Rehab turns doomed row house into an urban jewel
Jane Kaminski found a loophole in Lawrenceville’s red-hot housing market.
In September 2014, the 26year-old membership and outreach manager at BikePGH purchased a vacant row house on 41st Street for $92,500. Its roof was caving in and it was on the city’s demolition list. The median listing price for homes in Central Lawrenceville now hover around $295,000.
“I wouldn't have been able to buy this house in that market,” said Ms. Kaminski, who acted as her own contractor.
On Oct. 2, you can tour this house and nine other rehabs from noon-5 p.m. during Lawrenceville’s 2016 Hospitality House Tour.
Ms. Kaminski’s 1860s row house used to be a rental, a sort of duplex. The street-facing brick wall on this house and its neighbor were bowing outward due to severe water damage. The roof had collapsed into what is now her living room. The debris attracted fleas and the whole space smelled like urine, according to Ms. Kaminski.
Acting as her own contractor, she took her time delegating smaller jobs to individual subcontractors and friends. The process involved lots of problem-solving, but it allowed her to make creative decisions about the layout of the home.
One big decision was to eliminate the wall between the front parlor and kitchen, creating a breezy, open floor plan. Pine floors span the entire space. Ms. Kaminski borrowed scrap wood from a back room she tore down to patch the holes and keep the floors as consistent as possible.