Hello Everyone,

Sometimes we post testimonials and stories from folks who have done their own extreme remodeling projects.  Today, we are publishing a great testimonial written by an avid reader, Becky Tredder, based on her experience in buying a fixer-upper in the historic Baker neighborhood as a newly-wed with her husband, Greg.  Enjoy!

When my husband Greg and I were about to get married, we knew that we wanted to invest in a home as a young couple that we could live in until we got old.  We are very settled in Denver, and we have always loved the historic Baker neighborhood around South Broadway.  One night, while on a walk in the area, we found the perfect home for us to raise a family in.  It was a run-down Victorian home on a corner by a park with a “for sale” sign out front.  While it was clear from the outside that it needed (at the very least) a paint job and a new roof, we immediately called the broker for a time to see the house.

When we finally saw the inside of the house, it became clear that there were many more problems than just old paint and a wrapped roof.  The floors needed to be refinished, the windows needed to be replaced and there were more than a few rotten boards on the wrap-around porch.

None of that mattered, however.  The house was being sold for way below market value and we felt like that we had the remodeling know-how to do most of the household repairs ourselves… and so we did.

The painting, the changing of fixtures, the deck repairs, and the re-finishing of the floors all went very well for us.  We proudly admired our gleaming floors, freshly painted walls, and fully-functioning deck.  Unfortunately, our prowess was limited by some very difficult challenges in the plumbing and roofing of the old house.  Let’s start with the roof:

We decided, after considerable deliberation, that we decided that a slate roof would be the best option for our home.  We had saved such a significant amount of money doing other repairs ourselves, that we thought a roof would be worth investing in.  Not only does slate considerably increase the value of any home, but it also lasts for much longer than an asphalt roof, thus limiting the number of roof repairs we would have to do over the course of our ownership.  These Colorado roofers did a great do with the slate.

The plumbing was another issue entirely.  Like most old homes, the water that came out of the spout in both the kitchen and bathroom was rust-colored.  Luckily, we hired this Denver plumbing company, they were competitively priced and came on time.  Now the water that comes out of our faucets is drinkable without a filter.

We are slowly but surely moving into a space that we think we will call home for a long time.  Thanks so much for reading!