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House flip (back!)
Yesterday’s rumor about a local house being featured on a house flip tv show is essentially correct, but it is better than that…
816 and 818 North 23rd Street
The double house at 816 and 818 North 23rd Street in Union Hill has long been an eyesore. Once a clean and classic set of homes, this property has been vacant or squatted for quite some time. Gable Painter of GP Restoration is going to see that this 97-year-old house gets a new chance, and we’ll hopefully get to watch how all of this goes down.
This house, in all of it’s vinyl & cemented glory, is to be featured in the pilot for a new show called Flip Back That House. The idea is to show a house being more faithfully restored, rather than fixed & flipped. Filming begins this week and should last for the next 4 months or so.
“This is exciting for Church Hill and for Richmond”, says Gable, who lives on 26th Street himself. He sees this as an oportunity to showcase the value of a good restoration and of what RIchmond has to offer. With plans to incorporate visits to Beckstoffer’s and Caravati’s, the home-grown renovation business in Richmond will get some good exposure. Gable stressed that he is interested in a quality renovation, saying that anything else is a “disservice to the community”.
The story of how this came to be is interesting, too. Thinking that the current crop of renovation shows were too “wimpy”, Gable, owner of GP Renovation, called around until he managed to get in contact with a producer that would listen. He pitched the idea of a show that goes beyond the “carpet and hot water heater” updates of the genre, selling’em on a “This Old House on steroids”. The network had apparently been kicking around a similar idea; timing is everything…
The room for sitting on a couch and pissing into bottles (it gets worse).
Built in 1910 and adjacent to a block of Venable Street that was recently vacant and collapsing but which has seen great deal of quality renovation, Gable expects that each side of this house will sell for over $200,000. With the small yards, he sees attracting buyers that might otherwise be considering a condo.
Thanks for the great follow-up story. Does anyone know what network this will air on?
network?
Gable told me and, being a half-assed reporter, I failed to write it down. I’ve emailed him && will add that here when I hear back.
For those of you who have cable, the show will air on The Learning Channel(TLC).
here comes my fifteen minutes….shame i had to wait til i was 32 tho’
This hole is behind my house on jessamine, and it has been an eyesore for soooo long. not much of a view from the front porch—-Cedar st bapstist parking lot. At least they’ve removed the maximum security razor wire fencing and put up something more family-friendly, although still ugly.
Sam (and any others close by) — Did y’all know that it was so gross inside? Did y’all ever see folks going in and out?
i figured someone had been in there considering the state of the front porch—someone had been living on the porch about a year ago.
With the condition of some of the properties around here and the state of utter ghetto-fabulousness inside, i avoided venturing inside out of fear of being bitten by some rabid turd.
i hope that the siding that is now strewn about the front yard is part of the dramatic effect for TV, i think it really solidifies the integrity of this rebuild! 🙂
As far as folks going in and out—yes, quite often up until about a year ago. I always called the non-emergency po-po number to report trespassing and vagrancy. Folks also frequented the house that used to be next door.
It will be such a pleasure to look out of my bedroom window and see a nice, newly renovated home, not sure if it will sell though—we’ll see.
Yes, resale is getting to be a problem in that area, even when many houses have been remodeled.
The two at Venable and 23rd sold for full asking price before they were complete. $130 per sqft. Good work is selling every where.
If good work is selling everywhere, then why hasn’t the corner of 29th and Marshall sold?
I’m not as familiar w/ that area as I am with 23rd & Venable. That particular area has development happening north and south: gentrification towards Union Hill, and neighborhood rebuilding by Better Housing Coalition in Fairmount. There is really tremendous momentum right there to clean up and turn around a few blocks that have been almost completely blighted for more than a few years.
I’ve been in 29th and Marshall and it is a nice renovation/restoration. Unfortunately, it has the unique challenge of being the nicest house in the immediate area. The view from the house is Chimbo Elementary School on one side, a church in the front, a set of dilapidated garages in the rear and many houses surrounding it that are still not running in the price range of 29th and Marshall. It’s always tough to be the first in this situation.
Unfortunately, the price will probably have to drop until the value of the property alone can stand on it’s own. Location, Location, Location. Buyers are always concerned about what is immediately surrounding their property. To command a much higher price on a property in a challenged area, the individual property has to have unique features or “Wow” factor working for it. This property could probably do better if it had more curb appeal which could be accomplished with a little more paint and landscape.
GP:
I hope that your estimate of “good work is selling everywhere” holds true for your chosen renovation. If there is anything I can do to help, please let me know. I look forward to seeing your progress in the next few months. PS thanks for cleaning up the siding
ss
Regarding 29th & Marshall, there are several high end renovations on the block facing Chimborazo ES, and the block of 29th between Broad and Marshall has seen a lot of work too (not to mention CH Market). And I’m not sure what’s bad about being near a school and a church? At least they’re not buildings that attract crime. Can someone help me understand? Thanks.
I too look out of my window to see this ‘fabalous’ heap of house. We’ll be glad to see it become a home. What shall become of the that tiny triangle of a land (corner plot) just next to it, that some greedy f****r wants 50K for?
‘why?’…I don’t know if there are specific drawbacks to living near schools and or churches that negatively impact housing markets. However, there is often a traffic pattern peculiar to both that can be irritating, and sometimes a noise factor. I don’t have a school nearby but there is a large church down the block and the streets fill with cars for every church function, pre-dawn weekend bus trips, and trash. I routinely pick up trash in my yard and in the sidewalks and gutters around my yard. But I’ve never seen anyone attending any function at the church near my house pick up any trash and so far God hasn’t made it disappear either…so the buildup of trash around the parking lots gets pretty bad. It may be that people looking for a place to live have experienced life near a church or a school, or maybe they visit a prospective home when the school buses clog the streets, or when parking is limited/prohibited because of a funeral…and these factors might enter into a decision to buy and live nearby.
Why? The location at 29th and Marshall… Although the renovation at that address may be good… You really need to look at the area through the eyes of a prospective buyer. The street-scape is a little barren (no trees along the street, little to no landscape–it looks harsh) If the original asking price is $365K, there are far more picturesque areas around the city that are competeing with this property (properties SOB, The Fan, Museum District). The church and school are not necessarily an issue to be adjacent to a property–but neither have much charm, historic appeal that folks would be looking for. When driving down East Grace/Franklin, there is a great feel to the steet. It has everything to do with tree-lined streets, nice landscapes and appeal from the street. There are quite a few homes on Grace and Franklin that have not been restored but they look better largely due to the surroundings. Buyers look for the package (especially in that price range). Marshall Street and that area of 29th Street would benefit tremendously by improving the streetscape (trees and interesting landscapes). As for CH Market,–looking at that heap would scare any prospective buyers from the neighborhood. The building is no more than a mess. Buyers in a 300K+ market have very definate expectatations of the area and the property. That area of Marshall still needs work.
Thanks for pointing out the value of trees to property values and to neighborhood aesthetics. While renovating houses is so important, it is equally important that the sidewalks, tree wells, and trees dont take away from the sense of place. Often I see beautiful, healthy trees taken down because leaves clog gutters, land on cars and have to be raked each fall. A house on a tree-lined street is much more desireable and valuable than one on a barren strip of sidewalk and street. Our neighborhood needs more trees, but it wont happen without citizens taking the lead and recognizing their value.
I agree with Homie and Bill Conkle. Plus, I want to add this – if you drive BEHIND Chimbo. Elem. School, there is a really nasty looking market that might look somewhat threateing to someone who is looking around within a few blocks of the property they might think of purchasing. Streetscape includes trees and landscaping as well as the immediate area being cleaned up. And, as Bill said, it takes citizens taking the lead. I hope it happens!
The Planter Society up here in Church Hill has been working for years to improve our local streetscapes – especially after Katrina felled countless trees that damaged a lot of power lines and personal property.
Marion Macdonald, in particluar, worked with the city to replace a number of trees lost in Katrina, and fill long-empty tree wells. I was among a number of volunteers who canvassed the neighborhood and cataloged where these wells needed trees.
It’s important to note that many trees that fell or were damaged were not appropriate trees for a cityscape. The shallow setbacks of our houses on city blocks make it necessary to have trees that are smaller in scale. Although I do prefer the old elms myself. We had two ornamental pears in front of our house that were a nuisance – they were way too big and full. They were planted by a well-meaning neighbor, not the city. They grew into our house and gutters and completely devoured the sidewalk any view of our house from the street. And, they were not the type of tree to prune into an appropriate shape or size. I’m glad they were damaged and eventually removed.
We currently have some very nice cherries, and other more suitably sized trees planted on our block because Marion and the Planter’s Society worked with the city arborists in choosing appropriate trees for a city scape like Church Hill.
If you are planning on planting trees in an empty tree well. Please contact the city or Marion at macmarion@aol.com They can give you a list of approved trees for planting. Also, tree wells are city property, so I think permission is required. Once the trees are planted though, it’s your responsiblity to care for them.
Correction: I meant to say Hurricane Isabelle, not Katrina.
A great example of what landscape and some trees can do to transform a neighborhood is evident one block south of 29th and Marshall at 29th and Broad.
Longtime Church Hill residents may remember when that white house was a plain and easily ignored house. While researching another property I came across these photos http://members.aol.com/ebroadst/2900.htm I’ve watched the transformation of that house and realized that very little was done to the exterior structure but Wow–it doesn’t look like the same place. Most of it looks like landscape and trees. The owner of that place not only transformed that property but the view in that area that benefits the entire neighborhood. Loaded with curb appeal–it looks like those folks get it.
In response to GP’s comment “good work is selling everywhere.” It may be, but it is selling slowly, and many people are having to dump their prices. What is selling are shells and vacant lots. Shells have always been the popular choice in this area because they are cheaper and one can customize their own renovation.
Please refer to the recent thread on Jan-Feb 2007 property transfers. Notice that almost all the sales are under $150,000, and in many cases much less than that. That is what’s really selling up here right now. Good renovations are selling some, but may good renovations are sitting because there is just too much inventory and not enough buyers.
I have many realtor freinds who are really struggling right now. It is a tough sellers market. Buyers are particularly picky about all sorts of things. There seems to be a suburban expectation of historic properties, AND urban neighborhoods.
Many good restorations are done to keep both the interior and exterior of a property faithful to it’s original state, while providing modern amenities. But that doesn’t seem to be good enough for many.
What buyers seem to like are the butchered interiors – the one’s that have cut out the middle bedroom and put in walk-in closets and master baths connecting the remaining two bedrooms.
One realtor told me that a couple didn’t like a really nicely renovated house that was very well priced beause each room didn’t have cable hook-ups – Wha? When you subscribe to cable, the company will put the hook-ups wherever you want them – duh! But, apparently that information didn’t sway them.
I’ve heard many other similar stories from other realtors. I guess what I’m saying is that it’s tough out there. There is a new kind of consumer buying historic homes and the market has too much inventory making it pretty challenging for people to sell right now.
Also, GP, do you know that the home you are renovating at 2109 E. Jefferson is owned by a staunch opponent of Old & Historic Districts? Since you seem to be such a steward for the neighborhood, I was wondering how you feel about that, and if there might be some irony there.
I’m just restoring his front porch, fascia, and soffet because the city got on him. I hope you like I had to remake allmost all of the decorative wood work. He is a good guy, he just doesn’t get why we care.
Thanks GP. Apparently he cares enough about HIS property to have responsible work done, even though he had to be cited for violations before doing anything about it.
hey GP: why did you cut down the nice big trees behind my house? It seems from the property line markers, the tree wasn’t even on your property. It may have been “neighborly” of you to come and talk to us before taking away all of our morning shade! Sorry dude, but that move was uncool.
I’m truly sorry you felt it was “uncool”. My survey shows that the trees that were removed were on or crossing my property line. I wanted to save the trees but they were diseased and more than likely going to fall on my house at some point in the near future. My tree expert said that they were not even trees they were weeds. If you would like to come and talk to me about it I’m at the house every day from 8-5. Sorry Sam did not think I needed to check with you in regards to your morning shade.
GP:
didn’t mean to sound catty, but given the relative unavailability of big trees up here in UH north, it was nice to have those trees—at least some of them even if they were weeds. They shielded our view of the church parking lot and of the vinyl barns on 24th and provided soem much needed shade in the dead heat of the summer.
I appreciate you replying to my post, but I was merely expressing my remorse at the changes behind my house.
Sorry if i offended you in posting to this site, I work from 6a-7p quite frequently, so it is difficult for me to get out to talk to folks. later
GP–Love your stuff. You are finally showing my wife that everything can not be done in 30 minutes.
Can I buy a T-Shirt, please?
GP
Lake Charles, LA
thanks for speaking to your location in Union Hill. We are a neighborhood. You did us proud.
I almost saw my house!
Just wanted to express how much I enjoyed watching the fabulous transformation of the house located in Union Hill, and the creative and dedicated energy of the guys (and maybe gals?- i didn’t see any, but hopefully there were some- i’ve done it all myself) who worked on it, led by GP. I may not be from your area (I live in Boston), but i can appreciate a thoughtful restoration when i see evidence of it. thanks for finally making a true “this old house” episode for us to see in real life.
From reading the postings here i can see that your neighborhood is vibrant and alive, and involved in appreciation of its built, and natural environments. Being a landscape architect myself, i can appreciate that spirit. best of luck to all of you in continuing the rejuvination of your diverse “‘hood”, be sure it doesn’t loose its flavor with all of the improvements. Keep it up Union Hill!
I AM THINKING ABOUT BUYING A 14 ROOM 1890 VICTORIAN TO TURN INTO A B&B,,IN ISLE OF WIGHT COUNTY…DOES G P RESTORATION EVER WORK IN THIS AREA ?
THANK YOU
MS FARMER
Great show last night, and I am heading off to my new discovery-Caravati’s first thing tomorrow. I am just about to begin a 1925 3/2 in the Historic Belmont neighborhood in Charlottesville. The current tough market and price point in area will not allow me to be as historically accurate as GP because I have to watch the pennies but the program was an inspiration to ensure I rummage around and make every effort to bring the project above the level of a normal flip and sip….(sip referring to the obligatory bottle of bubbly on closing day)
Susan in Charlottesville
The show last night was outstanding. If only the commercial and independent builders could take pause and realize the potential that is already constructed. It has already been proven that today’s construction lacks character and qaulity, why not restore with today’s conveniences?
I do have to say the only concern with the show last night was when GP was admiring the newel post a lttle too much. 🙂 Love the show, the commitment to quality and attention to detail.
Let me know when you take the show on the road as I have a great prospect for you in Missouri.
Seawood
Gable, we loved your show on TLC. It aired the other day. Please do more shows like this. Thank you.
I LOVED the show. I want to see more! What a perfect name! What AWESOME work! Gable is adorable, hard-working, funny. I loved his description of the newel post. I love that Gabel is green. I love that he tries to salvage and restore as much as possible. I love his vision, his attention to detail and his appreciation of hard work. I loved seeing him go dumpster diving! Give us MORE MORE MORE!!!!
Gable,
I just bought a house in Leadville, CO that was built in 1883. It was great to see you restore an old victorian. I don’t have the money right now to do much, but I have been hunting out free furniture and fixtures like you do. It’s amazing what people throw away! I also have an old shed filled with a lot of old mining stuff from back in the day. Will you be doing more shows on TLC? I could ALWAYS use more pointers (and you’re hot).
Karen
Just saw the show over the weekend on TLC this past weekend. I was entranced by the idea of back flipping, and then became entranced by Gabel! Such determinatin, such dedication.
I’m a Virginian by birth, Richmonder by heritage,(The Meagher House, now restored and updated in Churchill, once belonged to my grandparents)and Southerner by heart.
After viewing the show, I wanted to throw everything in a trunk and come back to my hometown and work with Gabel, as I love the idea of bringing all those old forgotten Richmond relics back to life.
Great show! Will there be more to come? My dream job is to restore historic homes full time. It’s great to see others who are interested in preserving a piece of history. My husband and I deconstructed a late 1800’s home piece by piece to prevent it from being demolished. Our goal is to eventually restore all the parts and rebuild it back to it’s original glory. So if you ever feel like working on a piece of beauty in Missouri, we’d love to have you! Keep up the good work. We hope to see more shows soon.
Gable, my parents recently moved to a retirement home-their house in Ginter Park on Seminary Ave might be out of your price range BUT I KNOW YOU and probably only you could restore it to it’s once former state. check it out. i saw the TLC show and was amazed at your quality of work. the house was built between 1918-1922 over four years of 16″ poured reinforced concrete…..
I saw the show, and I fell in absolute love with Gable and his wonderful attitude towards old homes. I think in this ‘disposable’ sort of society we’re in, I was so delighted to see someone value the aesthetics of the past. I love this guy. It’s so nice to see someone do a reno that isn’t half-assed. I adored the way he waxed romantic about the pieces he was restoring. If I weren’t married, I’d be stalking him.
Miranda
Gable,
I saw your show and was just amazed at the way you understand the benefit of restoring things rather than simply tearing them down and destroying history. I must admit that I loved the part when you compared a the care of a newel post to a woman that you date. Are you single? You are a very attractive man and could check out my newel posts anytime.
Lauren
I watched this transformation for the second time on TLC. It is just amazing. You are a master artist. It’s so nice to see the old brought back instead of throwing it all away for a modernized world that can’t compare. Kudos to Gable.
Dr. Painter,
I think we may be dating the same women…(great comparison to a seasoned newel post)
Don’t let all this go to your head now…hate to see you on Leno like the Orange County chopper dudes.
Let us know when you ready for a second crew…have trailers, will travel.
Off to hang out with my current girl: Brazila Cherry…
hehehe,
C
saymmm3x@aol.com
Damn! We missed it again and I even put it on my calendar.
Does anyone in Church Hill have a DVD/Tape of the show?
Contact me at laura@mysterydinner.com
Thanks!
Gable — If you’re still checking this blog, I’d like to connect with you. I’m sure you have projects up to your elbows, but I’d love to talk to you about an old farm house outside of Charlotte that I need to move. Even if it’s to pick your brain about contacts down here. Thanks. Contact me at rosettajones@hotmail.com
Rosetta
I likes me some houses—-you got any more?
Gable- I just saw your restoration, and may i say that you have one of my top 5 dream jobs. I loved watching you go on your treasure hunt (others call it dumpser diving) I love the amazing homes you have down south. Hey maybe you can come to NY sometime and check out Harlem or Brooklyn brownstones and restore a few of them. :O)
Kudos for the Union Hill restoration! I have since moved from Richmond but lived in a restoration near Arthur Ashe park during my time there. I miss the historic beauty of Richmond and am glad to see someone is doing a great job of keeping it alive!
Gable-love the restoration job-I also have a love for the old houses and hate to see them torn down-in the town of Midland, MI, where I live, there have been alot of the old houses being bought and torn down in our downtown area-and I wish they would be restored instead cuz I always see the potential and beauty in these type of homes. I would love to be with someone that does this for a living and help out-and I would love to live in your state of VA-I am personally tired of Michigan winters. If you want to hire a female helper who loves decorating and the styles of homes you do get back with me:). CLDavis2@charter.net
You’re great at what you do, Iam impressed, and hope you keep saving those houses. Wish you the best, CLD
Gable- I saw your restoration in Richmond when it aired this past weekend in Wisconsin. You are a hottie!
no offense… but when did this blog become an ‘I love Gable Painter’ website?!?
It’s because this is the first thing that comes up when you Google Gable Painter. It’s not just here — it looks like every blog and message board that mentions him becomes a repository for Gable gushing! This poor couple seems to have given up and turned their post over to Gable to field questions: http://thisyounghouse.wordpress.com/2007/11/18/richmond-gets-some-tlc/
Looks like it’s time for Gable to get a website of his own….
Is the rumor that was floating around a while ago about Beckstoffers going out of business true? If so, does anyone know another company that does what they did?
I noticed that the for rent sign is down at the commercial space at 2107 Jefferson (Jefferson and Marshall) and a GP sign is up in its place. What’s up with that?
I’m trying to get in touch with Gable Painter. We saw the TLC episode of Flip it Back. We have am 1888 Victorian with a soldered metal roof we need replaced and everyone is looking at us like we’re crazy. Does anyone know how to get in touch with him ?
Hi David,
Tried getting in touch with Gabe a while back and could’t find him. I do the same type of work with old houses and am restoring my first here in Church Hill. I’d recommend Hermitage Roofing. They’ve been in business here for 55+ years and repair and create all types of roofing. They will be my roofers on all of my restorations in Richmond. Call Mike G. Davis at 804-837-1824. Tell him Deanna sent you. Great people and I do not give referrals lightly.
gprestore@aol.com
rumor has it that Gable is getting his own series. i can’t wait to see it.
I think I overheard Gable talking about that outside of City Council chambers a couple weeks back. I hope he focuses on the East End!
Gable does have his own series. He’s been taping since last November. He and his crew are wonderful.
GP: Are you currently working on any houses in CH? I’m up there alot and would love to see the before/after in person.