Most everyone has had the 'restore an old home dream' at some point. Jen and Jared like many others are living that dream. Their dream, on Pennsylvania Street, is being documented in a blog, 324 Penn. The blog is a fun way to share their experience with family and friends; it wasn’t created to prove they’re heroes. But they are heroic in their own way, and I’m hoping Buffalo Rising readers use it to look over their shoulders to see what they’re doing, why they're doing it, and what problems, surprises and rewards they're experiencing.
The couple purchased their century-old home in September, put their vision to paper, and have gutted the property. Using an FHA loan allowed them to buy the house and have some funding available to renovate it. They hope to have much of the work done in four months, which is tough when they are personally tackling much of it themselves with a “ton” of help from friends. They have set a deadline of substantial completion of the interior work by the end of April and over the next couple of years intend on having the house repainted, re-landscaped and all of the extras finished.
Since the house's interior was chopped up, dark and had no original integrity other than the windows left, it became a good match for their vision. Jen and Jared really fell in love with the fact that the house is tall and skinny and is very long, making it easy to create the open floor plan they desire on the first floor.
The couple accepted that the 2,280 sq.ft. home needed work, but how much time and money they’ll put into restoration is still a secret as any such project contains surprises and unexpected delays. One of the early surprises was water damage on the first floor due to multiple leaks in the roof. That necessitated the immediate replacement of one half of the upper roof and also a smaller roof on the first floor. After interior demolition, they discovered holes in the floor from the rot, unsound structural changes that were made previously causing floors to sag, at some point there was a fire in the house, and that every window is damaged and will need to be restored.
There wasn't much to save in the house. They'll restore the fireplace, previously hidden behind wood paneling and found to be filled with plaster, and they did save the moldings from the doorways. Previous owners removed all of the original pocket doors and the wood floors were replaced with linoleum. And, at some point, someone removed a giant front window and set of double doors, which they want to eventually restore to their original sizes.
So why Pennsylvania Street? According to Jen, “Pennsylvania Street’s history and diversity tell a story of its own and we love the fact that the neighborhood has roots! The people we have met so far are amazing. The neighbors are truly welcoming.”
About a week ago, they received their building permit from the City. Kevin Murrett, the owner and architect of Architectural Resources, helped them with the permit set. They’re officially underway. People such as Jen and Jared are making a huge difference in the city and its neighborhoods- one home at a time. We’ll check in from time to time for an update on their progress. Good luck!