Craftsman style home renovations? Neighborhoods? (Seattle, Spokane: new house, inspection, upkeep)

[TXFutureWA]

Hello,

Do any neighborhoods in Spokane have trends towards renovating the older craftsman/bungalow/4 point homes? Here in Austin these style homes were bought up a decade ago on the East side...But Spokane seems to be abundant in them. I cant really call it gentrification, because, well, it's Spokane..

Maybe in 20 years the hipsters will discover Spokane?

Please enlighten an outsider looking in!

[AK76]

My impression, after visiting twice to recon the area prior to relocating there, is that South Hill and Indian Trail areas are as you describe.

Someone should be along shortly to confirm, or dispute my impression, and add to it as they see fit.

[WendyK]

Audubon Park-Downriver, Corbin Park, South Hill, Perry District, Millwood -- are some of the neighborhoods where you'll find better maintained older craftsman style homes. You'll actually find lots of these types of homes all over Spokane but not all have been kept up or restored. With the renovation costs, it's hard to justify putting a lot of money into something when the rest of the neighborhood is icky. I keep hoping that with the new Kendall Yards development, some of that money will spill into the West Central neighborhoods that need an upgrade.

[WendyK]

Just saw this in today's paper - speaking of renovating old homes...Old House workshop to reveal preservation techniques | The Spokesman-Review

[PS90]

Originally Posted by TXFutureWA

Maybe in 20 years the hipsters will discover Spokane?

God, I hope not. They can ruin Seattle and Portland all they want, just leave Spokane alone and "uncool".

[AK76]

Originally Posted by PS90

God, I hope not. They can ruin Seattle and Portland all they want, just leave Spokane alone and "uncool".

I will second that!

[LePetomane]

I'm with PS90 & AK76.....I do not want a cool and funky Spokane, I had enough of that crap from the 70s and 80s. Time to get the funkadelic bug spray out!

[mistyriver]

We looked and looked at old Craftsmans...even had a contract on one and it failed inspection. I love the idea of them but when it came right down to it, the smaller windows, darker interiors, more chopped up floor plans of many, the idea of putting storm windows on and off in fall and spring, and the ancillary problems of old houses eventually decided us against them. So we ended up with a light and airy house with soaring ceilings in a wonderful south hill neighborhood with beautiful old houses all around.

One thing I recommend strongly when offering on an old house: a sewer cam as part of the inspection.
We saved ourselves a really huge problem by doing one.

[TrafficCory]

Originally Posted by mistyriver

We looked and looked at old Craftsmans...even had a contract on one and it failed inspection. I love the idea of them but when it came right down to it, the smaller windows, darker interiors, more chopped up floor plans of many, the idea of putting storm windows on and off in fall and spring, and the ancillary problems of old houses eventually decided us against them. So we ended up with a light and airy house with soaring ceilings in a wonderful south hill neighborhood with beautiful old houses all around.

One thing I recommend strongly when offering on an old house: a sewer cam as part of the inspection.
We saved ourselves a really huge problem by doing one.

Yep, people forget that the home owner is responsible for the sewer pipe from the house all the way to the street. My sister found out to the tune of $15K recently.


I think the old house thing being romanticized is weird. Drafty, poorly laid out, too much upkeep, often in undesirable areas, etc., sounds like a recipe for disaster. Especially for households with two working people in them.

[mistyriver]

Originally Posted by TrafficCory

Yep, people forget that the home owner is responsible for the sewer pipe from the house all the way to the street. My sister found out to the tune of $15K recently.


I think the old house thing being romanticized is weird. Drafty, poorly laid out, too much upkeep, often in undesirable areas, etc., sounds like a recipe for disaster. Especially for households with two working people in them.

Another thing that deterred us from an old house was the radiant heating. Not so easy to add AC when the heat is from radiators and after last summer, being able to add central AC was a must for my husband. First thing we did in the new house.