Forum Archive

hi, we are considering purchasing a brownstone in terrible condition. It is, in fact, quite scary – you would NOT want to live there in its current state…. But, most (if not all) of the original detail is present – fireplaces; plaserwork; moldings; woodwork; etc… We understand how expensive this undertaking can/will be. However, I guess we lack “vision” and are concerned that we could make a truly beautiful house out of it given the current state of disrepair. As for the current state – the floor has been mostly covered with nasty lineloeum; the bathrooms look like something out of a bus stop; there are holes (water damage) in the ceiling; the staircase (original) feels a bit rickety at places…. Putting aside the cost of renovation which we know will run the range of $500 -$750K), we just want to make sure that this place is “salvageable”. In that regard, I was hoping someone could post “before” and “After” pictures of their homes that looked the way I describe this one prior to their renovation.

I guess my concern is the following – we have seen beautiful homes that need a full renovation, but the homes looked like they just needed a bit of sprucing up. (Ie, painting, minor repairs, new kitchens/bathrooms). But because those homes also needed all new plumbing/electric, they needed a major renovation. This house, however, looks like it needs much more than sprucing up and we just were hoping to see confirmation that such a house could be rescued.

thanks!