“It’s been on the market 6 months. It’s old. It’s probably got a hundred issues. It’s probably not in a great neighborhood.”
My stream of consciousness berates me as I drive over to check out a house I stumbled across on Zillow. You see — I’m not meant to be house shopping. I actually already own a cutie 2 bed, 2 bath condo in the heart of the Queen City. A condo I’ve spent four years making my own by painting all 1,200 square feet of it, re-skinning kitchen and bath cabinets, and searching high and low for the perfect decor for every nook and cranny. This condo has been my pride and joy — so again, I repeat — why am I wasting my time driving by this house?
I pull up to the 1940s Cape Cod-style home and hop out of my car. Much to the dismay of my left side brain (think that’s the logical one?) — in one glance, this house (and nearby neighborhood) has captured my heart. White exterior, blue shutters, unassuming presence, yet character that seems to shout from the rooftops. Even though it’s December, the garden/landscaping is expansive for a small home, and I can imagine all the flowers blooming to life. 24 hours later, I’m in the house with a realtor.
Red oak original hardwoods throughout. An old-school telephone hallway nook. 4-inch baseboards. Ornate fireplace. Classic living room built-ins. I’m. In. Love. Within 30 seconds of stepping foot inside, I felt the Queen City Cape was to be mine.
Now that I’ve gushed — let’s zoom out for a minute. The reason this babe has been sitting on the market so long (which is odd for a hot market like Charlotte) is because it’s functionality is lacking. The rooms are disjointed due to remodels over the years. There’s truly only one bedroom and one bathroom (no bueno for a family). The upstairs (which the sellers claimed were two additional bedrooms) was actually a half-assed (pardon my French) 1970s attic conversion. The whole upstairs seemed to be coming apart with insulation dropping from the ceiling, pieces of the wall coming apart and odd (i.e. not up to code) electrical engineering.
Now you get it. It’s been on the market, because it needs some tender love and care. I head home to mock up a renovation plan before committing to the realtor on next steps. Here are my thoughts.
After talking through the proposed plan with a few contractors, it seemed plausible that I could get the functionality I desired within my $125,000 renovation budget. Woohoo!
My overarching goals for the house:
Balance the traditional feel of the cottage exterior with modern, mid-century modern and global design elements on the interior.
For resale, bump the house up to 3 true bedrooms and 2 full bathrooms.
Spaces with two purposes are always handy. Create a mudroom/sunroom area that doubles as a laundry and office space.
Go. Time. I closed on the house February 13 for $298,000. We began demo February 14. QC Cape — will you be mine? <3
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