By Michael Hargrave:
Rehabbing old houses in not an easy task. Rehabbing houses that haven’t been lived in for years is an even more daunting task. Just ask Dave Weitzel. His recent purchase of 458 Vermont Street represents yet another step towards clearing the streets of the West Side of vacant homes, but the process to fix up the old two-storey duplex and the additional house behind it is going to be arduous.
Dave took me on a tour of his new property (both houses) in order to help me understand the challenges that folks looking to rehab abandoned houses can face. Our tour started in the second house, a small, low two-storey building that was built behind the original house.
First and foremost amongst the issues with the small building are the walls. They are thin, and I mean “I can hear my neighbors chewing cereal” thin. The outside walls are only about 2 inches thick, which is not up to city code according to Weitzel. In order to fit insulation and wiring into the walls, he estimates he will have to add an inch to the thickness of the outer walls, as well as repair all of the long-neglected damage.
The other big problem that Weitzel is going to have to tackle is the roof, and some fresh shingles aren’t going to be enough for this roof. He said that the entire structure will have to be replaced, including the support beams. Basically a similar issue as the walls. The beams just aren’t thick enough for the current building code.
Up front in the main house, the structure itself appears to be in much better shape. Water damage has destroyed much of the plaster in the home, but the basic structure doesn’t seem to be flawed. The major issue with the main house is that it is very old. Just like many of the homes in Buffalo, 458 Vermont was built for a different generation.
Originally the house was intended to be a duplex, but a cursory glance into the bedrooms reveals a significant issue. The rooms simply are not big enough, by any stretch of the imagination. I do not believe I am exaggerating at all, these bedrooms would not be able to fit even the smallest of adult beds, much less the adults intended to sleep in them.
In order to make this house usable by today’s standards, many of the walls are going to have to come down. Because of this, Weitzel’s current plans are to turn the house into a single family home instead of a duplex. He will also be tearing down the garage in order to build a new one.
Smaller rear house located directly behind larger front house – large lot with garage for all tenants to be built
Reorganizing the interior aside, the front house is not without its share of problems due to neglect and abandonment. Most of the copper has been stripped from the house. Plumbing has been cut out and old wiring has been yanked from the walls. This means that Weitzel is going to have to replace all of the plumbing and wiring in the house. “The idea is to eliminate all of the boarded up houses in the area,” Weitzel told Buffalo Rising. “These are some of the last ones in this immediate neighborhood. I purchased the properties at the City auction for [all total] $20,000. I plan on putting $50,000 into each of the houses, converting then into single family residences and then selling them once they have been restored. It’s a heavy lift, but the West Side needs more turnkey single family homes.”
Along with replacing the plumbing and wiring, Weitzel is going to have to replace the roof. Unlike the rear house, the roof on the front house only needs to be re-shingled.
All in all, Weitzel has his work cut out for him. As he works through his new property, I’ll be keeping in touch with him in order to provide a window into exactly what this sort of home rehabilitation entails.