Alison Victoria of ‘Windy City Rehab’ Runs Into the Absolute Worst Renovation Problem

Alison Victoria of ‘Windy City Rehab’ Runs Into the Absolute Worst Renovation Problem

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On “Windy City Rehab,” Alison Victoria has faced a wide swath of challenges, but in the latest episode, she tackles what is perhaps the most daunting renovation problem of all: pandemic delays.

In the episode “New Build, Old Problems,” Victoria revisits a house she and an investor had purchased in 2019 for $505,000. COVID-19 brought this project to a halt due to closures, labor shortages, and supply chain issues—and by the time they’re able to resume, interest fees and other charges had added to the investment, bringing the total up to $707,000.

With so much money already on the line, Victoria must watch every penny she spends. Here’s what she decides to do, with plenty of lessons for the rest of us on how to handle a renovation on a budget.

Sometimes it’s cheaper to tear down and rebuild

“There’s nothing original about this house,” says Victoria as she inspects the front. The brick facade is bulging, and the tacked-on front porch covering is crumbling.

Inside it’s also bland.

“There’s nothing terrible about it, but nothing great either,” she says. “It’s a bunch of builders’ standard stuff: laminate countertops, red oak floors with, like, a blond stain. There’s nothing to save inside.”

It’s not as if she would be demolishing anything historic. As such, she considers this a teardown.

“I’m absolutely leaning toward new construction,” she says. “How much is it going to cost me to renovate or try to fix, and then have someone buy a house that might have issues? Having the opportunity to build anew in this city would be awesome.”

Plus, by wiping the slate clean, she’ll be able to add higher ceilings and extra square footage. She estimates a new structure will cost an extra 16% to 17%, but she thinks the end result will be worth it.

Dig deep for more square footage

City ordinances often limit how tall a residence can be. So, unable to build up, Victoria decides to build down, or at least dig deep, and create a basement area.

The house measured 2,077 square feet when she bought it, but by adding a basement with two bedrooms and a rec room, she is able to expand it to a whopping 3,900 square feet, substantially increasing the home’s value.

Add vintage pieces to give new construction character

“Even though it’s new, I want this to feel like it’s been here forever,” says Victoria. She goes shopping at her favorite vintage architecture stores and finds a fireplace mantel, corbels, and a pair of shapely turned legs that will work nicely as part of the support for the kitchen island she’s adding.

“People love these elements, and people buy because of them,” Victoria affirms.

Stained-glass windows can let light in while blocking a bad view

The houses in this neighborhood are built so close together, you can reach out and touch your neighbor, so there are bound to be some awkward views of the house next door. Victoria decides to build a custom stained-glass window that will be one of the home’s defining features.

“That way you don’t have to look at the brick of the neighbor, and you can have something really beautiful to talk about,” she says. The lovely glass design will also be transparent enough to let natural light in.

Give the primary bedroom the best views

There are six bedrooms in Victoria’s newly built house, and she strategically puts the main bedroom on the upper level at the front of the house, with the best light.

In this case, the best view is at the front of the house, where residents can look out on beautiful, leafy trees. There’s also a school located across the street, so a giant apartment building is unlikely to be built there and obstruct the view.

Add brass accents to warm up a white kitchen

The real estate agent Victoria has brought in to sell the house is very impressed with the kitchen.

“As a Realtor®, I see a lot of white kitchens,” he says. “They start to all look the same. But this one is completely different.”

The reason? He points out all the brass hardware—for the drawer pulls and handles, on the oven hood vent, and even the lighting. Altogether, this warm, shiny brass adds something distinct and pulls the kitchen’s whole look together.

Does this ‘Windy City Rehab’ make a profit?

By the end of the episode, the new house Victoria has built is so impressive, the real estate agent thinks it could be listed for $1.6 million.

Indeed, a little sleuthing on Realtor.com® reveals that the house was listed for $1,599,000. Yet a couple of months later, the price dropped to $1,550,000. It finally sold for $1,500,000.

With an investment in the house of $707,000 and an additional $690,000 put into the rebuild, they were possibly able to eke out a profit of $103,000, provided there were no additional expenses over the three years. Still, aren’t there always additional expenses? No one ever said pandemic rehabs would be easy.

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