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Saturday, September 27, 2014 • Page 1B

The Do-Over: Rescue, Resurrect and Release How a home restoration project became a labor of love

(Pictured above and below is the after of Hutchins restoration project.) Even after selling the newly finished home, Hutchins said the home will always be an expression of himself. Dave Hamilton, the home’s buyer, said the attention to period details greatly appealed to him.

The Right Agent... Contributed Photos Wendell Hutchins called his project to restore a home at 4602 Oak Ridge Street a “personal journey.” The 1930 North Norhill home had been deeply neglected over the years and fell into disrepair (pictured above is the ‘before’). His restoration project took months of consultations, hearings and approvals from the Houston Archeological and Historical Commission and the city’s permit division at North Norhill is within one of Houston’s historic districts. Above shows the Oak Ridge home before any restore work.

By Cynthia Lescalleet For The Leader Even a seasoned designbuild pro can fall for a special property. For Wendell Hutchins, it was a 1930 North Norhill home in such a sad state of disrepair and neglect, the wrecking ball was all but swinging at it. In real estate, a labor of love will always cost more in time, effort and funds than just razing a property and starting over, Hutchins says. And yes, he realizes restoration is a more tedious, more tiring approach. “But it’s so much more fulfilling,” Hutchins said. A builder and a pastor, Hutchins says his dual training nets parallel outcomes: both professions “deliver hope where there was no hope.” This home project, at 4602 Oak Ridge St., was a personal journey for Hutchins, whose wife’s family resides in the greater Heights area. Initially purchased to fix up for a family member, the property became an exercise in learning how to listen to others with more local knowledge about the historic Heights, how to trust the process and, ultimately, how to let go of the lovingly restored house. “The more we tinkered with it, the more we reconnected with the area,” Hutchins recalls. “I rebuilt it as if I’d live there myself.”

The original garage was a goner and needed to be replaced –with a new one “reflecting as much of the original character as possible while complying with all of the new codes and regulations.” Hutchins said the initial and ultimate work scopes for the project were the same: rescue and restore. Admittedly, that was not without increasing the budget, he says, by at least 35 percent. The overhaul removed a few of the interior walls to open up space for a great room off an expanded kitchen without adding to the home’s footprint. By incorporating a former side porch, the interior gained space for a second bathroom and third bedroom. Also, squaring off a small section at the back of the home near the garage for a utility room freed up its previous space in a bedroom. Hutchins says a lot of the interior’s punch and design flair comes from the period finishes amid features catering to today’s lifestyle, such as the opened up living area and utility room. The kitchen’s island is a vintage furnishing and offers an ornamental touch that’s also practical. It handily accommodates a farmhouse sink, dishwasher and microwave. Hutchins is pleased the revisions make the home “feel bigger than it is,” which is about 1,240 square feet.

Cope with the scope Before the restoration, the corner-lot home had two bedrooms, one bathroom and separate rooms for living, dining and food prep. It lacked electricity and running water but had plenty of “ventilation” given the number of holes found in the ceiling and floors.

Overcoming oversight Since North Norhill is within one of Houston’s historic districts, the home’s renovations involved months of consultations, hearings and approvals from the Houston Archeological and Historical Commission and city’s permit division. Hutchins approach to that

layered oversight was “not to get frustrated by the length of the process, rather, to roll with it, learn from it, and use the expertise to better understand the time period and its prevailing building practices.” That process meant having to get approvals to remove any damaged lath slats and even to alter the exterior paint by two shades to gain a proper vintage hue. In treating officials as resources, he says, some became advocates for his project. He’s grateful for their “genuine enthusiasm to preserve a small piece of Houston’s history.” His advice to others considering a similar project? “Don’t be in a rush,” Hutchins said. “Enjoy the experience. Let the home talk to you and tell you its story. Have significant resources available” and allow the experts to be a resource of knowledge. The process “need not be adversarial,” he adds. Release and Remember Although Hutchins sold the property he had lovingly converted as a personal project, he hasn’t completely said goodbye to it. “That home is, and will always be, an expression of my design, creativity, and personality. I consider myself extremely fortunate to have had the opportunity to contribute to the beautification and preservation of the city I love,” he says in an follow-up account about the project. Meanwhile, the home’s empty-nester buyer, Dave Hamilton, says he quickly bought the property when it popped up on the market last year. The attention to details, particularly the period details, appealed to him, as did the revised floor plan’s opened-up

living area. Hutchins’ tending of the property is evident, Hamilton says. “I get to be the beneficiary of that.” He has since added more period lighting fixtures and swapped out the wrought iron fence for a wooden one that screens a new, landscaped conversation area in the side yard. Hamilton also has been making the most of the porch life his new address affords. Having left the suburbs, he likes the new community so much he’s a new board member of the neighborhood association. And while he hasn’t completely downsized from his previous 4,700-square-foot home, he has definitely reduced the commute, by a factor of 10.

Whether you are buying, selling or building choose the agent that’s right for you.

Jan Clark, J.D. A 2013 Top producer

281-686-0761

Janhtx@gmail.com

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