One Project Closer

Andy’s Build a Better Bungalow blog is one of the first I found in my houseblogging adventures.  We connected right away–we’re both in the same stage of life, and in the same stage on our basements :-)  Andy’s interview responses below are fantastic.  Without offending my previous interviewees, this is one of the best I’ve read.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I did, and will visit Andy’s blog after you read here.

One update before I roll on to the questions:  Andy mentions a nursery in this interview that wasn’t yet filled with a little one.  Since then, he and his wife have become the parents of a beautiful baby boy, A.J.  When you drop by his blog, make sure to send congrats.  (P.S. you can access the pictures from his flickr bar on the left).

What’s your house blog name and web address?

Building a Better Bungalow at http://buildbetterbungalow.blogspot.com or www.mychicagobungalow.com.

Is this your first house blog? (If not, what others have you had?)

It’s my first house blog, but I have a personal blog as well, that really doesn’t get updated as much, since my house is my life nowadays. It’s not nearly as interesting as the house blog — mostly just a journal for my kid(s) and grandkid(s) someday to have, if they want it. I don’t link the two though. You know, church vs. state. It’s just less to worry about, and if anyone cared, they could easily find either blog.

Describe your house for us:

We own a Chicago-style bungalow in the heart of the North Side Bungalow Belt (in the Portage Park area) of Chicago. It was built in May of 1922, according to the paperwork, which means we moved in the same month the house turned 85 years old. It’s a flat-face brick bungalow (as opposed to the octagon-face bungalows that you more typically see highlighted when people talk about Chicago bungalows). It has your standard centralized floor plan, where the entryways to all the rooms on the main floor essentially “pivot” around a point in the center of the home, a revolutionary floorplan of the 1920s, from what I’ve read. The kitchen was completely redone and totally upgraded in the ’90s by a PO, and it’s really the gem of the house. Most of the rest of the first floor features original, UNPAINTED woodwork, and the entire first floor is the original hardwood floors refinished (kitchen included). The attic is finished and dormered on one side with two HUGE bedrooms and a full bath, and there’s a full bath downstairs. The basement is finished, but outdated, big-time. We have a nice-sized yard for a city lot, and, bonus in the yard, we have a hot tub, which I will be looking to get rid of (possibly sell) when the weather warms up. I simply won’t use it. So if you think you might want it…

What made you buy this house?

I LOVE Chicago bungalows. Always have. But why THIS house? Well, the kitchen was an immense reason. “Typical” Chicago bungalows feature kitchens in the 9×12 or 10×11 range, with typically a galley-style floorplan. Usually. Back then, kitchens were not a social gathering spot, but a utilitarian room. Food was made there and eaten in the dining room. So there was no space needed. Well, the PO blew out the back wall to the back porch and made the entire back porch part of the kitchen. We have an unbelievable amount of counter and cabinet space (though nostalgic me wanted a pantry, honestly), and we have an island AND an eat-in area for a table and chairs. However, it’s a very, VERY good job in keeping with the general character of the house. It’s really, honestly, the best redone kitchen we saw in a Chicago bungalow (one was more beautiful, but smaller), and it didn’t use what I call the Home Depot Special materials you see in all the home redos (including, I admit, my condo’s half-bath, which I redid, beautifully, I think, for $900). Also, the fact that it was four bedrooms because of the upstairs, and that the basement was finished (though way outdated) made this the perfect house, once it came down in price to our range, since it was way overpriced originally.

What’s the biggest, hardest, or craziest (pick one or more) project you’ve completed so far?

Despite the blog count, we haven’t done a TON of big, hard, crazy projects. Though, given the opportunity to do it over, I’d have said screw painting the wood paneling in the nursery and would have ripped it down and drywalled it. Partially because it was a total pain to prime and paint, but partially because I really don’t know if there’s functioning, properly installed insulation, any leaks or any other weirdness behind the walls. However, the room is painted, looks great and is patiently awaiting the newborn, due any day now. So that’s the end of that. Too bad, so sad on checking back there, I guess.

What project(s) are you working on now?

Well, aside from working on getting the baby born, healthy and home, the basement family room remodel is a work-in-progress. Next on the docket, after we get the baby back, is to get the plumber out here to improve the water pressure. When the POs installed the two full baths and the hot tub outside, they didn’t upgrade the pipe size for the supply from the city, so we can’t take two showers at the same time, or water the lawn and wash dishes, etc. Hopefully, his changes will fix that. Then, I can also continue to demo and rebuild the family room. We need a big, safe, quiet and warm spot for the kid to play in once it grows big enough.

What’s the biggest project you haven’t started yet?

There are a couple, mostly warm-weather related. I need to improve our curb appeal with a new garden in front and fresh paint on the limestone accents and window trim. More importantly, our ancient backyard fence is falling down, currently being held up by a couple old 2×6s propped against the deck. Not the safest, but no other option right now. Lastly, I have to get rid of the hot tub and rickety walls and roof they put over it, to give us full use of the backyard. The only other major thing I can think of right now is painting, everywhere.

Is there a room or area in your house that you love the most? Why?

I love my living room/dining room, and we haven’t even changed a thing in it, even the paint color. My point is, I love it even with the details that I don’t like, so I can’t imagine once I change out the window treatments, paint the walls and change out the light fixtures how much more I’ll love it. I wanted a bungalow with original features, and aside from one of the POs knocking out the traditional stained glass window in the LR, these two rooms take the cake. The woodwork in the whole house, truthfully, is top notch, and I love woodwork.

Would you buy your house again? (Why/why not)

Realistically, yes. Theoretically, not right away. We probably overpaid for the house, as we bought just as the market was turning. Yes, the price dropped, but I can’t imagine how much farther it might have slipped it we’d have sat on it a while longer. Then again, there was honestly only one other house on par with this in our minds, and that was at the top of our range. So we probably would have bought it. Not that I’m regretting it, I’m not. But thank God we bought this as a “30-year” house, because it’ll take some time to recoup what the terrible market has sucked out of the price, probably.

Would you like to add anything else?

I think this is a great idea, and I love being interviewed, rather than giving the interview, which is my full-time gig. Fred, this might be something worth expanding somehow…don’t know how, but hey, who knows? Anyway, kudos to you for updating most every day, thanks for the opportunity, and readers, thanks for reading and sharing your opinions on my blog and here on Fred’s. It’s good to share thoughts, experiences, and hey, even to brag and boast a little about accomplishments. It makes everyone get that “can do” enterprise back in their lives.

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Andy, thanks again for interviewing, and for the kind words.  I certainly hope that OPC expands - but who knows.  We really enjoy the entire houseblogs community. 

If you’ve a houseblog and would like to interview here, just send us an e-mail to oneprojectcloser@gmail.com.  We’d love to have you!