DW has been watching those tv shows again. She been bringing me articles cut out and the whole mag. Ive done a pretty good job of brushing her off but Deisel is redoing a livery stable as a house.
I really wanted Dan T on this one but we can discuss later .
Folks are taking buildings that were used for somthing else and making living spaces from them. Warehouses , jails , old out dated stores, different types of industrial and commercial buildings.
The jail is my very favotite and I showed it to Dan T. Ill post it later as Ive got blockers on.
I just passed up a sale on a foundry that has been in this town 150 years. An ice house I rode with Dad to as a kid to buy block ice and we wrapped the ice in quilts .
Not too long ago the train depot property sold. The city bought it .
Theres an old hospital here thats been vaccant for 15 years.
Ive heard of building a house under a very expensive old barn. Wild stuff huh?
The principle of doing it is to buy property with building cheaper than the property cost which isnt much becuse the realators cant find an azz to fit the seat . Often its give away offers accepted.
Lets take the foundry for an example . Its 50,000 sg ft of building built from native stone . In an old part of town with boo coo parking. Probably 3 acres of parking thats graveled . It set there with birds flying through it for the last 15 yrs. It was considered too expensive to tear down as the walls are 16 inches thick native stone with poured concrete walls set in interior partitians . Selling price , 60,000 dollars.
The new town via Super Center Walmart , has moved our town to the out side of town ajoining interstate. Sound familar? The old down town is historic old buildings made up of mosly old store fronts . These sit 1/4 of a mile from the university. The Waltons have pumped 21 million donation money in the campus and adm buildings. That caused admissions to rise sharply in number and price. Anyway some of the buildings are empty or house cheap tennants that move frequently.
Your thoughts on this business ?
More from me later ,…
Tim
Replies
I've often thought it would be nice to convert a fire house into a residence. It would be a nice commute - sliding down the brass pole to a woodworking shop where they once parked the fire engines.
Converting a small church into a house would provide a great space for me to gather with my musician friends and play music.
-Jazzdogg-
"Don't ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and go do that, because what the world needs is people who have come alive." Gil Bailie
This is a jail Dan and I looked at which was the real reason we ate where we did across from it . This building sets on the river ,.. actually . Its located in down town Ozark Ar. Its the Arkansas River and is right above the lock and dam which has a lot of barge traffic.
didnt take , opps.
Get much foot traffic around Halloween?-Jazzdogg-
"Don't ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and go do that, because what the world needs is people who have come alive." Gil Bailie
Get much foot traffic around Halloween?
Around the jail? Im not sure , its in a town 20 miles away.
Tim
Looks like a great venue for scaring the bejeezus out of trick-or-treaters!
-Jazzdogg-
"Don't ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and go do that, because what the world needs is people who have come alive." Gil Bailie
LOL , or a jail house rock rendition.
Tim
Why did they put a fire hydrant on top of the jail? LOL
sertiuosly what is the yellow thing on top?
I dunno, Dan didnt crawl up there ! <G>
Tim
i like it ... how's the roof ?
View ImageMike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
I dont really know anything about it other than looking at it walking around it. It says its a lawyers office but its never open.
Its in a wet county and we are in a dry one . We eat barbecue quite often across the street from it and standing out side waiting for a table .
If you move the ppic top the right you can see a little of the river to know how close it is .
What would you do with it ?
Tim
how big is it ? looks maybe 32' x 32'
if it's a nice town , i'd probably convert it to a residence... will the rents support the investment and the remodel ?
i could live in it ..Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
"if it's a nice town , i'd probably convert it to a residence... will the rents support the investment and the remodel ?"
No way.
For one thing as you mentioned , its not very big but it is two story.
I havent even been in it but I imagine its jail cells up stairs by looking at it out side .
I vision a higher price eating experience in a jail cell with the option of over looking the river or over the town as you dine . History on the wall of the hangings and judges, etc. . Issac Parkers court room is 40 miles away. There should be a veranda on both floors for out side dinning and drinking.
I dont know if its nice enough around it to make a nice home . You can see next door in the pic. Theres a parking lot directly across the street. srrounded by very old buildings. However the place doesnt have enough parking . Thats really the problem . So mebbe a high priced residence. The building would probably cost what a good house costs right now . I think its high priced realestate sitting right on the river . We dont have very much of that .
Tim
If the university's going better... the word "rooming house" comes to mind. And after hearing about the antics of students... I would KEEP the bars on the windows (VBG)
locolobo
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
If the university's going better... the word "rooming house" comes to mind. And after hearing about the antics of students... I would KEEP the bars on the windows (VBG)
Not the same town .
Tim
I love to see these old building remodeled and used for something fun.
Unfortunately, it's hard to see anything profitable in them as rentals or for resale since remodel expenses of decent quality can be more than basic new constrution.
There probably are some do-it-yourself types that could do wonders with the space, with dirt cheap labor.
It would be a fun property to take apart and reassemble on a big hobby ranch as a guest house. There are deep pockets that love these quirky additions to their western getaway. What's it cost to ship a few hundred tons of rock across the country these days? *chuckle*
Tim, I'd be more interested in the foundry. Around here, we have old textile mills and tobacco warehouses, and lot have been converted to shopping spaces, others into living/condo stuff...This is college area, too, and a lot of very talented crafts people like living around here. I've always thought it would be cool to convert one of these huge places into an artisan comlex...kinda like the Torpedo Factory in DC, or the McGuffy School in Charlottesville...that jail's way too small for that, ha! I need a dump truck, baby, to unload my head
Cheap labour .
My middle name . <G>
Ive always preached on here that the guys here should be the ones reaping the rewards from buying and selling real estate . That would make the labour portion cheaper. In a remodel its always the case.
Tim
Tim, Ponytl is doing a conversion & has posted about it several times. That foundry might work, but he has an inexhaustible supply of stuff he's collected for pennies on the dollar that makes it possible. Might not be profitable if you had to pay retail for materials.
There's a resturant in (I think, been awhile) Ely NV that has jail cells. Livingston MT old train station got bought by city & converted to Yuppie shops, Richmond Va. old tobacco warehouses same, Yuppie shops.
Them dammm Yuppies are everywhere looking for expensive coffee, you might as well provide the spot.
Joe H
Turn it into a theme motel. Keep the cells. Lol.
Tim
I could see turning that jail house into a residence. I've helped convert a couple churches and a barn. Seen an old bank converted, several other buildings.
I've often thought about converting a barn, even have one picked out to do it to if only I could get the farmer to sell it to me!
I don't know that I see anybody thinking that converting a commercial building to residential is done with the mind set that they are saving large sums of cash, the ones I've been involved with certainly didn't and I know the HOers and they didn't seam to have that in mind.
I guess if the thought was to convert a large commercial building to multifamily(like your foundry example) then maybe so but not single family units.
Doug
the big thing here in town now, down town. is bottom floor, shops, sport bars etc, and upstair very luxury apartments for the downtown white collar worker. alot of business are renting them for out of town vistitors.
We have some of that as well.
Tim
add to consideration whether to cater to townies or visitors.
as a visitor, the bldg looks like a cool bed-n-breakfast in a "historic" bldg with a river view. if it's not big, then maybe a 2 or 3 unit dwelling with possibly one unit rented or owned by a manager for the other appts/B&Bs. ( a big plus, advertise as walking distance to the best bbq in town).
Id like any thoughts on anything as it doesnt have a subject . I put the jail up as an example to the business.
But I like the direction you took with it and thanks for sharing .
"I guess if the thought was to convert a large commercial building to multifamily(like your foundry example) then maybe so but not single family units."
Not condos huh? I had not even thought about that . We dont have any either and Ive wondered about it .
Tim
Tim
Back in Cedar Rapids, Ia. where I'm from someone got ahold of some grant money and took an old(1890's - 1900's) brick warehouse and converted it to apartments. I had heard that they spent somewhere in the neighborhood of $80,000 per unit to do this. That's the cumulative cost divided by the units finished.
I remember Al Gore coming to CR and giving this group some special award for there achievement.
It left the city up in arms for a while debating the cost per unit on this project. Last I heard they cant keep the place filled, a lot of Leased Housing(gov subsidized) tenants.
At the same time I was doing some volunteer work for HFH and we were able to put up a house for less money then these apartments cost, didn't make sense to me.
There is a building here in San Marcos, TX that looks like an old hospital, don't really know what it is/was, its got some really neat historical architectural elements to it, this being a college town and all I drive by the place and wonder how it would make some cool apartments or as you said, condos, sell them, everybody doesn't want a house!
It looks like it could make about 20 - 30 units, seams a shame to just sit there idle. I see buildings like these sitting in decent neighborhoods and cant help but think they would serve a real need if someone would just give me the money to see my visions come true! :)
Doug
Edited 6/24/2006 12:26 am ET by DougU
Fantastic masonry on that building but...Lots of work to make it energy efficient, I would think. Sort of like making an old Norman castle energy efficient. Great place for either wine storage or once a year Halloween Parties.
I think it would be cool to live in a commercial sytle building. I saw one on tv where the people re did a bank. They had a whole wall of locked safe deposit boxes that they were slowly going through. Most were empty but they had found a few interesting pieces.
"
75353.18 in reply to 75353.1
I think it would be cool to live in a commercial sytle building."
Would you do it ?
Tim
I see now that some of you think some of its novelty. Im all tied up with the jail citing negatives all ways on it , but I had not thought about the novelty idea being so strong. Mike said he would live there and I had not even considerd it , so this is pretty wild . So I thought about living there . Different life for sure . My time would be spent taking in the boat traffic and the river . Its a weakness of mine .
That property would have to be worth a lot of money in the end to justify it for me but as was mentioned a buyer might not weight that at all . I would have to value it though.
On to other examples they should be money makers as well and some of them actually do have true value of rents .
Anyone involved with this movement ?
Tim
I have been involved in a few loft and condo conversions in the downtown areas where I am. The costs were very high. The mechanicals, plumbing and elect were difficult and extremely expensive. Most get state and federal grant money for historic preservation which makes it much more cost effective. It has usually been either a longtime owner of the property, an inherited property, or a group of investors on the ones I have seen. Im guessing that most individuals with the money to do it on their own have easier and less risky ways to make money.
they should be money makers as well and some of them actually do have true value of rents .
Anyone involved with this movement ?
I had, for a while, all the financials lined up to take over the old Woolworth's building downtown. (This was before the current--last 4 years--'craze' of loft apartments drove RE values back up.) I even had the right business to move in--web/server hosting (least parking impact, real or imagined). The Woolworth people were desparate to unload the property, and a commercial use meant no rezoning costs.
The Kibosh came from stinkin' Verizon when they (finally) got around to quoting actual numbers for connecting the building--that "last mile" truned out to be a deal killer.
The present owners are inching ever closer to their scheme for converting the building to condo/apartment units. I could have told them what landmines they were going to be up against--but they knew better than to hire some local crank. Remidiation (3x); oops. Zoning change; oops. Downtown Development Corridor approval for the parking change; oops. Glad it's not my note "leveraged" on units not even started yet . . .
Oh, but there were some spaces I missed out on, though. The two former hotel locations I just was not in the right financial shape to get in on---oh, the ones that "got away" . . . <g>Occupational hazard of my occupation not being around (sorry Bubba)
i just bought a 8000sf warehouse in bainbridge ga. foot thick brick walls,24' ceiling,built 4' off the ground on 2 acres,2 blocks from the downtown square and across the street from the historic district,zoned light industrial and i can build a "caretakers"house in one end and work out of the other end.
i live in fl. now and the yuppies are building McMansions all around me,its time for me to move! i love the old buildings and bainbridge is a small quiet town,just right!
ohh,did i mention the river is 100 yards away? and in the back of the property is a 100 acre cemetary? perfect for me!
randy
What a wonderful reponse!
Ive been away on a four day camping trip.
I was at the jail house yesterday as I met another couple to eat at River View Barbeque across the street. The place was closed over the holiday and I had some hungry people on my hands so we immediately left. I had brought the camera to get behind the building and shoot some pics , but twill be another time . Soon I hope. I did ask about who owns it but no luck so it looks like it will be a business trip on a week day to the court house. I might call the mayor .
Ive thought about another building which is in the mountains north of here . It has two huge rooms and a second floor. Its called Union School House. Its still in original condition but some one needs to get on it pretty quick. Its probably 4000 sg ft and the ceilings are closer to 16 ft on the first floor. It sets in a small valley backed up to Murray creek which is a year around wet creek with awsome pools for swimming. Ill try to get out there and shoot some pics. Its all wood so plumbing would not be a problem. The most useful use would be a lodge.
Tim
iwas reading Gary North's "Daily Reckoning" which i usually do every day..
he had a thoughtful piece about the concept of "change occurring at the margin" ie: it's the little things that count..
here's his piece:
<<<"I am writing this e-mail hoping that someone at The Daily Reckoning might be good enough to suggest a book or other resource that explains this concept." We can't think of any good explanation, so we offer one of our own. Reading through history, we often note how many close calls there are. It is amazing how many decisive events could have gone in the opposite direction, had it not been for one small thing: battle plans are used to wrap a cigar and discovered by the enemy...someone arrives too late or too early...it rains...it doesn't rain...a crucial vote is swung by a single vote. At the Battle of the Bulge, the Germans were undone when one of them, pretending to be an American and speaking with a perfect accent, asked for "benzine" instead of gasoline. The Archduke Ferdinand was shot because his driver took a wrong turn. Hitler probably would have smashed the English air force had not a German pilot made a mistake and dropped a bomb on London. The English retaliated with a raid on Berlin, which prompted Hitler to switch to bombing civilian targets, giving the hard-pressed air-force crucial time to recover. Harolde might have prevailed at Hastings, but he had heard a prophecy and believed he was doomed. As a result, say some historians, he failed to control his men and lost the battle. Do you see? Things happen "at the margin." Important things. But the expression 'at the margin' has a special meaning in economics; in economics it is at the margins that everything happens. There are millions of holders of a particular stock, for example, but the price of that stock is not determined by all of them, rather by the marginal few who are buying or selling. Markets are always in a state of dynamic equilibrium. They are tipped...by small, marginal actions. There may be millions of homeowners in America, for example. But all it would take would be a relatively few desperate sellers, and the value of all the real estate in America could be cut by trillions of dollars. Only one house in an entire subdivision may be sold, but the price of that house largely determines the value of all the other houses in the area. The margins tend to be under-appreciated, in our opinion. We noticed a woman on the train. She was a mature woman, and a very attractive one, with blonde hair gathered up on the back of her head. She was well dressed, and well put together. A young woman can be pretty, sexy...casual...like a cheerleader on a weekend trip. But an older woman must shoot for something different. She must aim for elegance, a kind of dignified formality that makes her attractive. But this woman was chewing gum. It was a small thing, but it undermined her. The margins are everything in all parts of life. Because those are the only things we have any control over. The woman was what she was. She could not change her age. She could not change who she was or what she was. She could only remedy the marginal things: the way she dressed, the way she spoke, the way the carried herself. She could be attractive...or not; it was a marginal thing. Likewise, a general is not likely to win a battle against a much superior army. There is not much he can do. But against an evenly matched enemy, the battle will be won or lost "at the margin." So are elections. We noticed an article in the weekend press that described the election in Mexico as a "cliffhanger." And as you may have remembered, there are a lot of election results that hang over a cliff. George W. Bush won his first term - if at all - by a tiny handful of voters. Why? Because political parties operate like market economies...competing for the marginal voter, right in the middle of the electorate, who will decide the issue. Parties do not operate on the basis of principles. They would be out of business if they did. Instead, they seek power, and they know they can only get it by getting the votes of those decisive marginal voters, the "swing voters" in the middle. Positioning and repositioning themselves for the competition, the two sides usually end up fairly evenly matched. And so, if the election is to be decided at all, it must be by the marginal voters who could go either way. Markets, politics - even personal lives - all rest in states of delicate balance, until something (often something small) comes along and tips them over. Everything happens at the margin. >>>> Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
This is the last post I will read for a while as the wife called and we are entertaining another business person at the barbeque place if it holds as she asked me to get ready. Unless he hates that food I will take a camera and try to slip around the jail.
Im sure I will have on my mind what the article said but isnt that the same with life decisions we all have made ?
Im sure too that Jan will be on my mind . Then to is interresting as other people have touched us in different ways . That for some reason brings me to the thought ; What if they or us would have declined?
Some people take time with other people and some never discover .
Tim
lemme see, tim mooney declining ?
nah.. doesn't compute
book that Tipifest... the best is yet to beMike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
Who has called for the fest next year? Theres always a name or two up.
Was Washington, Texas , and Canada.
Tim
I've seen all three of those Tim, why? you planning on throwing AR into the mix?
Well, I have four kids. I wouldnt live in a loft in a city, but i'd take the wife and kids to a small town and renovate a bank or elementary school or something like that.
There used to be a restaurant in town that was an old bank. You could eat in the vault. Even left the door on. Was welded open. It was kind of neat. Most people never see a bank vault up close. Was kind of like a giant port hole with about a two foot thick door. Way more heavy duty than what I expected.
There is an old building down town where one guy did somthing to the back of it. I saw him there and then I hear he has lost the building . He worked on it part time for a couple years. He bought it as an investment , worked a full time job . When he got off at 330 in the afternoon he also arrived at his building to work for a while . I saw him there on both weekend days as well not to say he spent every weekend but of course he could have because I was just passing . The building sets for a while and I hear that a bank has it and of course I dont inquire. An investor comes to town to retire and according to hear say sources hes a million aire several times over .
I get the inspectors job and one day I get a call for an electrical permit . They need power up stairs. So I make an inspection and find the building in big code trouble . The guy put in a eating place and nesting area for college students which was approved by the state. Ill try to get by there and take some pictures for every one here. He says its a coffee house that serves sandwiches. I walk in and he says its two future apartments up stairs. He has hired a handy man to do the work . So I climb the old wooden stairs in the front of the building up a large inside stair case. The front is located across from the town sqaure. Pretty historic looking deal.
The handyman has installed two bathrooms over the food prep area of the kitchen down stairs and has tied to the plumbing with out state approval. I shut the job down and it goes through a long process with the state health department as I choose to turn it over to the state health inspectors. They have to remove the bathrooms and start over with the handyman doing the work for free in the tear out for his penalty pay back.
It is two huge rooms called studio apartments. The rough masonary walls are white washed and called finished. Pretty rough deal. Hardwood floors have been refinished . There are massive big windows that have been gone over as they are two double hung units that are 4 ft wide by 8 feet tall. They installed a HVAC system that was approved by the state that have ducts and pipes suspended in open space as their is no attic. The ceiling height is 16 feet while the ducts are set at a 12 ft distance from the floor. Art stundents end up renting them as studios.
The owner says its a money pit . There are four apartments up stairs . A store building down stairs and a lawyers office facing the front . The coffee shop in down stairs on the back fronting an old parking lot. Its finally complete now after 10 years of uneducated about construction people owning it and working on it .
The guy that lost it managed to remodel the store and office and get revenue going . He also finished four huge apartments on the front up stairs while the back two apartments were undone at his exit.
Then the rich guy comes in and finishes the coffee shop and the two remaining apartments.
Cost of building was 42000 in the beginning . The owner takes in 4000 per month while operating the coffee shop himself for somthing to do. I dont have a clue how much money was dropped in it but its gotta be huge.
Tim
In brief.... I can't imagine this type of thing being for you. You are far to conservative and dollar oriented to make an artistic adventure work......as am I. Also the financing hoops you have to jump through for stuff like this almost takes it's own staff.
I have seen a few church to residence conversions that came out ok. One the guy got a deal and could make a profit if he sold. The other guy paid too much up front and continued to make it a work of art and now owns an old church made into a nice house in a crappy area. Not terribly marketable.
You almost never see these things fly in small areas because you can't get enough government funding to make them work. Big buildings like your ice house have to be brought up to current code and there is seldom enough private money to do that and still show a profit.
In large cities it sometimes works out because the government doesn't know what to do with a huge eyesore either and it is cheaper to try giving you some financing, tax breaks, or a grant than it is to tear it down. So sometimes you can get a shot and go from there. But in all for guys our size I think it is either too big a play ground or just a nice ticket for a life time hobby that will rarely make any money in the end. DanT
Back in the 70's there was quite a fad amoung some friends of my soon to be wife that were, well, eccentric.
One converted a Silo into his abode..lots of curved stairs, Stan would have loved it.
Another converted a Grist mill into a living space..I recall that as being a really cool project. The mill race ran THRU the Living room stone floor..nuthing like fishing off the couch.
I'd do the mill, or a jail or a barn..but the silo was kinda creepy.
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
There is no cure for stupid. R. White.
Tim-
My 2 cents - I like that building a lot. It has real character. I like the waterview part of it. I would live in that in a heartbeat. As an investment, I don't know if I would go residential or commercial with the deal, probably depends on who lives in the area and uses it. You're a real estate broker no? If not, get a good one locally.
We have some old buildings nearby - firehouses, post offices, banks and such - that are surviving nicely as restaurants and bars. The old school in town was converted to apts and coops years ago. It too does good. Look at the website for Preservation North Carolina, they do nothing but old buildings - gas stations to old mills, and they make it work - not always but often.
Beyond picking the best way to use it, the next question is how much will it cost to refurbish. We've lost some big ones because the costs were too high or the bare land too valuable. I could have had three different houses - free - for the cost of moving to a different site and rehab, couldn't make any of them work. Two got torn down, the third is standing but will be gone soon. Get a good contractor in and an archi, see what really needs to be done. Residential is cheaper rehab, but rents are probably less too. Look at it realistically. If you know the rock can be put up for $1/foot (artificial #), don't let somebody tell you it's going to be $2 to talk you out of it. Some people like to do these, others don't. Like Mike Smith's fireplace & chimney, sometimes you do it because you can and want to. A project like that could be a lot of fun and could come out looking sharp.
Don K.
EJG Homes Renovations - New Construction - Rentals
tim.... i see a nice covered porch on the back overlooking the river, with my feet up , drinking a beer and living large..
my favorite ribs place across the street... the breakfast diner down the street...
what size town is this ?
man.. i want that jailhouse.. what river is it on?
what town is it in... i'll look it up if you tell meMike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
"tim.... i see a nice covered porch on the back overlooking the river, with my feet up , drinking a beer and living large..
my favorite ribs place across the street... the breakfast diner down the street...
what size town is this ?
man.. i want that jailhouse.. what river is it on?
what town is it in... i'll look it up if you tell me"
Well , the town is a little smaller than Clarksville [where I live} , so its around 6000 people .
Ozark Arkansas is where the old jail is at. The jail is a block off main street and also faces main street. The water is the Arkansas River which is a pretty large river with barge traffic big time . It has some port work in Ozark too so they leave barges and pick them up. Theres a small tug running around . Its a popular fishing river but much better in Clarksville where Dardenelle Lake forms from the river being damned in 1962. However the lake starts at Ozark lock and dam . This jail however sets above the dam to its in the upper pool. I just love the town of Ozark. Its not commercial yet. They have a court house on the square made from stone I think that has a great big town clock which is really cool.
I guess Im gonna have to get off my butt and start using the camera like Cal politely suggested one time with out saying it. <G>
Dan got there before I did when we first met. The place is about 20 miles from my home in Clarksville. They came from the other way that day. He actually went over to the jail when he saw it . I just told Jan it had a really cool jail across the street . I later told Dan I wanted that jail and he said I DO TOO. LOL , so now there are three of us but we will let you have it.
Tim
ok, you can be my agent... where do i send the check and how much ?Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
Ill work for free on his one .
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If that old jail was out our way, I could see you and me fighting over who gets to convert that sucker. I would LOVE to do it, and would have a ball making something happen in there.
The concept of reuse is fantastic, but takes someone with the right vision and a firm understanding of the market. There are plenty of people who want something unique, but it not only has to be more than just an ordinary residence in an oddball structure, it has to be able to meet the expectations of the buyer who's going to pay for the cost of making it right. That's where the whole idea can implode and destroy a builder who doesn't have the committment to make it happen the way it should.
Reusing structures like this takes someone prepared to take on huge risk, both in cost and design. But it also takes someone who understands that the structure tells you what it wants to be, not the other way around. It's like old houses, which are botched more often than not. It's because the builder or homeowner wants to force his ideas on the structure. It never works right. You have to listen to the structure and build what the structure wants. And if you don't understand what I mean, then you probably shouldn't do it.
SHGFor every complex problem, there is a solution that is clear, simple, and wrong.
-H.L. Mencken
Sense we met yall in different cars and yall didnt spend the night here we never talked about the jail did we?
Tim
You need to get Ponytl in this thread.That is what he is doing with some industrial or wharehouse buildings.And there is an ongoing thread, I think in the pictures section, of someone doing a church.
73910.1 in the heating and insulation folder perhaps?
Doug
No, I remember the jail very well. I loved it. I think it would make a great house, retirement home etc. Right on the river.....upper story deck, steak cooking, boats going by. What is not to like.
But you tend to investigate new business ideas and if they don't pan out to the best financial terms of the best rental you have dealt with you in the end decide not to do it. And I was just saying from what I had seen these projects were more emotional/artistic than a great investment. Something you haven't seemed to like in the past.
But don't fret. I am the same and can't get myself to do stuff like that either lol. I just don't like bankers and you do! DanT
Tim
I think you need to buy that jail house, I hear theres a guy in RI ready to retire, you could probably dump, I mean sell it to him for a tidy profit!
Just a thought
Doug
if you ever get to memphis drop in... my current project sits in plain view of the bridge that crosses the river into Arkansas... converting old buildings into "something else" is all i've ever done construction wise...
the main problem is... it takes time... plans don't really work and whoever is doing the work has to be able to design on site ... thats every trade.... my current loft project basicly gives me a job to go to everyday and thats been 3yrs pretty steady... no one would ever do it like you'd want it done... so that leaves you
I've built bars & rest out of old building first... which is alot easier than living space
now... there are alot of local, state & federal tax reasons to redo vs tear down or build new... and thats what makes it work for me... every local & state deal is different but the federal deals remains the same....
if you get far enough along and are interested in the tax reasons... let me know
i ride my bike up toward branson sometimes when i'm bored... been awhile but it's a nice ride and pretty country
p
That jail would have tremendous potential if you didn't have to deal with the friggin' building inspector.
I recall a few years back out here in backwoods NH a fella bought the old local jail in this small town for peanuts, a song and a tapdance, since there was absolute zero parking on the lot which fronted the sidewalk, no side or back yard, and commercial on all sides.
Problem solved when he opened the downstairs wall and put in two garage doors. Apartment rental with living quarters upstairs.
Hometown Ohio had a large multi-storey Carnegie Public Library right downtown that was deserted for a newly built single floor a stones throw away.
It sold and exchanged hands a couple times before it's final use of a retired couple making it their residence. Have as yet to meet the fella but I understand he plans an indoor flowergarden with a fountain for the place.
Beware. RFID is coming.
The old county jail in Preston, MN was converted into a very nice bed and breakfast. http://www.jailhouseinn.com/
Over on the Garage Journal forum, there was a guy a while back who bought an old Studebaker dealership and converted it into a home upstairs, with a killer auto shop downstairs for his old cars.
There's another guy over there right now who's trying to sell an old fire house in Milwaukee - I'd love to have a place like this. http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=4503
To take on a project like your jail idea you have to have a vision most dont have
In 73 i bought a old 2 room stone school house in the country in a hamlet that was so run down (it was being used as a barn) they could hardly give it away.
At the time i was told i was nuts , insane and many other things however i perservered and renovated it into a 15 room home including 4 baths spread over 2 floors
I subsaquently created a construction busness due to the locals needing wok done
Not knowing enough to quit i bought the adjoing 40 acres and eventually sub divided http://www.foxfireridge.comAfter that we bought the 32 acres across the street and have it currently partially rezoned residential
The realestate in this area is currently worth more than that in the nearest town 5 miles away
Some times you have to have a vision and follow it while others laugh in your face
If that building were near me i would have a deal going before the sun set !!
dude... your link doesn't work.. can you repost one that works ?Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
just delete the word "after" in the link and it works.
were you calling him by his screen name or just using the word "dude" cause you're still a hip guy?
i was addressing him in his assumed name..
you already no how unhip i is...
got our tee times yet ?Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
got our tee times yet ?
when you said you were fondling your balls and stroking your shaft, I must have misunderstood...
In Providence RI there are many beautiful old 19th century factory buildings that have been converted into living spaces. An uncle of mine had a loft space in the old Speidel Watch factory. It was absolutely breathtaking. There were 14' cielings with all the beams out of chestnut (in fact I think it was on Chestnut St.) with all the old iron strappings. He had the chestnut sandblasted along with the interior brick work. He was a painting instructor at RISDI, so he really had a flair with interiors. The room and the light in that place were amazing.
The drawbacks were of course the heating and the noise from the people above.
In Concord, NH there's a restaurant (one of the Margarita's chain, IIRC), in the old jail. You can eat in your own cell.
Don
This is a great thread, Tim.
There is a Hooters in the old Selma, Texas city hall/jail located on I35 just north of San Antonio. They didn't keep much of the old jail but at least they didn't teardown the entire building.
BTW, speaking of jails I was looking around for some pics of old jails which had been converted to other uses. Didn't find many as most have been made into museums instead of businesses or residences but I did find this:
View Image
It's an old "Strap Iron Jail" which was used in Marfa, Texas at one time.
If having a low wage work force was good for a country's economy then why hasn't Mexico built a fence?