7/06/2007

Before and After...

Checked out the recent renovations happening at 225 West Utica the other day. fixBuffalo readers may remember that I first compared 225 West Utica to a corner just a mile away, also on Utica, way back in the time machine in November of 2005 - right here.
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Two local good guys, Sal and Tim bought this demo ready property at 225 West Utica from the City and quickly realized that it's one of the oldest houses in this part of Buffalo. They've been busy this summer putting the finishing touches on this home they rescued from the trip to the landfill.
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If I was a West Side blogger, I'd be covering their recently re-done 1200' Gill Alley spot. Amazing Adirondak Cottage in the middle of Buffalo...another totally rescued building. Yes, these are the same guys who recently pulled up the rear on this summer's first stage of the Tour d' Neglect - right here.
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10 comments:

Anonymous said...

Great job guys! What a difference a little paint and care can accomplish. More points for staying away from vinyl siding!
I know the East side needs uber attention, but this type of decay anywhere within city limits makes Buffalo look awful to visitors and feel awful to residents. Seeing this house after it's makeover helps another block generate some hope for stabilizing the housing stock without resorting to the new build vinyls with questionable long-tern value.
Now some peony or hydrangea bushes framing that porch would be frosting....

Anonymous said...

So cool to see.

any idea on the scope of the rehab and $$$/labor spent.

cool stuff to know for those with similar urges.

Anonymous said...

just revisited the old post...happen to have a pic of how the remedied the rear of the house?

fixBuffalo said...

MJ...

will have additional pix, now that you've asked...give me a few days...

waiting to hear from Tim & Sal as to the costs of this project...

Anonymous said...

Just a quibble here...they would have been smart to install a new canvas awning on the second floor porch.

Anonymous said...

Isn't someone going to flame this guy for using pressure treated railings and balusters? Come on, you people flame everyone who isn't using brick, mortar and wood materials everywhere else. How dare he compromise the integrity of Buffalo by using that material. It's like he's slapping everyone in the face.

We're willing to overlook the poisonous pressure treated lumber but we'll continue to rail against vinyl.

Yeah, that makes sense.

Anonymous said...

I was going to say something about the railings but since I already commented on the awning I thought I should refrain

Anonymous said...

I just returned from a trip and saw this post. As chair of the Atlantic-West Utica BC, I think I speak for the neighborhood when I say we are delighted so far with the work Sal and Tim are doing here.

225 had some difficult legal issues and kept us in Housing Court for almost 3 years. It's a rare, perhaps unique, instance where Judge Nowak attempted to take City title by judicial fiat, rather than leaving us to run it back through Surrogate's Court or to the InRem auction. After nearly a year of jockeying, he got slapped down by the Law Department and it went to auction anyway.

During that time, we had at least 5 different prospective buyers interested in the property, each of whom planned to demo for one purpose or another. So when Sal and Tim bought this at InRem 40 with the goal to rehab, it was a shock. Everyone thought they were nuts. Nevertheless, we were assured by someone familiar with their work on the West Side that if anyone could bring the place back, they could. And although I have a few quibbles, overall it is a startling renovation and now widely appreciated.

Anonymous said...

This is nice but as ANON pointed out, the pressure treated wood detracts from it. I'd like to see more cities ban it. It does contain poisons and it ages poorly (and cheaply).

Anonymous said...

Thanks, David, for the post -

I actually wanted the garage and not the house, but decided it was worth saving. I believe we have spent about $5,000 on the project so far, mostly on materials. The back of the house and interior are still rough. Personally, I'm not crazy about the rails either but when you're under the gun from your insurance company to make the structure safe, decisions are made quickly. Originally there were to be 1" by 1" spindles but that wouldn't look great either. Vintage spindles may contain lead-based paint (which are not what inspectors want to see) and reproduction spindles are expensive. eventually it would be nice to create a garden out of the remaining grass like we did at 120 Richmond Ave.

The company is very involved with other projects at 291 Bryant St (six apartments with storefront) and 255 Huntington Ave (single) this summer also. 65 Whitney Place is to be converted into a six-unit condominium.