Finding House Parts in Nashville

When renovating our 1920’s Bungalow over the past few years, I had to find places other then Home Depot and Lowes to buy house parts that looked like they belonged in a home this old. You can buy the paint and caulk at these stores, but where do you go when you need an old wood door, or a fireplace mantle? Here are some suggestions:

Habitat For Humanity Home Store, 1001 8th Ave South
Habitat runs two stores that are only blocks from each other. Both stores have new/used items that were donated to be sold so they can raise money to build more Habitat Homes. This store, on South 8th has home/office furnishings like filing cabinets, light fixtures, textiles, mirrors and more.

Habitat For Humanity Home Store, 908 Division Street
This store is packed with hundreds of old doors, windows and all kinds of building materials. You can also find kitchen cabinets, bathroom fixtures, paint, flooring and more. The best stuff goes quickly, so you might need to come back often to see what you can find. They post some of their items online so click here to see what I’m talking about.

Hailey’s Salvage & Building Material, 1224 Dickerson Pike
Tons of building materials salvaged from demolitions and renovations. Find clawfoot tubs, vintage sinks, ornate mantles and fireplace surrounds. Might be a great source for items for your rental property. Free tip: Bring the pickup when you go.

Preservation Station, 1809 8th Ave South
After you buy doors at the Habitat Home Store, this is the place to go to buy your antique hinges and doorknobs. They also carry a variety of old doors and light fixtures. This is not a discount store. They carry architectural antiques, which means they are pricey and rare. When you’re looking for that perfect chandelier for your 1905 Victorian home, this is the place to start. They also buy items if you have any antique house parts to get rid of.

Okay, that’s my list. Be careful, though. It’s very easy to find something at these stores that you love, but you don’t really have a place for. You may end up renovating your home just to have a place to put it…

-Peter
www.NashvilleCityHomes.com

Do the Landscaping ASAP!

Most people have a long "to-do list" for their homes. My advice, do the landscaping first.

Okay, maybe you should fix the faulty wiring or other safety concerns first. But then, ASAP, do the landscaping.

Since I was a kid, I've enjoyed watching plants grow, especially ones that I had planted. At our last home, a serious fixer-upper, we had lived there for a couple years before we finally took the landscaping seriously, and that's one regret that I have. Once we finally installed some new plants and a bed of mulch the home was transformed.

In addition, we enjoyed the home so much more! Every time we drove up we had a renewed pride and excitement as we watched the plants mature. We wished that we had taken time to start with the landscaping because it made such a profound affect on how we enjoyed the home. It was still a rough home on the inside, but the blooming flowers reminded us of the finish line and gave us a glimpse of what could be.

Having moved into a new home last summer, we have just started re-landscaping. It has been a huge project, since all of the home's landscaping had fallen to much neglect for many years, but what a payoff!

Of course, landscaping can be a great way to boost your curb appeal (if you do it right). There's a great article on Bob Vila's website where they say you can boost your home's value by 20%. I'm not sure how they get those numbers, but without a doubt, it will make your home more attractive to a future home buyer.

A word of caution... don't bite off more than you can chew. If you lack a green thumb, start with a small, manageable section to landscape and try to select low maintenance plants. A good start is usually to just clean up what you have by pulling weeds and trimming trees. For some homes even this first step will greatly increase your curb appeal! :)

Go to it!

-Peter

http://www.nashvillecityhomes.com/

Where Few Homeowners Dare to Tread

In 2003 my family moved into a scary fixer upper in East Nashville. The 1920's bungalow had potential, but it was under many layers of bad remodeling and neglect.

Determined to do things right, I went where few homeowners dare to tread- Metro Codes.

Yes, I actually applied for the appropriate permits and had all the inspections done. Having passed my final inspection, today was the glorious day to go pick up the Use and Occupancy permit that says that the house is ready to be lived in.

It's a great feeling, but I must take a moment to make a couple observations:

1. Most homeowners will not have the stomach for the process. It's not that it's so difficult, it's just unknown- What do you need a permit for? What is 'up to code' anyway? What inspections will I need to have? How do I order the inspections? Who can I call to ask questions? The system seems obviously designed to dissuade homeowners from acquiring permits, but probably doing the work anyway, right?

2. The inspections are somewhat lacking. I'm not necessarily complaining here :) , but I stayed awake a night going over the renovations in my head hoping I had done everything right and then the inspector barely took a look before passing my work. Again- It's fine with me, but it's very easy to see how shoddy work can get through the system, especially if it looks good on the surface.

3. One good thing to mention- The codes dept. has greatly improved their accessibility. When first got my permit in 2003, it was impossible to reach anyone by phone. You just had to go downtown to ask even a simple questions. Now, they have posted phone numbers for everyone in the department online so you can usually reach someone by phone. The couple of times that I've left messages, I got calls back the next morning, which is great.

At the end, I'm glad I jumped through all of the hoops. Since I was selling the home, I certainly didn't want anything to come up later about me not having all the right permits for the work I did. It also helped my confidence along the way.

-Peter

www.NashvilleCityHomes.com

Water Can Kill a House

I see it all the time. The evidence of water damage to homes. Weakened foundations, rot, mold in crawlspaces, cracks in foundations, etc.

I was just reading an article in This Old House magazine (which I highly recommend) about ways to handle water runoff and make it look good. Their suggestion of making a ditch look like a stone creekbed isn't for every home, but even minor repairs can sometimes keep water from running into your crawlspace undetected.



I'm not an expert on this. After all, I'm just a Realtor,right? However, I go to all my buyer's home inspections and I've got the best inspector in town- he is very instructional and wildly informed on everything in your home. Nearly every home inspection includes some kind of note regarding water entry or the need for better runoff.

Here are a couple real life situations that I saw just recently:

CASE 1: I had some buyer's that fell in love with a house built in 2005. It was a beautiful brick home in a nice subdivision near Brentwood. The inspections were going well with no unexpected issues until we finally got to the crawlspace. Here it was discovered that water was regularly draining in and there was quite a bit of fungal growth present. Yikes!! [THIS is why you ALWAYS do a home inspection when purchasing a home] The inspector thought that perhaps the homes were so close that there was nowhere for the water to run, so it was going into the crawlspace.

CASE 2: Another buyer of mine had a contract on a lovely home out west of Nashville toward Percy Warner Park. Again, things were going reasonably well at the home inspection until the inspector came out of the crawlspace and mentioned something about a "swimming pool" and mold. Apparently, an addition on the back of the home was too far below grade and water was congregating under that section of the house. Once again, my fearless inspector saved my clients a huge headache down the road.

Since then, both of these clients have found other homes.

Anyway, here are some maintenance tips that I've accumulated:

1. Clean your gutters- Clogged gutters may lead to rotted eaves or standing water next to your foundation.

2. Add some gutter extensions, not just a rock under the downspout- You want to lead water as far as possible away from your home. My inspector always says at least 10 feet.

3. Make sure your drainage pipes are not clogged- Many homes are built where the downspouts direct water into black corrugated pipe that deposits water away from the home. This looks nice, but make sure that this pipe does not get crushed or otherwise blocked.

4. Landscape so that water runs away from the home- Okay, this may be obvious, but so often I see homes with landscape beds that tend to collect water next to the home. We also have many homes built on hills where water is practically directed right toward the home. If grading isn't enough then a French drain may be needed to get the water away.

Don't be afraid. If you're looking to purchase a home and have a quality home inspector, these types of issues should be found out. If you haven't found a Realtor to guide you through the process, then call me today.

-Peter

www.NashvilleCityHomes.com
REALTOR. City Home Specialist.