Well the deal is done and we are officially closed on our 1870's era Second Empire Cottage and I can officially reveal that the project house is in the Fairmount neighborhood. Now I am fully prepared for the "Why Fairmount?" questions. Well the choice was a complex one but simple to an "outsider" like ourselves. The house is a good example of a typical 'often overlooked" style of house that most people think is suited only to 2 family rental, however, it offers great possibilities as a comfortable single family home, 2500 square feet. It was the right size for our needs and the big plus was the site and the fact the property sits on a huge lot, nice views on a hill in a quiet neighborhood. We gave it the 3 pm on a weekend test, "Totally quiet". Frankly we looked at Lower Price Hill and some other areas and decided this was the best area for what we plan on doing. There is also some restoration going on in the neighborhood and some people are quietly coming in and doing some good restoration work. It is convenient to the downtown and Findlay/OTR area where we expect to locate our business.
The house also 'felt right', we looked at a variety of homes and this one 'spoke to us". In its day, it had been a great house with some real pride of ownership and she was like an old dowager who had fallen on hard times. The neighborhood clearly needs our help in "rebranding it" and with our ability to attract other historic preservationists and developers, much like we turned this neighborhood around here in Indianapolis, we expect we can have a significant impact in that area.
What happens next? Well we will be doing some serious site work to clear some scrub trees and overgrown landscaping this weekend so we can execute a proper landscape plan. Future work includes the exterior which will be totally restored with period reproduction trim and a 4-5 color historic paint job. the interior will be transformed to a period 1870 high end victorian home yet with the modern conveniences of a gourmet kitchen and baths, home theatre and hot tub.
So the work begins, I will keep you posted.
The Project Begins
Reviewed by citra
Published :
Rating : 4.5
Published :
Rating : 4.5
