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Well, I’m just about done with this 4000 sq ft house that I’ve posted here a few times. That I almost single handedly built / renovated hence the posts in “working alone”. Just as I was feeling inspired after over three years of back breaking work to kick back for a cpl of years and just build some cabinets on my hardly used Powermatic 5 hp table saw trouble came my way in a web site from the company my wifes real estate agency she works for posted. Saw a house thats over 320 years old. OIY! I’m fifty years old and just can’t seem to quit. Thing is…..hmmmm….how nuts am I? OK loaded question…duh. Anyway, I walked into this house 320+ year old empty house today. Its about a five minute drive from this house I renovated/built. In Cold Spring Harbor. 50 minutes east of NYC and past home town to Billy Joel, John Lennon, Harry Chapin, Walt Whitman (close anyway)….Jack Kerouack…..point being….its a drop dead gorgeous area. School districts is the best in the country which was the sole purpose I moved into my first 85 grand house 19 years ago that I renovated relentlessly which is what brought me to this house I’m finishing. Now that I’m just about done with this monumental gig I thought I might just kick back and just do some comfortable projects. OMG…Found a house thats 320+ years old, ya know? Ain’t in totally horrible shape and even has a small working in ground pool behind it (weird). For those of you that appreciate old houses picture this one. Check it out if you want in the www.danielgale.com” web site. Its in cold Spring Harbor. Lists for 799000. Think I can get it for about 7. I walked in it today and my knees started to buckle from excitement. Wuts up wit dat? I figure it and the 2 acres need about 2000000 in reno work but its liveable as is. You gotta see the inside of this thang. WOW. Has the original deed on the wall framed and in it it says the tiny cradle thats sitting in the living room always has to stay in the house. How cool is that? The floors are hugeeeee old planked floors with the cut nails showing and they’re painted which will need to be carefully stripped down. Told my wife if we get it our 200 year old antiques will make it look too modern…..lol. Anyway, just wondering how dumb am I to sell this after all the work and hell I been through to take on a monu-mental task like that? Just lookin’ for you all to talk me outta this…..Geezzzzz its after 2 in th morning and my minds a reelin’.
Signed….a true lover of renovations and building
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andy... gofer it
sounds big enough to turn it into a working B&B for your new builder friends..
how many bedrooms... what size is the footprint ?
here's another thot...
yeah ,right, you'll be happy screwin around with your table saw....hah, hah, hah.. t'ain't likely
*Sounds like to me, you already have your mind made up. I say go with your instincts, you know yourself by now. You will probabaly kick yourself in the ass later if you let it pass by. Just my .02 worth.
*But if you buy the house, dear Andy, you're going to have to become a restoration fanatic like me. No more of that plastic crap. You can't buy hardware at depot. You know about all the hours (not to mention bitching) to get everything right. Even using slotted screws because they didn't have phillips back then. If you don't do it, then you become personally responsible for ruining 300 years of history.Are you ready for that kind of responsibility?Your secret admirer
*Can you narrow down where it's at on the website you mentioned?
*Wow! 300+ years??? Out here in South Dakota I get pissed about the "First Mortgage Lifspan" building practices! I am working in a house built in'78 that the windows, siding, plumbing. and heating are in need of replacement. I believe in real building, not just turning a buck. If you are in the posistion and want it, go for the new project!
*Andy: I've been doing a kind of a back-breaker, too. Been telling people I'm half done for about a year now. Every square inch of a 100 year old 2 story with my own two hands cept my buddy plumbed it and I had HVAC put in.I'm thinking about a new modular next time.
*i I figure it and the 2 acres need about 2000000 in reno work but its liveable as is.200,000, right? man, I hope that's right.GO
*"Just lookin' for you all to talk me outta this"So sorry, can't do it. The house you have now is beautiful. But the 320 year old house is.....poetry."Signed....a true lover of renovations and building"I think that about says it all. Is your wife up for it? If she is then I think you are off on another fine adventure.
*Andy - Have you made you decision yet?SJ
*Andy's hiding in a corner, sweating and shaking. SHG
*BUY IT! RENOVATE IT! ,and sell it and retire,(because you'll be that old when you get it done!) On the other hand,you'll also have a rockin' good time until then.
*I like the B&B idea!!! Go for it, sounds great. rennovate responsibly, don't bastardize it with newproducts and plastic..... :)
*Update. And yeh shggy, I am hidin' shi#@* nails in the corner. We listed this house(WWW.CLIFFORDRENOVATIONS.COM) through the real estate co. my wife works for this past Thursday having only three to five days to sell (good luck, right?)Priced this house I built/renovated at 1.23 mil (good luck again..oiy). Anyway I worked feavourishly to get all the in your face kinda things done before the Friday broker open house. OK so I got a whole lot done (bout time after 3years workin' alone..lol). So now people are comin through the house and yestrday (Saturday) some young doctor and his family strut through my house and I hear them in my garage (next to my office down here). Dudes sayin' what a nice bike I have......oh great, loves my machine but no comment on my house. He goes up the stairs and I walk up two minutes later and see him and his two kids and wife and the agent in the backyard pointing up hill and down dale....and oh yeh, at my house. Calls me back an hour later and offers me 1.1......forget it. Cant do my 320 year old house after paying my mortgage half off with that #. I say nothing in return. Dude calls back an hour later and ups his own offer to 1.15 mil but wants me to finish the basement and some other things ....forget it. No time cause the other house will be gone by then. Figure he REALLY wants this house sooooo I have a 1 on 1 with the owner of the 320 year old house Monday and will plead my case. That I WILL restore the house like it was 320 years ago. His agent says he DOES care about that soooo. Thats where I'm at now.I don't know the exact footprint size of the house but its about 50x50 two stories. You can see it at DANIELGALE.COM just check COLD SPRING HARBOR N.Y price up to $800,000....It's listed for 799 on two acres and is the veryyyyyy red house built in 1680....Geezzz...Can't beleive I'm still in the game....my family thinks I'm nuts to go through all this again but at 50 I tell em'....like Neil Young says...Rusts never sleeps....my interpitation of what he said anyway....lol
*by the way I didnt mean the house and property need 2000000....needs 200000......I have a hard time with all the zeros. I aint ever been up this high.....well not at least in dollars and cents (sence)lol. And if I get this thang your all invited for a weekend.....just bring sleeping bags and or blankets and I'll get the kegs and chicken n ribs for the barbee
*Any news, Andy?
*Lisa, Thanks for asking...wahhhhhh.. Read my new thread on the main page entitled...Lunatic Building Inspector. By the way Lisa, after reading your post to this thread my wife commented that you were the only person to enquire what my wife thought of this new project..go girl. Once again,thanks for asking....wahhhhh
*Waahhh indeed! Is your house still listed? Is the 320 year old house? What a mess. Those buyers made a big mistake - maybe one day they will realize how big.Still hoping this works out for you both - that house needs you.
*Lisa Thanks. Your right it does need me. I thought it was a goner but funny enough the NEW buyer of MY 320 year old house I want had his deal fall through for some reason. I think people get scared of houses this old. Funny enough it excites me like you have no idea...well maybe you do. One problem is that this week is a holiday week and so many people are away and all I had was about two two weeks to sell my house. Anyway having another broker open house here tomorrow to see if we can get lucky. Who knows which way the wind blows.
*Andy- Somehow, you need to get all prospects for the 320yr old steered to the lunatic home inspector! Kill all the other deals!
*Keeping fingers and toes crossed for you this weekend - it only takes one buyer. I have read most of the home inspection thread; based on our experiences (have purchased 4 "distressed" homes) I think that your inspector was way over the top. Even here in California, the home of the frivilous lawsuit, the real point of inspections is to satisfy the bank that they can get their money out of the deal if the buyer defaults. When we bought our current house, the main bathroom was deteriorated to the point of being unusable. The inspector just noted that in the report and the bank made sure the numbers still added up.As your wife knows, this buy/sell thing is rarely tidy. Hang in there! After working on our last house for 12 years, adding 1000 sq. ft., restoring what we could, adding a pitched roof to the whole house, etc., we wanted a bigger yard. After 10 weeks of no offers, we sold it one weekend back to the people we bought it from 12 years earlier! They were moving back to California and were so thrilled with what we'd done they were crying. (His dad built the house in 1949.) It just takes the right buyer; hope yours' shows up in time.
*Ken..Good idea dude!Lisa...people have been walking through my house this weekend and youre right..just takes one! Wrote the 320 year old owner a real nice E-mail hoping he can hang in there a bit longer to just give me a chance. Bummer was that its been a holiday week here this past week and so many people were away. Anyway, thanks for your concern. Funny thing is the owner of the 320 year old house gave my wife an original picture of the house (which we will give back if we don't get the house) from when ever they invented cameras by the looks of the faded piture and on the back is some writings about who is who in the picture and who the owner was. Turns out the ownwers name was Andrew....my name! Hmmmmm
*Andy it's a sign. I can't wait to see you post SOLD! I know that it will happen soon. Tamara