Couple restores house by hand
When Andrew and Tory Trott first saw their dream house in Mill Valley's Cascade Canyon, it was not so dreamy.
“It was an absolute shambles, which is exactly what we were looking for,” he says. “It was in too bad shape for most buyers who wanted to take on a renovation ,but not quite good enough to be an ideal project for a developer wanting to raze the house and rebuild. So, right in our niche.”
There were abandoned cars in the driveway and trash everywhere, the house had been overtaken by rats and termites, water damage was in every plumbed room and the carpets were stained, and it smelled so bad that Trott recalls the selling agent telling him that most potential buyers weren't willing to stay inside long enough to tour it.
Its saving graces, however, were the “incredible view into the canyon and the amazing sunlight all year round,” he says, adding that it sits on a quiet culde-sac with friendly neighbors and lovely homes.
The Trotts were determined to restore the house to its former glory with their own hands, despite no construction background and with, the exception of roof, solar and sewer, no help from contractors or day laborers.
Tory Trott, a Bay Area native who works in brand marketing for Discord and had previously lived in Marin, says she knew Mill Valley was the city “I always wanted to come back to” while her husband, who grew up in Cape Town, South Africa, and works in data engineering at Chime, moved to Marin in 2019 after running the Marin Headlands trails every weekend. He figured it “would be much easier to simply live in paradise rather than commuting there.”
They purchased their foreclosed, diamond-in-the-rough, 2,300-square-foot house in early 2020, and set about their restoration.
It needed everything. “All new roof, sewer, plumbing, electrical, HVAC, solar, insulation, some walls have been totally rebuilt, even subfloor and floor joists replaced, structural reinforcements and reframing, and of course appliances and finishes,” he says.
She took on the design, finishes and materials choices while he focused on the structural, plumbing, electrical and other elements.
“But, we both flex and work together side-byside on every project,” he says. “We like to say we're a YouTube special. There's an incredible amount of knowledge online about how to renovate every part of a home, safely and to code. Persistence and deep curiosity has helped us learn fast.”
He was able to draw all the plans on SketchUp. “They've been super responsive, giving feedback within days, not weeks or months,” he says. “They also have taken the opportunity during each inspection to point out code corrections that have been legitimately helpful and logical.”
He also has kudos for the City of Mill Valley Building Department. “Permitting has been a surprisingly great experience. I was expecting, given its popular reputation, for us to have a hard time with it, but to the contrary (the department) has been supportive, informative and helpful.”
Since there wasn't a working bathroom or kitchen, their first job was to install a built-in barbecue on the front patio and a water heater, with new plumbing from the street, for hot meals and an outdoor shower.
For the first six months of 2020, he camped out at the house while the couple tackled the first bathroom, bedroom and kitchen. Soon she moved in.
“Hand-finishing the kitchen's maple cabinets after doing the full install from subfloors up was a great challenge,” she says, but finishing the kitchen was rewarding.
The best part, he says, was “turning on the HVAC for the first time in the winter of 2020 after surviving with just the fireplace for a few months.”
By the second year, they had completed the utility room, dining room, living room, guest bedroom and second bathroom. They're finishing up the main bedroom suite upstairs and the gym, office, and sauna downstairs.
As he reflects upon the challenges of construction, whether they were structural, finish, siding or roofing work, Trott believes that ultimately everything comes down to one thing — water.
“Water damage means rot and rot means structural problems, attracts pests, and ultimately destroys a house if not dealt with effectively and safely,” he says.
Here are his top tips for homeowners contemplating redoing their home:
• “Don't worry about not having construction experience or knowledge. If you stay interested and engaged after your first big project, you'll be able to figure anything out with persistence and curiosity.”
• “Always wear your Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) to protect your lungs, eyes, ears, knees and head.”
• “Get the right tools for the job. Tools are not as great an expense as your time or top-quality materials.
• “Get all the right permits. Having the expertise of the inspectors who have seen thousands of jobs before feels invaluable to me.”
When completed, the Trotts will have created a beautiful three-bedroom, three-bathroom home with an office and gym, and a one-bedroom, one-bath ADU (additional dwelling unit) both with a modern, minimalist aesthetic.
“They say a renovation never ends but we hope to finish the main house by May 2023 and offer it up for rent while we do some traveling in 2023 and 2024,” he says. “Our goal was to build something that would be safe, well built and last us for decades to come. We love it here and hope to live here for the rest of our lives.”
Follow the Trotts' progress on their home at instagram.com/pandemic_ reno.
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