Family ties real estate agents, founders of From Houses to Homes restorations
Amother and daughter share a special bond. Ideally, it’s a rapport of love, trust, support and mutual respect. It can wobble, but if the relationship is balanced, it can blossom into even more, like it has for Cynthia and River Ward.
Bound by a deep love of real estate, an affinity for home restoration and maybe a dab of epoxy or wood glue, the two licensed real estate professionals — agents for Keller Williams Capital District — recently completed their first home restoration, a converted stagecoach station that toes the CastletonSchodack town line. Built in 1870, the house sat abandoned for nearly 60 years.
The two focus primarily on selling brand-new construction — and still do — but have craved a different kind of challenge. The brick farmhouse, currently on the market, was the pair’s first purchase after founding their side-hustle, From Houses to Homes, a restoration company. They paid $200,000 for the house they would strip down to the studs and get to work on right away.
They spent about nine months looking for the right house to renovate. Once they stumbled upon the Schodack property, they knew it was the one.
“We were looking for a project that kind of spoke to us and this just happened to be it,” River Ward, 26, said.
“People thought we were crazy,” her mother laughed.
Restoring a 3,500-square-foot historic house is no small undertaking. When you’re balancing a full-time career, family and fallout from a pandemic, it can be especially arduous.
Old houses are sometimes also full of surprises, so the two
hired a team of contractors they could trust to bring new life to the derelict home with dark rooms, wood rot and dingy floors. They also had a healthy budget and estimated they ultimately spent hundreds of thousands of dollars, and about 20 to 30 hours a week for 18 months, renovating the house with the help of builders at East Greenbush-based Van Vleck Homes.
“A lot of times people worry about who did the work and what they do because a lot of the stuff is hidden beyond these
walls,” Cynthia Ward as she flipped through an album of photos of the house. “Because of our background, we were very thoughtful in every step that we did. We want it to last another 200 years.”
Their goal was to preserve its integrity and historic charm. Original features, like the knotty pine hardwood floors, wood staircase, wavy glass windows and pocket doors were restored. Plaster was either repaired and painted or removed to expose a decades-old clay-brick wall.
Spray foam insulation was added to improve comfort and keep moisture out. New HVAC, electrical, septic and plumbing were installed.
“What’s crazy is this was our first project and we took on a 3,500-square-foot farmhouse that hadn’t been lived in in 60 years,” Cynthia Ward said. “This was a labor of love.”
Pieces from a shabby barn razed on the property were used to accent walls and ceilings throughout the home. River Ward used the beams on the
kitchen island and hung planks on several walls, including in the rustic wine and whisky room, a small space off the kitchen that likely once served as a butler’s pantry.
To make the house appealing to buyers, they went with a modern farmhouse aesthetic: Newer touches and bright whites accented by dark fixtures that meld with the relaxed charm.
“We wanted to keep the beauty of an old farmhouse-y feel but bring modern design into it,”
River Ward said.
“This is like new construction, just in an old shell,” her mother added.
Decorative tile with contemporary farmhouse flair was laid in the dining room, mudroom and around the revamped gas fireplace. The kitchen was an empty shell. Cambria quartz countertops and high-end appliances were integrated in the kitchen. Black tin tile originally intended for the ceiling was instead used as a backsplash to balance the bright hues. “Our goal was to take older — I don’t want to say rundown but kind of unloved — houses and bring them back to their full potential,” River Ward said as she wandered through each renovated room.
The primary suite underwent the most significant transformation. Cynthia Ward assumed it was living quarters for folks who worked at the stagecoach. There are steps that lead down into what was a small room with a seven feet high ceiling.
“It was tiny, no room. We didn’t even know what we were going to do with the space,” River Ward said. “Then, we decided we’re going to rip the roof off.”
They installed dormers to create a more lofty space and included a walk-in closet and a large master bathroom with claw-foot tub and tiled walk-in shower.
They saved where they could, relying on their eye for design, Cynthia Ward’s deep understanding of the real estate market and River Ward’s construction skills. But once the pandemic hit, material costs exploded.
“We ended up putting everything we wanted into the house,” Cynthia Ward said. “Did
we go over budget? Yeah, we went over budget, but there were things that we did that were important that you don’t really see.”
It was a labor of love that took time. The pair spent two years working on the property, in and out of the house and each other’s lives on an almost daily basis. But, that’s what they loved: the opportunity to work together and to see a project through from seed to sale and feel a sense of accomplishment.
The mother-daughter dynamic is a delicate one. It can be complex and tricky to navigate. When the relationship evolves to include a professional partnership you’d expect some tension, but partnering on a project of this scale proved rather easy, Cynthia Ward said.
“It really was easy,” her daughter said almost simultaneously.
“Sometimes she can move faster than I can move on, or her idea may be a little different then mine but we don’t really argue over it at all,” Cynthia Ward.
The two would chat daily. They tried to coordinate their schedules when they could but one would always try to be at the house almost every day to work, monitor progress, chat with subcontractors and stage the house. .“We worked a lot together but we also picked up the slack for each other if we had other obligations,” River Ward said.
Even though they worked together they were never tired of each other’s company, and would balance business with pleasure any time they could.
“We watch ‘The Bachelor’ together. We go to dinner,” River Ward said.
“We travel together, too,”
both of them said in the next breath.
Cynthia Ward said her daughter is more budget savvy. She keeps her spending in check. But, it’s her daughter’s intelligence, adaptability and ability to learn quickly that impress her most. The fact that she can work with her mom and take direction without qualm, is also pretty remarkable, she added.
“We can be mom and daughter but we can also be ‘employee’ and ‘boss, I guess’,” said Cynthia Ward, who would love to work with her two younger
children as well.
“We’re co-partners,” River Ward quickly interjected with a laugh.
Though they are anxiously waiting to sell the house they are looking for the next project. They’d like to find a smaller house that can be properly restored to suit an underserved buyer pool, people looking for houses in the $275,000 to $350,000 price range.
“It will be sad, but it’s rewarding,” Cynthia Ward said as her eyes darted around the converted space. “It’s a great achievement.
Somebody else is going to be able to come in and love this.”
After the tour of the home, River Ward conveyed just what a blessing it is to work with her mom.
“She has taught me so much within this business and she brings and brought so much energy and light and positivity to this renovation. She’s the backbone of From Houses to Homes and I’m extremely lucky that she believed in me enough to start this business with me.”
She is hardworking and always supportive. They share an unbreakable bond, River Ward said.
“She is constantly doing everything she can to help everyone around her succeed. She’s giving, smart, caring and every other quality you want in a business partner but also a mom. I’m lucky to have her in my everyday work and personal life.”
River Ward, left, and her mother, Cynthia Ward.