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Posted about 9 years ago

Preserving a Jumbo 2-unit in Chicago/Woodlawn - tons of original stuff

Normal 1450987448 Front

Over the last couple of years, I have done a couple of flips, and about 10 years ago, I used to house-hack.  Now, I have purchased a Jumbo 2-unit to try out the BRRRR scheme.  It would be great to get the extra income from rent.  My twist on things is that I like to buy mostly intact old buildings and renovate them, not just gut them out.  

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The first floor is in pretty good shape.  

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The second floor needs work, but has some really cool features.  

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Normal 1450987548 Fireplace

I don't think I can keep it, but I love old scenic wallpaper.  I don't think I could get a renter to swallow it though, so it will probably have to go.  As a compromise, I might try and salvage one wall, keep the pressed wood horizontal rail, and keep the green "dado" under the trim.  I also have all of the electric fixtures in the house.  I won't put the dining fixture back on the first floor, people like ceiling fans, but I will keep this one here, and take the one from the basement and put it in my old-house spare parts collection.  The dining rooms in these apartments are really huge.  They are 3/2's, but I bet they are about 2000 sq/ft.

Normal 1450987596 Upstairs

The upstairs still has a ton of stuff in it, as does the basement.  The guy who lived here was involved in "running the numbers" in Chicago in the 40's-60's, so the basement actually has four small apartments for his numbers runners.

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So, this building needs a lot of work, but it still has all of the old house goodies that I really like - original bathrooms, butlers pantries, nice floors, unpainted woodwork, and as a bonus, a bar on the second floor!  

Normal 1450987766 Bar

Yes, those are pink elephants!  And large birds with drinks!


Comments (1)

  1. This is awesome. I'm about to start a gut with two partners in Woodlawn and they're really not sold on preserving the history and charm due to costs. What do you do to keep costs down and maintain your timeline?