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I am so much into the renovation thing, and nostalgia. I would like a HOME, not just a house, but being an artist I'm a stickler for aesthetics. What towns, cities, or areas would be good for me to look at?
Ideally, I'd like something with a little acreage, but even small lots are good if it suits the home, you know? I do some crapentry, have some other DIY skills, and just love a great project...especially when it's my own!
In Raleigh: Oakwood & Mordecai neighborhoods for the Victorians....although most (but certainly not all) are pretty well-preserved already. Boylan Heights, Five Points, Brooklyn, Cameron Park & University Park for the 20s/30s type homes.
Wilmington: areas near the downtown waterfront have a good few Victorians and a good number of 20s-ish bungalows.
Durham: areas around downtown have tons and tons of 1910s/20s/30s/40s era homes that are a good buy and plenty of them are good fixer-uppers! Trinity Park, Duke Park, Old North Durham, Old West Durham, Brightleaf, and Northgate neighborhoods are good starting points.
Winston-Salem: a great deal of homes around the Old Salem area downtown are of historic value. Finding those that aren't already preserved/renovated may be difficult...areas just to the east of that may have more options though.
Chapel Hill/Carrboro: in the "border area" in between the two cities' downtowns, you'll find a lot of 1920s-type "mill houses". Many are used as rentals for students and would be good for fixing up.
I am so much into the renovation thing, and nostalgia. I would like a HOME, not just a house, but being an artist I'm a stickler for aesthetics. What towns, cities, or areas would be good for me to look at?
Ideally, I'd like something with a little acreage, but even small lots are good if it suits the home, you know? I do some crapentry, have some other DIY skills, and just love a great project...especially when it's my own!
Any ideas?
Hey there ibeg4sushi...you might enjoy checking out the following on the internet...it's called: historicproperties
If you aren't dependent on living near a city, I would think that you can find lots of Junkers as my Dad would call them, that need a little TLC. Of course you can find them in town, but the investment is much higher.
If you go toward the foothills and the mountains you will find some stone houses with lots of character - even some craftsman homes on occasion. Towns like Rutherfordton (pronounced rulffdon), or Morganton, Spruce Pine are good choices. Toward the coast in places like Little Washington or Bath or even Elizabeth City, you can still find some good deals on more coastal cottages.
If you're independently wealthy, then it doesn't really matter. You can go to just about any region and find something.
Try checking out a small town and the historic districts. You should find something to work on. Just be aware that most of them can dictate what colors and what you can and cannot add to the houses in the historic districts. They don't want to undermine the authiticity of the original home.
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