Well, it's been 2 years since I bought this house, It was a MESS when I got it.  Pretty much everything needed redone.  It is a 1929 Sears Roebuck Bungalow, to be exact it is a Josephine, with some modifications from the original build.  Here is the original order form for the house:

 

http://architecture.about.com/library/nbungalowplan-s-7044-josephine.htm

 

Though the auditor lists the house at being built in 59, I am 99 percent sure that is incorrect.  Anyway, it is 950 sq. ft. 2 bedroom with a sweet new 550 sq ft. garage off the back.  I paid 58K for her 2 years ago, and minus the new roof, I have only about 5K invested in the rehab.  I am about 80 percent done with the restoration.  I have the kitchen left and a little in the bathroom still, but the rest is pretty much done.  Here are some before and after pic's of the outside and the work that has been done this summer.  If anyone is interested, I documented the inside process pretty good and would love to share it.  Anyway here is a taste of how I am helping and fixing my little part of Cleveland.

 

 

 

 

THE FRONT

 

Here is the house before, probably the ugliest gray color I have ever seen.  The house looked a lot like a dirty battle ship.  Very sad to look at. 

 

 

Another view of the before, That black stuff wouldn't come off no matter what I did.  Would love to know what that stuff is/was.

 

 

This is the outside as of today, after a good power wash and a couple coats of paint.  Overall, for the three colors, it cost me right around 250.00 to do the entire house.  The most expensive part of the project was the wood to box the polls in.  Cedar siding has become very expensive and hard to find as of late.  A brighter blue than I thought, but overall I like it.

 

 

 

 

THE BACK

 

This pictures make the back yard look nice compared to the shape it was in.  My brother, who does landscaping, said it was the worst yard he has ever seen.  There isn't much money in the yard, but a lot of sweat equity. 

 

 

 

This is after tilling the yard and new seed, Penn State Green.  I had over 450 lbs of metal and metal fencing that was removed from the yard.  I also have a small fortune in sandstone that was buried erratically throughout the lot. 

 

 

Just another view of the back, I think it looks pretty good.  That beautiful garage is why I bought the house.  It is amazing.

 

 

 

Let me know what you think, Always looking to hear opinions or advice from people. 

 

 

Nice place.  Question, if your home is a craftsman, why did you decide to keep the iron railing?

 

I see lots of potential curb appeal once you finish landscaping!

Wow, big improvement from before! Looks really good; just needs some nice landscaping in front to give it more of a "owner-occupied" look.

Nice house, yard looks excellent.

 

Where did you get some of your supplies from? My mom and Grandmother are redoing a year 1900 Cleveland double and it looks like they'll be buying alot from Home Depot,. Who would you recommend?

Question, if your home is a craftsman, why did you decide to keep the iron railing?

 

Originally I planed on it, but a budget is a budget and didn't seem like I was going to gain that much with the wood, AND they poured the iron supports with the concrete?  The house is really weird, half the basement has Michigan style walls (converted crawl space), but the other half is a full basement.  Not to often do you see that.  So, at some point, someone did a lot of work on the house (40's-50's).  I have tried to research it, but I cannot find the correct office to go to.  Library and the "hall o' records" (country auditory) had nothing.

 

 

 

 

Where did you get some of your supplies from?

 

Most of mine was from Home Depot/lowes, and I have access to a full wood shop, so anything one-off, I could make myself.  That helped a lot.  These old houses can be a little tricky at times.  Different standards now from then.  Supposedly, somewhere in Cleveland there is a store that sales old savaged items from houses in Cleveland (baseboards, moldings, handles), But I have yet been able to find it.  At least a dozen people have told me about this store, but NO ONE knows where it is at.

 

My buddy just bought a double two streets down from me, paid 38K for it.  It's on a great street, talk about a bargain.  Even if you put 30K into it, you still have a 68K house.

HOW CUTE!  I LOVE A MAN WHO KNOWS HOW TO USE POWERTOOLS!

 

What part of the city do you live in?

 

I can't wait to see what you do with the planting beds, unless you're thinking of expanind the porch and replacing the iron railing.  If you do that then, you'll probably have to change the walkways.

 

Are you going to remove/re-orient the walkways?  Removing could potentially add 10-12k to the value of the home.

 

That backyard is perfect for a water feature, natural stone paving, a pergola or arbor a splash of decorative lighting & a jacuzzi!

I live in Old Brooklyn by Rhodes High School.  Nice neighborhood, not a lot of abandonment, but there is starting to be a lot of section 8/rental properties in the area.  A lot of people from the burbs buy a cheap house, do minimal work and then put it up to rent. 

 

The front, is pretty much done, minus some flowers and a porch swing I am building.  I have a hip roof, so it encloses the porch pretty nice, I really cannot enlarge it without changing the actual roof line.  So, I am pretty much stuck with it.  Originally, I wanted to put a dormer on the second floor to use as a master bedroom, but after removing the insulation I discovered, to much dismay, that the rafters were 2x4's.  After consulting several "experts" everyone felt best to leave as is.  So, now it is a small closet/computer room. 

 

As for the walk way, it is hard to tell, but most of it sandstone.  I kinda like the way it is, so unless I win the lottery, it is probably staying the same too.  Unfortunately most of my decisions come down to money and a budget.  I am doing it all out of pocket, seen to many houses lost to home loans. 

 

 

There are alot of unique holmes over there, my moms family settled over, there (well a little further north)  when they first moved to the states.

 

2X4s!  wow!

 

You live in a great neighborhood for "finds". 

 

In regard to the "salvage" store.  Its a mystery.  Its like people are sworn to secrecy and take the location of this place to their graves.  I want to say it's on Broadway but I cannot be sure, unless there is more than one location for this place.

You did an excellent job with the rehab!  That house looks great.

 

We have to start an Old Brooklyn thread here.  This is one heck of a neighborhood (I'm a fellow homeowner here and a lifelong Brooklyn/Old Brooklyn resident).

I agree with everyone else. (Including the part about the railing - hope you find some room in the budget for that)

Excellent job overall.

 

I have a bungalow as well - 1927, I think - in the West Boulevard neighborhood. I was looking at the site you referenced in the beginning about different floor plans. How did you figure out exactly which plan was yours?

How did you figure out exactly which plan was yours?

 

Honestly, it is just my best guess from the street I am on and the research I have done.  There are several other "Sears Roebuck" houses on my street, including one beautiful restored "Crescent." 

http://architecture.about.com/library/nbungalowplan-s-3086-crescent.htm

 

This is one of the most gorgeous houses on my street.  Very nice rehab on this house.

 

 

Though, I think mine is more of a Sears inspired house, I have yet to find another one that looks remotely like mine in O.B. (Based off the HIP roof mostly)

 

Being fairly new to the area, I am not sure how many "Sears" houses there are in Cleveland.  So, I may be completely off, but it looks like a pretty good guess to me.

Note: Didn't get to the update before my CA trip, I'll get to it in August...

wow that house is almost identical to the one we had in Tampa FL in the Seminole Heights neighborhood...an old street car "suburb" (3 miles from city center!) It was built in 1923 and an itty bitty 2 BR 1 bath.

How did you figure out exactly which plan was yours?

 

Honestly, it is just my best guess from the street I am on and the research I have done.  There are several other "Sears Roebuck" houses on my street, including one beautiful restored "Crescent." 

http://architecture.about.com/library/nbungalowplan-s-3086-crescent.htm

 

This is one of the most gorgeous houses on my street.  Very nice rehab on this house.

 

 

Though, I think mine is more of a Sears inspired house, I have yet to find another one that looks remotely like mine in O.B. (Based off the HIP roof mostly)

 

Being fairly new to the area, I am not sure how many "Sears" houses there are in Cleveland.  So, I may be completely off, but it looks like a pretty good guess to me.

Note: I'm updating the thread tonight to include interior pictures

 

Craftsman Bungalows are my favorite type of house.  I actually wrote a 15-page paper on them during my undergrad days at CSU.  Did you know that they were derived from the British bangala when the Brits colonized India? 

 

There are Craftsman Bungalows all over Old Brooklyn.  I particularly like the stretch of Oak Park between State and Broadview.  That's my favorite street in Cleveland.

Supposedly, somewhere in Cleveland there is a store that sales old savaged items from houses in Cleveland (baseboards, moldings, handles), But I have yet been able to find it.  At least a dozen people have told me about this store, but NO ONE knows where it is at.

 

There are several stores like that in the Lorain Avenue antiques district. And it's not just homes from which they salvage decent materials. In the late 1980s, one of the stores recovered the brass railings from Cleveland Union Terminal for pennies on the dollars from Forest City Enterprises. The store sold them for thousands of dollars. I'd hate to think some were sold for scrap.

 

But they do have housing fixtures, doors, moldings etc. I can't say for sure which stores have these items, but I'm pretty sure that it isn't just one store in that district that deals in salvaged items.

 

Check it out and let us know what you find.

^Good lord, there are tons of these places on Lorain. The Antiques in the Bank is a gold mine. I'm going there for an old door tomorrow afternoon.  Its at 4133 Lorain Ave.

 

by the way, if you can't find something, just ask the attendant. They have an entire building next door that serves as a warehouse.

A little update on some of the inside work I have done. 

 

This is a before and after shot of the dining room / living room.  Note that I moved a door into the 2nd bedroom from the living room into the dining room to give it a better flow (I did the same thing to the master bedroom which entered through the kitchen).

 

Before

 

 

After

 

 

 

Here has been the latest project.  I gutted the kitchen to the studs and sub-floor.  I really wish I would have taken more before shots, but I really underestimated the scope of this project and it ended up being more work than I thought it was going to be.  I physically changed the entire layout of the kitchen.  I ended up moving a gas line and  redoing a lot my plumbing with CPVC.  Since I wanted to do everything to code.  I ended up running all new electric and upgraded my service box.  I am still not completely done.  I have to install the trim work and install the wall cabinets, but this is pretty much how it is going to look.  (I will update when the work is complete.)

 

Before:

 

After:

 

 

 

The next project is knocking out the dining room ceiling and lofting the house.  I think its going to look really nice when done and open the house up. 

Great job.  You did all that by yourself? 

 

Nice molding work.

 

I'm interested to know why you chose such a bold color for the kitchen?

Yeah, I did it all myself.  I am a fairly decent drywaller when I want to be.  My walls look great, but the I wish I would have stamped the ceiling.  You can make out a seem right down the middle.  I got sick of doing it and did a poor job.  The color, I don't know why I choose it.  I saw it in a friends house and thought it would match the golden oak cabinets and ivory tile floor.  I really hoping the trim works make the walls stand out.  Think it is a little to dark for a kitchen?

Very nice!!

OK, my Lakewood condo rehab is not by choice. I've lived in this 41-year-old condo (same age as me) for 12 years...

 

On June 13, sometime between 1:30 a.m. (when I went to bed) and 2:30 a.m. (when I heard pounding on my door from the neighbor below me) the toilet tank in my full bath cracked open a quarter of an inch from the top rim to the drain. The tank was trying in vain to refill for perhaps as long as an hour. Instead, it filled the bathroom and kitchen to their threshholds. And it thoroughly soaked two-thirds of my carpeting and padding, as well as drywall in the hallway. No room was unaffected. Quick action by my neighbor and I using a carpet cleaner to suck up water kept the damage to ONLY $10,000. I'm putting an additional $2,000 of my own money into this project to make some additional improvements, including new bathroom decor, pipes, toilets, sinks, shelves, painted ceilings, new closet floor, etc. etc. Insurance covered the resultant damage from the cracked toilet tank (ie: the $10K).

 

Carpet padding has been gone since the flood June 13, along with some sections of the old carpet which were cut out and taken as samples for insurance/replacement purposes. I've been sleeping on the sofa in my home office since Wednesday when the renovations crew finally got here and will have to continue to do so until at least Thursday. Two days ago on Friday, with three renovations workers plus a plumber laboring here, my condo looked like the setting for an episode of "Flip This House"!!

 

 

My living room has looked like this since June 13...

 

Except for the newly missing carpeting my dining room has also looked like this since June 13...

 

The hallway outside the full bathroom (which ironically suffered no damage other than the broken toilet) saw the worst damage, including water-logged drywall...

 

My bedroom has been unusuable since Wednesday, and looks worse than this now...

 

Aside from my kitchen and two bathrooms, my office is the only usable room in the house. I've spent 99 percent of my time in here, including sleeping on the sofa...

 

Things should FINALLY get back to normal by the end of this week. It's been so long since I've had full use of my condo that I'm having a hard time believing it will ever be normal again. It's been a horrible summer here. But I hope to be able to show you all a condo that looks almost brand-new. I really really really can't wait!!

Think it is a little to dark for a kitchen?

 

Yes very much so as that color makes the room "feel" smaller.  If it was a focal or accent wall that color might work. 

 

Have you thought about painting the walls in a lite slate or gray blue and throwing up some glass tiles to reflect light?

 

Or painting the walls in alternating 12" or 18" horizontal strips, that are two and three shades lighter than the cabinets.  That would then make your counter tops the focal point.  Paint the ceiling a super high gloss and buy some brushed nickel or stainless steel hardware for the cabinets.  If you really wanted to go an extra mile, distress and repaint the cabinets in a suede, burnt sand, antelope or camel.

I agree with you, it was a lot darker than I thought it was going to be.  Unfortunately I think it is going to stay that way for at least the rest of this year.  I have other projects that I want to start.  The horizontal strips are a great idea though, I might incorporate that when I get back around to it.  I need to hire you before I make my next color choice

 

 

 

 

 

When picking paint color, ALWAYS double-check with a gay. Just like we should always check with a hetero before trying to work on a car.

I agree with you, it was a lot darker than I thought it was going to be.  Unfortunately I think it is going to stay that way for at least the rest of this year.  I have other projects that I want to start.  The horizontal strips are a great idea though, I might incorporate that when I get back around to it.  I need to hire you before I make my next color choice

 

What else are you doing?

Since you kitchen is a rectangle and has various openings, the strips would do wonders from keeping the eyes from wandering.  What type of accessories are you planning on using on the walls? 

 

Hire me...we'll you might get your chance I'm thinking of doing staging as soon as I get fired.  lol

When picking paint color, ALWAYS double-check with a gay. Just like we should always check with a hetero before trying to work on a car.

 

But what if we don't want our dens of utter testosteronic manlyness to instead be like...

When picking paint color, ALWAYS double-check with a gay. Just like we should always check with a hetero before trying to work on a car.

But what if we don't want our dens of utter testosteronic manlyness to instead be like...

We'll there are thousands of lesbians at Home Depot or Lowes. I'm sure they would willing to consult.

 

Now what are you doing with your renovation?

When picking paint color, ALWAYS double-check with a gay. Just like we should always check with a hetero before trying to work on a car.

 

But what if we don't want our dens of utter testosteronic manlyness to instead be like...

 

Gonna let ya in on a little secret - if a gay looks at your place and recoils in horror, it's likely a woman (one with taste worth mentioning) would do the same. Don't try to understand them, we do - and it's scary - but be nice and we'll do our best to translate.

Gonna let ya in on a little secret - if a gay looks at your place and recoils in horror, it's likely a woman (one with taste worth mentioning) would do the same. Don't try to understand them, we do - and it's scary - but be nice and we'll do our best to translate.

This secret also works for your wardrobe, shoes, accessories and furnishings.  :wink:

When picking paint color, ALWAYS double-check with a gay. Just like we should always check with a hetero before trying to work on a car.

 

But what if we don't want our dens of utter testosteronic manlyness to instead be like...

 

Hey take his advice! Think about it. A woman walking into your condo and seeing nice accent walls would be like you walking into a woman's apt and seeing an elaborate train setup :)

 

 

 

Hey take his advice! Think about it. A woman walking into your condo and seeing nice accent walls would be like you walking into a woman's apt and seeing an elaborate train setup :)

 

Then I'll know she's a dyke!

 

Don't worry. No women will see the inside of my place.

 

Now what are you doing with your renovation?

 

In addition to the insurance-paid repairs (new drywall, painting of all walls, painting of most trim, and tomorrow, installation of new carpeting in all rooms), I replaced both toilets, replaced a built-in bathroom sink cabinet in the big bathroom, replaced tile around the front of the cabinet to create a "kick plate" of sorts, replaced the sink bowl, replaced faucets/hardware for sinks in two bathroom, replaced the water shut-off valves for the big bathroom, replaced the wallpaper in the small bathroom, painted the trim in the small bathroom, painted the ceiling in the small bathroom, replaced the flooring in my utility closet, painted the cieling in my office, painted several doors, put up new curtains in my office and bedroom, washed the ceiling in my big bathroom, repaired small cracks in walls and ceilings, filled nail holes, and probably some other stuff I'm forgetting.

 

By this time next week, I'll have a pretty new place.

Pictures please!

I will. Most of the carpeting is in. Shelves and curtains go up this weekend, as well as new grout into the main bathroom. Hallway wallpaper goes up next week.

 

Everything is in boxes, so it's like I'm moving in all over again. I have A LOT of cleaning to do, too. You never realize how dirty your place is until you start moving things around. Today my condo was like a Rubik's Cube as we had to move "everything" from one room to the next in order to install the wall-to-wall carpeting.

 

But among the new drywall, paint, carpeting and adhesive for the carpeting, my place smells brand-new. I can smell it as soon as I get off the elevators down the hall from my condo. I actually yelled "yay" when the carpet guys buzzed in this morning. It means the end is nigh!

Noo. Carpet sucks. Get hardwood floors. I don't think it costs any more in the long run.

Noo. Carpet sucks. Get hardwood floors. I don't think it costs any more in the long run.

 

We'll I'm no fan of carpet but to each his own.  Hardwood floors are a lot of maintenance and time. Keeping them dust free is a bitch!

Hardwood floors are nice to look at. But I like walking around in my bare feet and consider carpet much warmer. And I had berber carpet, which I loved and got replaced with berber.

 

Here's a few before-and-afters from what I've pretty much finished thus far....

 

Bedroom before....

 

Bedroom after, after the walls and trim were painted, cracks in the plaster were filled, the new carpet installed and new curtains put up. I also reoriented all the furniture to emphasize the window and the new curtains...

 

Office before....

 

Office after, after the walls and trim were painted, cracks in the plaster were repaired, painted the ceiling, new carpet installed, new curtains, new shelves, put one of my 27-inch TVs in the office, and made a few minor changes....

 

 

Sorry I don't have a photo of the half-bath before, but here it is after (sorry I forgot to take my cell phone charger cable down!!). I replaced the toilet, replaced the faucet/hardware, fixed the door which wouldn't latch, painted the ceiling, painted the trim and replaced the wallpaper...

 

Here's the full bath where the flood started with the broken toilet tank. I replaced this toilet, replaced the sink cabinet, chose new faucet/hardware, chose new door handles, and since the sink cabinet was smaller I looked for a kickplate or a threshold that might fit the opened space to fill the opened space between the tiles and the cabinet. Couldn't find anything that fit. So we made our own "kickplate" with tiny brick-like tiles and grouted them in. We also had to restore the tiles on the left side of the cabinet which pulled out when we ripped out the old sink cabinet. A lot of painstaking work...

 

 

 

I'll be able to show you more after the wallpaper goes in along the hallway after Wednesday. But it will be the same wallpaper that's in the half-bath.

I like that desk under the window in your office.  LOL

 

You can always have radiant heat installed.

What desk below the window? That's a dresser, which I use for office supplies, maps, etc. The dresser is a hand-me down from my parents who bought in in the late-1960s. I like the color and I gave it an oil rubdown today which really brings out the color even more.

 

I have radiant heaters (two cove heaters and one panel heater). There is a cove heater in the office (above the sofa-bed -- you can see the wall-mounted thermostat for it) and another in my living room. The panel heater is in my bedroom, but not visible in the photos. It's to the left side in the bedroom pictures.

 

The heaters are awesome. They're a wash in my electric bill from having my furnace's fan not running anywhere nearly as often. The savings comes with sharply reduced use of natural gas.

What desk below the window? That's a dresser, which I use for office supplies, maps, etc. The dresser is a hand-me down from my parents who bought in in the late-1960s. I like the color and I gave it an oil rubdown today which really brings out the color even more.

 

It looks like a return desk.  It's from the 60's, thats why I like it.  It's solid and shows.

Looks nice.  I think the 60's dresser is cool and contemporary, but I'm wondering what college dorm you stole that half of a bunk bed set from?  And I didn't know they sold wooden toilet seats anymore, but it's better than the cushioned old lady style.

That was my bed from college, but it's not part of a bunk bed nor did I ever stay in a dorm. I did have a bunk bed when I was a kid and the wooden frame is sitting in my storage locker in my building's basement. I use the bed above because it has drawers in it and I need the storage space.

 

I've thrown out at least one dumpster full of stuff so far.

Have you thought about building a seamless closet for storage and making it a focal wall?

I don't know what a seamless closet is or a focal wall. Please explain. I have five closets in my unit, plus two storage lockers in the building's basement. Both storage lockers are packed to the ceilings and I had boxes of stuff (mostly newsletters -- I'm editor of the Ohio Passenger Rail News newsletter) stacked in my unit

I don't know what a seamless closet is or a focal wall. Please explain. I have five closets in my unit, plus two storage lockers in the building's basement. Both storage lockers are packed to the ceilings and I had boxes of stuff (mostly newsletters -- I'm editor of the Ohio Passenger Rail News newsletter) stacked in my unit

 

I'm going to say a prayer.  LMAO!

 

Ok, I'm sure i'm not going to use profesional terms but you could build or have built in your second bedroom a closet that looks like a wall when closed. or custom storage unit that takes up an entire wall similar to this.

 

It helps and you eliminate unneeded furniture.

 

 

Pretty cool. I would need about four of those.

Pretty cool. I would need about four of those.

Actually, they are much larger than they look.  If interested, Check Closets by design, I think you can get a free consultation.  I think they are in N. Olmsted or Westlake.

That house is awesome. Great work!  :clap:

 

And great condo work too. I'm digging the kickplate, and the drawers along the window.

OK, here's the last pictures of the rehab, $12,600+ later ($10k of that was insurance to fix flood damage from the broken toilet)..........

 

New carpeting, new paint, lots of cleaning of dust, etc. This is the first time my living room has been back "in order" since the flood June 13:

 

I've since bought another cabinet for all my videotapes, rather than pile them on top my entertainment center I've had since I got an off-campus condo at Kent State un 1985:

 

New floor in the utility closet (which wasn't flooded). I just wanted to get rid of the asbestos tiles in there. The closet was also jammed with stuff, most of which I threw away:

 

More pictures of my office, which shows the new carpeting, wall paint and one of my electric cove heaters which saves me from paying for natural gas (the other is in my living room -- I also have a panel heater in my bedroom):

 

 

 

Dining room. The place "smells" new:

 

 

One of the reasons why I bought this condo 12 years ago was this built-in china cabinet:

 

Bedroom, showing off my new comforter. I'm still "moving back in":

 

Kitchen. There was a half-inch of water in here from the broken toilet, which began leaking at shortly after 1:30 a.m. I painted some walls in here and installed the new ventilator over the stove in the past week. The old one was rusty, crusty and NASTY!!

 

The hallway where most of the damage was. They ripped out drywall, replastered everything, put in new carpet and then put in the new wallpaper this past week. I love my rebuilt condo. Can't you just smell the new carpet, new paint, new plaster, new wallpaper paste. Ahhhh!!!

^ KJP, is that Maury Povich that's on the tv in the entertainment center? ;)

 

Nice work!  And pretty quick too for everything you had to do!  I love the smell of new stuff :)

Dining room. The place "smells" new:

 

Is that a katana on the piece of furniture behind the table?