Intro: 1840's Greek Revival in Historic Downtown Mystic, CT

Here she is. What a beauty. This Greek Revival-style duplex (2 bed 1 bath per unit) was built around 1840.

The Deal

I was able to purchase the property from an out-of-state owner in the Fall of 2014. She threw up a few "for sale by owner" signs before listing it on the MLS with an agent. Since I already owned the identical house next door, I was very interested. 

We talked out a deal over a cocktail and agreed on a purchase price of $217,000. Since she owned the property outright, she agreed to hold the note (seller financing) for 5 years at 3.5% with a little less than 10% down and monthly payments of $1,400/ month. We closed within the month. What a streamlined experience working directly with the seller and my attorney!

The Plan

In short... remove the insides and start over. 

The internal structure is in such poor shape, we will be removing everything except the outer building envelope. New carrying beams and internal floor packages will provide a solid (and level) starting point for a new, more open floor plan.

The building is in the Mystic River flood plane, but built on a 6 foot high granite foundation. All mechanicals will be moved from the basement to the first floor to prevent damage from potential flooding.

Adding a 3/4 bath to the first floor.

Updating the heating system from oil to a ductless mini-split system.

Open concept kitchen & living room on first floor with large kitchen island.

I'll post the new floor plan when it's ready!

Some Before Pictures

In the next post I'll provide photos of the interior demolition.