to drive on to get to the house from the main road.
You have UVA and here we have Va Tech and Radford U. Talk about driving up the price of real estate. My wife was a grad of UVA Law back in the early 1980s so we do have some connection. I grew up in the country up in Michigan and the only thing I had to change was saying "You guys" to Ya'll" other wise I fit right in.
I'll be gone for a few days to help a man lay tile. No we don't do houses, only commercial. So ya'll take it easy now.
DaneI will always be a beginner as I am always learning.
I am about 45 miles to the south west of Roanoke. I have about 3 miles of dirt road to drive on to get to the house from the main road.
Sounds like Floyd county? We briefly land shopped there. You're right, you are considerably further in the sticks. Don't know if it's of interest, but I know somebody on another forum who's extremely eager to move to Floyd- and is bringing cash!
I deliver my elderly mother to her summer residence NW of West Branch, Mich. every summer and sail for a few days. Nice, but not any place I'd want to live. I've spent a lot of summers there over the last 55 yrs, never a winter. Wanted to attend Mich. Tech but my father knew how deep the snow got and figured this desert boy might freeze something he'd later miss.
If you want to detour slightly to or from Richmond, we're just off 29 S of C'vlle. Just heard this AM from another BTer here that I didn't know about.
Since you liked the eastern view, here's south, with apologies to anybody who's seen it before:PAHS Designer/Builder- Bury it!
Dane,
In Irfanview, open the picture you want to resize. Then hold down the CTRL key while you type the letter R (alternatively, on the toolbar, click Image, followed by Resize/Resample). Then select the image size you want, e.g. 800 X 600 Pixels. Click OK, and don't forget to save the resized photo.
Good luck,
-Jazzdogg-
Whether you think you can, or you think you can't, you're right.
DaneB, I lived in the fan district about 6 years ago, but haven't been back since. I remember Oregon Hill as having a lot of old run down houses, a real interesting cemetary and one great little Italian restaurant. How's the neigborhood these days? Are people fixing up houses over there?