A Church Hill Renovation: Part 1

Earlier this year in our blog, we talked about how we’ve been moving from smaller, single-room renovations to larger, whole-home remodels. One of those whole home projects we’re excited to be completing this year is a historic home, perfectly located on the park with a view of the city in Church Hill.

This home is being renovated by a mother-daughter investment team, who have taken a particular liking to the Church Hill neighborhood. They share our passion and excitement for bringing historic homes back to life. So for this blog, we thought it would be fun to do an interview with one of the investors, Samantha Rodriguez, about how the process of investing in and flipping a home in one of Richmond’s oldest neighborhoods really works.

RIC: How long have you and your mother been in the home renovation/flipping/investment property market?
Samantha Rodriguez: We started doing this a couple years ago at the beginning of 2014.  It all started with meeting my friend’s brother, Tommy Waterworth, who happen to be a realtor.  I mentioned my mom's dream of buying an old building in Richmond and renovating it and the next day we had an appointment set up, and it all grew from there.

RIC: What make you decide to take this kind of business on?
SR: It was always a dream of my mother’s to do this, and I was always interested in home renovation also, so we decided it would fun to go into business together.  Simple as that.  It's been a great bonding experience for us  and I wouldn't change it for anything.  

RIC: What drew you to the Church Hill neighborhood?
SR: The main draw for us was the historic aspect of the neighborhood and then also the need for revitalization in parts as well.  We love nothing more than bringing old historic homes back to their former glory.  

RIC: Tell us about some of the other homes you've worked on in Church Hill.
SR: We've renovated two other homes so far in Church Hill.  One on 35th Street that we called the “green barn” due to the bright green exterior paint job and the distinct shape of the house, and another on 31st Street which was more of a typical row house style. Both of these homes sold quickly and one of them for more than asking price which I feel is reflective of the demand for restored homes in this area.

RIC: What drew you to this particular house?  
SR: This is a stunning 1920s, three story house and we fell in love with it when we walked in the door. It's the largest house we've taken on and we wanted to go with a higher-end design because that's what this house deserves. It's one of those grand houses on the park that deserve a little more attention to detail.

RIC: What was your vision for this house?
SR: We really wanted to stay true to the original layout and charm of the house, with of course just a few modern updates to appeal to the new age buyer. The original pocket doors and bifold doors separating the rooms on the first floor are still intact and functional. The home had a nice natural flow to it and so we decided to keep most of the walls intact and have allowed for a slight, modified open concept floor plan between the kitchen and living room. One big change we made was on the second floor where we did decide to enclose a balcony on the back of the house. This allowed us to create a master suite, complete with a beautiful master bathroom and walk-in closet. We envision a large family making this their home and hope that we find a buyer that can truly appreciate everything we've done to bring this house back to life.  

RIC: Why did you choose RIC design build to help complete this vision?  
SR: We were referred to RIC by Tommy Waterworth, our realtor, and were impressed by the quality of craftsmanship the RIC team has produced in previous projects.  We felt like we could work well together on a project as special and important to us as this one.  

RIC: What is your favorite design aspect of this house or your favorite change that's being made?
SR: My favorite room is always the kitchen.  We decided to go a different route than we usually do in our kitchens and so this one was particularly fun to plan. Instead of the typical white cabinets we normally do we went with an antique grey finish.  In place of the butcher block countertops that we’ve previously used, we upgraded to a beautiful granite that we haven’t seen in a kitchen before.  We think the combination of the two will give it the wow factor we’re striving for and potential buyers will love.   I'm excited to see it all come together.

RIC: How has the design/build process worked for you so far?
SR: I think the process has gone pretty well so far, especially because my mom and I have slowly started to become our own general contractor. We personally took on more with this project than we have in the past. RIC design build was great helping us learn the ins and outs of managing a renovation project.

RIC: What's your best advice for people looking to invest in historic property or folks taking on a renovation in an older home?
SR: Learn to fail fast.  You're going to make mistakes, and sometimes they can be big ones that will cost you money, but it's always a learning experience.  Try not to stress over the mistakes you make because the best thing to do is to fix what you can and keep moving forward.