New look for old home; big boost for nonprofit
Toano builder’s renovation nets donation for Habit for Humanity
YORK — Builder Daniel Nice, who specializes in house flipping, recently won national recognition for his work on a late-19th-century York County farmhouse.
Nice’s work also resulted in a hefty donation for Habitat for Humanity Peninsula and Greater Williamsburg.
Now at 107 Semple Road, the house was built in 1890 on about 70 acres fronting Penniman Road. In the early 1950s, the Nelson Park residential neighborhood was built around the house, whose rear now faces Semple Road.
“The old front that you don’t see from the road is really beautiful,” said Nice, of Toano.
After Nice learned about the availability of the house, he and his grandfather, also named Daniel Nice, took a look at the property.
“The bones were strong, but there were lots of structural issues. However, he was sold on it a bit sooner than I was,” Nice said. His family, including father Fred, who heads Fred A. Nice Construction, has been in the local construction business for 40-plus years.
It was a seven-month project and the oldest home Nice had done.
“It was not the typical 1950s or 1960s home that we would purchase, renovate and put it back on the market,” he explained. “The previous owner was so happy we were going to salvage the home and that we were capable of tackling a renovation of this magnitude. He was thrilled the home would be given a second chance.”
The project was so successful and the restoration so dramatic that the project won “The Ugliest House of the Year for 2023” competition by HomeVestors of America Inc., a Dallas firm with franchises that specialize in dealing with homeowners in desperate situations.
By winning the 2023 contest, Nice’s local Habitat for Humanity — Habitat for Humanity Peninsula and Greater Williamsburg — received a $20,000 donation from HomeVestors of America, a professional house buying franchise.
Nice purchased a HomeVestors franchise in November 2020. His company, Nice Heritage LLC, is independent, while HomeVestors “does marketing on my behalf,” he said. HomeVestors recruits, trains and supports franchisees that specialize in building businesses based on buying, rehabbing and selling residential properties.
Nice’s wife, Marianna, is a real estate agent and handles the property sales. His grandfather Daniel, who is 92, “is a real estate entrepreneur” who started Nice Brothers Construction in the Denbigh area of Newport News. “He follows my business very closely,” Nice added.
A graduate of Virginia Military Institute, Nice served as a U.S. Army medical service corps officer from October 2015 until October 2021 when he left the service to begin work with his new company.
Once the house was purchased, the first step was to get to remove some trees and debris from the yard. Some crape myrtle and magnolia trees were saved.
“Really, no part of the house was untouched,” Nice said. “We spent a good bit of money and a good deal of time and effort.”
Much of the house had to be gutted in preparation for the substantial overhaul, he said. New water and sewer lines from the street were installed along with new electric and plumbing system within the house.
All the siding on the home’s exterior was replaced along with the windows. Inside, a handcrafted staircase was saved in place and refinished.
One of the worst parts of the interior was where the original kitchen was situated. Many of the joists there had to be replaced.
“We decided to move the kitchen to the area where the bay window was located,” he explained.
The home is now four bedrooms with 2½ baths, containing 2,277 square feet. The home was priced at $405,000 when it was sold last August.
Home flipping “is 100% more enjoyable than new construction,” Nice said. “We currently have a lot of properties and are working on eight projects. We’re planning to purchase four more in the next 30 days.”