Demolition Continues...

The crew is making great progress on the demo work. It's a bit stressful though as they uncover surprises under the walls. It looks like we'll have to relocate some of the gas lines and plumbing, which is outside the scope of the original plan. Luckily, we haven't found any surprises structurally--these old row houses typically have joists that span party wall to party wall. This "feature" is handy for renovation work, adding flexibility in the fact that there are no load bearing internal walls.

Demolition Day

After a lengthy battle with the permit process, I have received approval for the building plans along with public use permits for dumpsters, etc. The photo below shows the beginning of what will be an exposed brick wall on the north side of the living room.

The Plan

See the plans below. The open floor plan gives the home a more modern feel with the new kitchen open to the living room. Also, an added bath on the second floor brings this historic rowhouse inline with today's standards.

The Search

The real estate market in the Washington DC area has tamed a bit since the market crash of '08, but still maintains decent movement when properties are priced right. Finding a rowhouse that's both a bargain and is sound structurally has been a challenge.  This property is actually the fifth that I placed an offer on--finally winning out against the competition (admittedly paying a bit more than hoped). The row house has three bedrooms, one and a half baths, situated in a typical Victorian layout. The property was last renovated in the early 70's so it contains some more modern conveniences such as modern plumbing and HVAC.

The neighborhood, Shaw, is situated on the northern end of Washington's historic core. Shaw is centrally located along U St near Ledroit Park and just north of Logan Circle. It has a rich cultural history and contains a neighborhood currently known as "Little Ethiopia".

Over the next few months, I'll chronicle the renovation project both from a planning perspective and through execution. This has been a popular topic in recent years with house flipping shows inundating HGTV and TLC. Although my goals aren't as profit oriented as some, it will be nice to stay in the black on this project.

Stay tuned...