[upbeat music]
- My name's Nick Schiffer,
I'm a home builder out of Boston, Massachusetts,
and we build and renovate homes.
And today we're gonna be touring this 617 square foot,
one bed, one bath home here up on
what is called Electric Hill.
[upbeat music]
This home is listed for $66,000.
And based on the neighborhood a lot of these homes
are ranging anywhere from the low hundreds
all the way up to 300.
So with the right investment here,
this home could be sitting right alongside
those homes as well.
[upbeat music]
This home while on the outside looks pretty good,
on the inside we hear it needs a lot of work.
Electric Hill, well that is because apparently
a lot of these homes have been hit and struck by lightning.
And oddly enough we're due for some lightning.
So we're gonna talk about the outside quickly,
and then we're gonna head inside
and see what opportunities we have to improve upon
this one bed, one bath.
[upbeat music]
So let's start with the exterior.
I've already looked out back,
and there's actually no backyard.
This home is positioned right on the lot line in the back,
so everything that we're gonna talk about
is on the front facade here.
So I think really what we can focus on is
really just manicuring the landscape in front of this home.
You have the lawn here.
You have this really amazing big tree,
which obviously drops a lot of pine needles.
So that's gonna be something that has to be maintained.
I really wouldn't even consider taking it down.
I think it's something that really kind of hugs the home,
and frankly, I think the home would look awfully bare
if it wasn't in front of the home.
But what could we add in this front yard
that could be used to, you know,
create a better environment?
Maybe something like a fire pit here with some chairs
sitting around it.
You have the awesome view.
You're situated up high here on the hill
and just having an outside spot to relax.
And I haven't seen the inside yet,
but maybe that porch comes all the way across the home,
but you do have the bushes here.
And a lot of this is really just
kind of manicuring the landscape,
cleaning up some of the bushes,
cleaning up some of the overgrowth on the ground
and really just making sure that the lawn
stays super healthy and cleaning up after this tree
as it drops those pine needles.
Frankly, it's gonna be a little sweat equity,
or if you hire a landscaper to come out,
you're gonna want to get them to come and do a cleanup.
This is a couple days worth of work, that fire pit,
you know, you're talking a couple thousand dollars
at the most, or if you're handy, you can do this yourself
on a couple weekends.
Knowing that this home was built in the early 1900s,
this vinyl siding was not a product back then.
So it's obviously been re-sided.
The things that I want to consider is, was it done well,
was the siding installed well?
I would go around and look at how they detailed around
the windows, making sure that, you know,
the siding wasn't installed in a way that could be impacting
water infiltration into the wall.
Also is that existing siding behind this
or did they actually strip it back?
Those are the things that I would look at
on a more technical basis.
Overall, the outside looks great.
The condition of the siding is in good shape.
That front porch, it's all wood,
it's in relatively good shape.
There's some painting that's peeling
so a lot of that's going to be aesthetic to have a painter
come out and strip that and repaint it.
Again, you're talking maybe a couple hundred bucks,
but overall it's not in terrible shape.
One thing, you know I just noticed is
this is not done correctly.
The roof is supported by these posts and these three posts
are not actually going down to a concrete footing,
which they should be.
The shim is very loose and there's some loose brick in here.
So that corner of this deck
which is also supporting the corner of the roof
is not properly supported and that post is also loose.
So I'm not sure where the corner of that roof
is being supported.
It's probably this one here.
I would assume that this one's probably a lot tighter,
which it is.
This would be something that I would consider
probably rebuilding the deck.
So you're talking a few thousand dollars,
maybe $5,000 to strip this off, reframe it,
put three concrete piers in, you know sauna tube,
12 inch sauna tube get down below your frost
and then make sure that this post is bearing on that
so you do not have issues with supporting this roof
over long term.
It's starting to rain.
It's Electric Hill.
I don't wanna get struck by lightning.
Let's go inside.
[gentle music]
Alright, this is what we're working with.
We got a kitchen, living space in here.
I assume up here is probably bedrooms or that one bedroom,
big open space.
So let's assume that that's gonna be the bedroom
and down here, we have this living room and this kitchen.
Realistically we could leave everything kind of positioned
the way it is.
The kitchen works back there.
You enter back there.
You have space for living room.
But what I think I would do is because down there
is awfully dark, or not dark, but more cozy.
And over here you have some really big windows
and you get the great view sitting here
at the top of the hill.
So I think I would flip flop this.
I think I would put the kitchen down here,
have some sort of L-shaped kitchen.
So you're getting light on both sides.
And it's gonna take advantage of not only the view outside
this window but all the natural light pouring in here.
Especially in more, you know modern day lifestyle
you spend a lot of time in the kitchen
and I think that the natural light really lends itself
to being beneficial here.
Secondly I would add some sort of island
and not only would we use that for the kitchen,
but also for the dining area.
There's not a lot of space to put a dining table.
So I think utilizing kind of that multipurpose island
would work and then we'd flip the living room
on the opposite side.
But what I haven't noticed is there's no bathroom
in this house.
So I'm guessing it's probably in the basement,
but you want your own personal bathroom.
You also want a place where your guests can use the bathroom
and if you can separate those, that's great.
So what I think I would do is I would actually
utilize this corner here,
and this is an awkward corner anyway.
You're not gonna, maybe there's a piece of furniture here
if this was open, but what if we were to utilize that
for where the toilet went
and we snuck in this tiny little powder room
and we came down and we had a toilet and a sink,
possibly a little pocket door.
You're tucking in what could be a guest bathroom
here on the first floor,
which would I think would be really beneficial.
Putting the kitchen down here would mean that we would flip
the living room down to this space.
And the reason I think that we would do that is because
this is like the cozier side of the home.
It's a little bit darker.
You have all the natural light down there,
bury that in the kitchen.
If you have a TV in here,
you don't want that natural light anyway for the glare.
There's a couple things that if flipping the living room
down here made sense, we'd have to do.
Number one I think I would open this wall up.
I'd also switch the swing of this door.
This door swings into your kitchen.
Now flipping it would essentially kind of
hide the living room and direct you into the kitchen space.
'Cause realistically when you walk in the home,
you're not gonna walk in the home and crash on the couch.
You're gonna walk in the home
and probably head towards the kitchen.
It's just, that's typically how life works,
at least in my house.
So in this area itself,
you know positioning maybe a sectional or some sort of couch
that sits in the corner, having your TV on the wall here.
And it gives the majority of the space to where you're gonna
spend the majority of your time, kitchen, dining,
and that staircase leading up.
It's also interesting to think about
the history of this home.
I believe I'm standing in the existing part of the home
and as I drop back here,
I believe that this was an addition at some point.
They added the kitchen here,
but what you notice is I went from this elevation
to that elevation and there's a couple ways to address that.
We could build this entire floor up,
a nice seamless transition.
What happens is now we're impacting that front door.
So now we gotta raise that door up.
And what that means is now we're raising the siding up
and does that impact the ceiling in the porch.
Where realistically you know maybe we do
two different floor materials.
Maybe in here it's a really nice hardwood floor.
And then in here it's a carpet.
So when you are transitioning from one room into the next,
there is this really intentional step.
And that's really important,
especially when it's an undersized step.
And what I mean by undersized,
it's not quite your standard seven inch rise,
which would be a normal step.
It's undersized and that can create a tripping hazard.
It's something that our human brain is wired to understand
the size of a step.
If you've ever tripped over a step,
you know what I'm talking about.
And usually if you go back and measure it,
it's probably slightly different than the step before it
or the step after it
and that's why you have that tripping hazard.
And that's why there's actually codes in place
that require steps to be within a certain tolerance
of each other.
One option is to make the entire thing seamless
and all the same height.
But the other option is to have
that intentional change in materials.
So you're stepping up into your kitchen
and you're dropping down into your living room.
Let's get into some of the technicals.
So what we're looking at here is obviously some
new duct work that's been installed.
But what I wanna talk about is this is an exterior wall.
So this exterior wall,
this right here is the sheathing behind your siding.
We're in Pittsburgh, it gets pretty cold.
And the fact that this cavity right here is completely empty
means that there's no insulation in this home.
So what does that mean?
When this home is done and there's no insulation in the wall
your heating system is going to be running a lot
because a lot of that heat is going to be lost
through this exterior wall.
So what I would propose doing is you could actually have
an insulation company come in and drill these small holes
and fill these cavities with blown in insulation.
Another thing that's really important to note is
the duct work is running in a cavity
that otherwise could be filled up with insulation.
This realistically needs to be reconsidered.
It's the same thing with a water pipe.
When you have a water pipe on the outside wall,
if that wall gets really cold,
it can freeze that water pipe.
So realistically this would wanna be reconsidered
and figure out a way to run duct work
inside of the exterior envelope.
So you do have continuous installation
on the outside of the home.
What about the electrical?
Looking around, this home was built in 1910.
A lot of this electrical looks relatively new,
but realistically in the condition in this home,
it would be more cost effective to strip the electrical out
and start from scratch.
It is important to note that electrical should be upgraded.
It should be considered.
Electrician should be looking at this stuff,
making sure it's safe.
These are the things that need to be considered
when you're doing a renovation because frankly
this is the only time that these walls
are gonna be opened up hopefully.
Hopefully you finish the renovation.
You're not ripping the wall back open
or the ceiling back open.
So let's do it once.
From a plumbing perspective, same thing.
You know realistically we talked about
putting a kitchen here.
There is no kitchen here.
You're gonna have to run new plumbing.
Now what about the tongue and groove here?
You could technically leave that exposed.
You don't necessarily need to drywall
and paint over this.
Right now it's in poor shape,
but say you could strip this and sand the wall
and maybe paint them.
You know that could be the part of the charm of this house.
Obviously there's patchwork and it looks like this window
has changed at some point
because these boards aren't continuous.
You can see that right here.
This has been recently cut
probably to get this duct work in.
So if you went back and,
and kind of feathered this in and sanded these walls
and clear coated them or even painted them,
that could be a cost savings rather than going over this
with drywall and paint.
Really comes down to what that aesthetic is
that you're looking to accomplish.
Overall let's talk about the first floor.
We're flipping everything on that side
so we're adding plumbing, electrical,
a new kitchen on that end.
Realistically we're probably talking 50,
$75,000 can get this entire floor really done up nice
and also gives you the opportunity to address
some of the things like the lack of installation
in the walls and the need to drywall, paint,
and add flooring.
We have a step in the floor from what I think will be
the living room into the kitchen.
So all those things can be addressed.
So 50 to $75,000 is gonna get you this entire first floor,
but let's go down in the basement because I think that we
can add some additional square footage,
which would then increase the value of this home.
[gentle music]
So let's head in the basement because I'm hoping that we can
add some additional living space down here.
It's a small space as expected.
We have our mechanicals, air handling unit, water heater.
There's no reason to relocate this stuff,
close this off, add a nice mechanical closet.
But the rest of this space,
we could use it for another living room, another TV room.
But realistically I think the best thing that we could do
here is add a laundry room.
We already have the utility services down here.
We have plumbing.
I think we would set up a laundry closet right here.
Obviously the glass block is a nice touch
because you're letting light in the basement
so it's not as dark.
But the rest of the space, I think when you clean this up,
you frame some walls.
You put a nice floor down and this is an overflow space.
Say one of your friends is over and they have a kid.
Throw some toys down here, kind of have this be a rec room.
Your spouse wants to watch a different show.
You set up another TV down here.
You guys can watch different shows.
Adding the additional square footage to this home
is gonna be valuable no matter how you use it.
And I think the best thing down here
is allowing the mechanicals
and the utilities to be in one spot.
Of course, adding that laundry room's a huge plus
so you have the laundry in the home
and then just additional living space.
Now cost, we're adding a little bit of plumbing.
We're obviously removing this wonderful shower here
and this toilet.
So we have a few thousand dollars in plumbing
and then overall 10,
$15,000 is gonna get you completely finished down here.
Basic floor system, some painted walls,
and even maybe a drop ceiling in here.
So let's go all the way up to the second floor.
I wanna talk about that bedroom
and how there's a few options
that I'm running through my mind that I think would really
add a lot of value to this house.
[gentle music]
So that staircase leading up from the basement.
I think that I would make more open,
more inviting to drive you down in the basement.
But this staircase here,
I really think that this can be private.
We're talking about adding a potential powder room here,
closing off this staircase.
It doesn't have to be a staircase that is
trying to drive traffic up your guests.
This is a private space, but here's another idea.
We have a staircase back here that goes into our basement.
What if we remove that, wall that off?
And then this became our living room
and we tuck in a powder room over there.
And then this over here becomes more open.
Get rid of this staircase, cut a square hole in here
and do a really cool spiral staircase.
And we can do that to access the basement,
but also access your bedroom.
Now this space feels even even larger
and it gives you this kind of architectural moment
that overall doesn't take up a lot of space,
could be a really good option for this location.
[gentle music]
As I make my way up here,
this is a generous amount of space
and this is actually over the entire proposed kitchen
and dining space.
So it could just be a generous size bedroom.
You could have your bed positioned here.
So you get the view of the city from the top of the hill.
The abundance of space to the left could be used as maybe
a home office space.
You could do some built in dressers, add a nice handrail,
and then you have the staircase.
So it could be just your bedroom.
The issue with this is we only have a powder room
on the first floor in that kind of gross bathroom
down in the basement.
So we need an area that we have a tub or shower.
So what I think I would do is I would utilize this space
instead of a home office space as a primary bathroom.
And what you could do is you could tuck a shower in
on one side, you could put your sink right here
in the middle so you have the beautiful natural light
out the window and you tuck your toilet
and even maybe a linen closet.
What that's gonna do is it's gonna give you a really great
primary suite here on the second floor of this home.
Now let's talk about cost because you can't just paint this,
you got stuff peeling off the ceiling.
You're gonna have to strip this back.
You're gonna have to drywall, paint.
The floors, you know realistically you're probably gonna
want to patch things in.
Obviously some prep work for some HVAC,
maybe get a new carpet in here,
but we have the bathroom
and that's bringing plumbing up to the second floor.
So that's gonna be your biggest cost to this second floor
is bringing that plumbing up, getting a shower system,
the fixtures and whatnot.
But realistically the rest of it is really cosmetic.
You have to get the walls and the ceilings detailed out,
interior trim, paint, carpet.
So I would look at this floor as maybe a 15,
$20,000 price point to get a simple bathroom put in here,
and then your finishes throughout.
And then some miscellaneous carpentry with the handrail
leading down to the stair
and potentially those built in dressers.
So maybe you're talking another
couple thousand dollars there.
And I really think that adding that second bathroom here
on the second floor,
again just increases the value of this home.
You're going from a one bed, one bath,
to now a full bathroom, a half bathroom,
additional living space in the basement.
You're adding a lot of value
without having to add onto this home
and working within the existing footprint
and really thinking about every square inch
and not just every square foot.
[gentle music]
I really like this house because it's small,
but the bones are there
and the outside doesn't need a lot of work.
Obviously some of the structural concerns around that deck.
It's supporting and it's working now.
It's just not done correctly.
And I think that is something worth investing in
and correcting that,
making sure that that roof structure's good.
It gives you the opportunity to rebuild that deck
and add some life expectancy to it.
But the inside,
obviously looking around needs a lot of work.
But someone's already been in here
and stripped back the basics
and has prepped it for future living.
Thinking about the space and thinking about how to utilize
every square inch in this home, I think is really important.
And I think that there's a lot of benefit to
the oversized windows on the first floor,
where if we flip that kitchen and dining room,
it really makes sense.
You're adding a ton of natural light
and that's where you're gonna be spending a lot of your time
when guests are over, when you're here by yourself,
that's where a lot of your time is gonna be spent.
What better way to spend it than with an awesome view
out the window and a bunch of natural light
and even fresh air coming in through those windows.
And then tucking that cozy living room in the back
of the house just makes sense.
You don't need an overly large space.
I think that an L-shaped couch or a sectional is gonna work
great down there.
And then in the basement,
adding that additional square footage,
you're just adding value to the home.
But that primary suite,
man I feel like that's where you're gonna increase the value
tremendously in this home.
The ability to have an oversized bedroom is super nice,
but I think it's way nicer to have
your own private bathroom up there.
In the bedroom you have the square footage up there,
you just need to package things nicely
and again really understand how to utilize
all those square inches.
Adding a powder room,
while it might sound like this isn't a lot of space.
I think if you really think through it,
adding that second bathroom is really going to be a benefit
to when you have guests over.
They're not having to go upstairs through your bedroom
and use your private bathroom.
Looking at all the things that we talked about today,
we kind of rattled off some pricing for outside,
addressing that front porch, a full first floor renovation,
adding the bathroom upstairs,
adding living space in the basement.
Priced at $66,000 for this home,
you know, putting $150,000,
you know, rough cost of a renovation,
you know puts you at just over $200,000.
And based on what the rest of the neighborhood is showing
for median home pricing,
I think that it would be great for someone that is looking
to move in and live here and invest in the potential
of upside later on.
And when it's done well and it's well thought out
and you're adding all of those additional amenities,
the additional bathroom, the additional living space,
I think that there's going to be
tremendous value immediately,
but I really think this home deserves a family
that understands what this home can be today,
but have it for the long term.
The interesting thing about this home is it's one bedroom.
So it really is designed for a single person
or potentially a couple where they're sharing one bedroom.
But it also really could lend itself to being
maybe a short term or even long term rental
or some sort of retreat.
And I think that's where you get into the creativity
around how it's designed and how the space is utilized.
Whether it's cool creative cabinetry or cool colors,
you have to think about what that experience is
and the location while that's great
and the proximity to Pittsburgh.
But what about when they're in the home,
you want the home to feel cozy.
You want the home to feel as though it has the amenities
and you're not sacrificing things
even for a short term rental.
I hope that someone takes these ideas, runs with it,
renovates this home so next time I'm in Pittsburgh
I can have a place to stay that's cool,
creative, and well thought out.